Weekly Thoughts

2/4/06 – End Time Battle

Hi all,

With Iran in the news so much these past few weeks and the questions that have been coming via email about it, I thought I'd share about Iran's involvement in World War 3, as depicted in Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Ezekiel's prophecy about a mid-east war is sandwiched between the Valley of Dry Bones in chapter 37, which depicts Israel being brought back into the land to become a nation again, and the restored temple in chapter 40, which describes Messiah ruling from it. This places the war somewhere in our time frame because Israel became a nation in 1948.

This is NOT Armageddon as described in The Revelation. Armageddon involves a 200 million man army led by the 5 kings of the east (China and others) who invade Israel, very possibly with combined European forces, and ends in the return of Christ and the saints, all on heavenly horses.

Ezekiel's battle states that it is between Israel and her allies against the far northern nation of Russia and her allies, with Iran being mentioned as first among them, with the resultant victory for Israel and a battle which takes 7 months to bury the dead and leaves Israel with a 7 year supply of fuel. (39:9,12)

The allies of Russia:    "...Set your face against Gog, in the land of Magog...I am against you Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal." (All these nations describe the region north of modern day Turkey). "Persia (Iran), Ethiopia (Sudan), Libya (same), Gomer (nations north of Turkey that used to be part of the USSR), Togarmah of the north (Turkey/Asia minor and parts of Syria)...Be prepared (speaking to Russia/Magog)...and be a guard to them." (38:2-7)

God tells Russia to be a guard to the following nations: Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, and the former nations of the USSR near Turkey (Chechnya, Georgia, etc).

The Lord goes on to say in verses 8-12 in part:

"...in the latter years you will come into the land...you shall ascend and come like a cloud to cover the land...you will have a thought in your mind to come to the land of un walled villages and those that are at rest and live safely without walls...to take a spoil..."

This puts that battle in the end times, ascending like a cloud could indicate a massive air attack couple with quick ground forces, and that Israel will be (apparently) at peace when the invasion occurs.

Just from the above verses we can look for things to develop in our time:

1)  Russia wooing and making alliances with the named countries (already happened or in process with Turkey). My opinion is that Europe will reject Turkey's bid for EU membership or in some way Russia will become it's #1 partner rather than the EU.

2)  Russia must solve it's Muslim problem in Chechnya and other places, most likely through brokering partnerships with an aim towards destroying Israel.

3)  Iran will further cement ties to Russia.

4)  Some sort of local peace treaty that will let Israel live at peace...on a local level there will be peace, but beyond its' borders nations will be plotting.

Then the Lord states in 21 that "...I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains..."

The use of mountains in prophetic writing always indicates nations. For instance, Daniel saw a mountain cut without hands break in pieces the statue of nations in the vision and then it filled earth, indicating the Kingdom of God ruling on the planet. (the last empire it crushed was the Roman/revived Roman Empire) And in The Revelation 17:9 it states Babylon sits on 7 mountains and the verse following indicates those are 7 kings (kingdoms).

So we understand that God calling on all His mountains to fight against Russia indicates others will defend Israel. The question has always been, Where is the US in all this?

A possible indication of US involvement on the side of Israel is found in 38:13:

"Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish with all the young lions thereof, will say to you, "Do you think you've come to take a spoil? Have you gathered your army to enslave, to ...take a great spoil?"

Sheba and Dedan are identified with modern day Yemen and by extension, Saudi Arabia, indicating perhaps the house of Saud will remain an ally of the US and moderate towards Israel during the time depicted.

Tarshish is Spain. The 'young lions' are merchant offspring nations of Spain. Some believe because he uses lions to indicate the offspring of Spain, Ezekiel is referring to the offspring of Britain as well, the lion being the symbol of Great Britain. If that is the case, then the US qualifies as both as descendant from the 'merchants of Spain' and a 'young lion thereof'.

It could also indicate broader alliances in the Americas and certainly Great Britain as well.

Amazing that Ezekiel in about 586 BC accurately foresees modern day alliances!

Now to the battle: God says he will bring his mountains to fight on behalf of Israel, and he states that when the enemy nations come into Israel there will be an earthquake and ensuing confusion in the enemy so that they start fighting and killing each other. (38:19-22)

If you remember your Bible history you know the Lord has used similar tactics when other multinational armies have come against Israel-He does something to confuse them and with language barriers they start killing each other off.

Additionally, he states in 38:22 that when those nations get to the mountains in Israel there will be a great rainstorm, hailstorm, and fire and brimstone (the later possibly indicating modern bombs/explosives). In 39:2 (KJV) it says that only one sixth of the invading army will survive.

