The future is mapped out for us in the Bible and if we are careful we
can get an idea where we are in time by some of the wars that are still in the future.
There are four prophesied wars that will come to pass. To put them into
perspective as far as timing is concerned; we should try and pin down a few
details. We talked about the Psalm 83
war last week as we looked at the first seal being opened. This is where Israel’s closest enemies come
against them in an attempt to make them Palestine, but instead Israel overtakes
them and takes some of their enemies’ land.
This causes Israel to dwell in safety and security for a time. Israel
becomes a world superpower and prospers greatly, which is why some northern
nations want to invade Israel.
The war that follows Psalm 83 is the Ezekiel 38/39 war which we will
look at today. The second to last war is the Day of the Lord/Armageddon, the
day when the kings of the earth, and their armies, along with the beast and
false prophet, try to make war against Jesus and his army. Sometimes
people theorize that the Ezekiel 38/39 war is the same as the Day of