The picture depicted is massive confusion in the multi-national force, an earthquake, and rain and hail PLUS Israel and its' allies fighting against them.

On top of the local carnage, with even the birds eating the bodies of the armies as they lie on the ground, in 39:6 God says he will send "...a fire on Magog and among them that live securely in the isles (border areas and its ally's homelands)..." In other words, Israel/allies will bring the attack against the nation of Russia and its' allies, not just against the armies invading Israel. This could mean limited nuclear missiles, or Ezekiel, having never seen modern explosives, could just be telling us of massive strikes against Russia and allies with conventional weapons.

Ezekiel states in 39:14-15 says Israel will hire men full time to walk through the land looking for pieces of bodies, and putting markers by bones when they find them. (An exact depiction of modern practices)

So this is what Ezekiel saw in summary: After Israel is restored to the land, in the latter years, there will be an alliance between (what we know today as) Russia, Iran, Turkey, The Sudan, Libya, and the Islamic republics near Turkey who used to be part of the USSR.

They will invade Israel, who will be allied with nations who are the offspring of the merchants of Spain and Great Britain.

The Russians will have fire and brimstone hit their homeland-nuclear or conventional is unknown. Only 1/6 of the invading army will survive and Israel will have a 7 year supply of fuel, and take 7 months to bury the dead. Israel and the world will see the earthquake, rain, and hailstones and God will be magnified.

Now...what happens next? We can speculate a bit if we understand the context within modern politics.

This battle ends the Arab-Israeli conflict. It puts an end to Muslim terrorism because Russia is destroyed in part or impotent militarily, Iran is destroyed, most likely Syria destroyed or nearly so.

See how this scenario hits your spirit.

Europe is untouched by this war. After the war a ruler of Europe (President of the EU most likely) will make a 7 year peace treaty with Israel, which will give Israel massive aide and trade agreements, and push Europe to leadership with Russia and the Islamic Middle Eastern nations neutralized.

Let me insert here that the Anti-Christ does not rule the whole world, just Europe. I know that is the common prophetic theme, but it's not accurate. Even The Revelation talks about the 200 million man army of the '5 kings of the east'...not under Anti-Christ's control at all. He just rules Europe.

In ancient writing terms like 'all the earth' referred to the empire they were a part of...they didn't live in the world we live in, where we see via satellite the whole planet...'All the earth" to them meant their world...For example, Daniel in addressing Nebuchadnezzar referred to him ruling over all the earth and his kingdom was known 'to all the earth' (4:20 and others)...but Nebuchadnezzar ruled a very small kingdom of the middle east...at it's height going from Israel to Iran...but that's it. The Medo-Persian was bigger than his, Alexander the Great's still larger, and Rome the largest

So keep the text in context and don't get all caught up in the hype.

Included in the European treaty following the war is the right for Israel to construct a temple on the temple mount and offer sacrifices according to their religion, destroying the mosque there currently. This will be possible because the ones who were against it have largely been destroyed, and those that remain will not offer resistance against Israel and it's allies which includes the EU as it's newest ally.

For about 3 1/2 years the European President will work on political and economic reforms going with the political capital gained from the war and treaty.

He is seeking the 666...The trinity of man's rule, 6 being the number of man -- that which Caesar and Hitler and countless others before him sought but always eluded them--the successful unification of economics, religion, and politics (w/military)---the 666.

As Jesus will combine all three at His return in a sort of 777...Jesus ruler from Jerusalem over the planet (political), all will worship Him (religion), and righteousness will govern man's dealings with man (economic), so has Satan always tried to unify the planet in these 3 areas by offering up various rulers over the centuries.

If you understand that spirit you understand the battle going on in the US...the liberals want to do away with religion for then (they think) we will be unified, they want to control the country politically/military, and they have their economic plan for socialization of everything...the same spirit as the 666 of Anti-Christ.

Europe is already largely cash-less, becoming unified in economics. It is becoming more unified politically, and when the peace treaty with Israel is signed, will seek to become united in religion...basically worshipping the State and leader...

We have only to look at the adoration and worship of various leaders-Hitler and the Caesars for instance--to understand the last 7 years before the Lord returns. Like the above rulers, people will have to swear allegiance to the EU leader or be cut off economically with capital punishment being a possibility. The 666 being the mark is the identifier of the man who combines all three elements.

In John's day, the Roman empire upon taking slaves, took away their names and branded the person on the head or hand/wrist with a number...John saw people as slaves to the system, needing to be part of the system to be able to conduct business and buy/sell.

So...for the first 3 1/2 years the EU president goes with the momentum from the war against the Islamic people in their midst --the ones who tried to destroy Israel after all...and a crafty way to stop the Islamic-ization of Europe

...and a wave of persecution against 'religious people' in general rises. This will include Christians, and even Jews to a lesser extent at first...but the push will be for Jews to return to Israel at first as it was at the end of WWII...

I remember as a teenager visiting Dachau concentration camp outside Munich. There was a text that said that there were not only 6 million Jews who died in the camps, but another 5-6 million Christians and political prisoners as well. In the heat of the movement other faiths were swept away as well.

So it's not hard to believe that like Hitler before, this persecution will be a firestorm first going after Islamic zealots in Europe, but quickly encompassing all 'religious' people, then shifting focus to Christians and Jews almost entirely as Islam is put down and memory of the Israel/Russia war begins to fade.

That's what will be happening in Europe during the first 3 1/2 years of the treaty...looks like the EU is helping Israel return Jews to the land, it continues to persecute religious people-Islamic, Christian and political undesirables, and so...

Either at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem or (either way) 3 1/2 years into the treaty the President of the EU will come to the temple, and defile it, demanding the same allegiance in Israel that he has been getting in Europe that last 3 1/2 years...thus revealing to Israel they do not have a true friend in Europe.

The President then steps up the persecution that has been going on in Europe to include a massive persecution of Israel, Jews and believers in Jesus across the board...the last 3 1/2 years Jesus called "The Great Tribulation".

During this time period China and the east will recognize that Russia no longer stands in its way, and Europe will either by allied or somehow coordinated in its' now open hatred for Israel with China...

So allied with other nations of the east China assembles a massive people's army--so large it feels that if Russia had brought greater numbers 7 years earlier it would have succeeded...seeking to overwhelm the tiny nation 200 million march to Israel. It closes the 6 dozen or so dams on the Tigris/Euphrates system, walking across on dry land to come into the Holy Land...

About to be wiped out, Jesus returns with the saints on horseback and destroys the armies, setting up his government from the temple in Jerusalem.

Within that 7 year period the Lord will have destroyed the largest ungodly governments of the world-Russia, China, and the EU as it turned against Israel.

Matthew 25 indicates Jesus will separate the sheep nations from the goat nations, and set up his people over those nations. He will rule with a rod of iron and his people will govern through the gifts of the Spirit (the powers of the age to come of Heb 6:5). He will demand everyone come to Jerusalem in the fall for the feat of Tabernacles (celebrates God living with man), and if they won't come up he will not allow it to rain on their land until they do. (Zech 14:16-17)

The question you may be asking is, Where is the US?

I don't know.

Currently we are a sheep nation supporting Israel. Why don't we stop China and Europe 7 years later if we help them against Russia?

Because there was an election (every 4 years remember) during that 7-year time and the mood of the country is to let Israel go since it's aligned with Europe, and maybe the country has had its' fill of middle eastern wars after Kuwait, Iraq, Israel/Russia...

Another question: Don't we get 'raptured' somewhere in there (please O pretty please)?

I don't know.

I personally believe we will be caught up into heaven either at WW 3 depicted here, or just after. After all, Jesus comes back from heaven 7 years later at Armageddon with the saints...we had to get up there somehow!

I believe the rapture is depicted in one of the feasts of Israel, Rosh ha Shanah...but that's a later subject. There will be believers who go through the tribulation for sure, for The Revelation seems to indicate a massive turning to Jesus among the Jews and by extension other nations.

So, to answer the initial question: Will Iran be involved in the last days? Yes!

Watch for Iran and Russia to become closer. Watch for Russia to play peace maker between the world and Iran. Watch for relations between Turkey and Europe to sour and at the same time Russia becoming Turkey's biggest ally.

During part of history the name "Persia" included modern Iraq. The Medo-Persian Empire which came in Ezekiel/Daniel's lifetimes was exactly that--the Medes ruled from Babylon and the Persians from Iran as a unified empire...and that spirit is today trying to re-unify through the insurgents in Iraq.

But it remains to be seen if that will happen, that's what the war in Iraq is (spiritually) all about. Will Persia remain Persia, or will it be successful in rebuilding a Medo-Persian Empire in it's alliance with Russia?

Let's watch the news to find out!

 

Hope this has been a blessing to you,
John Fenn
cwowi.org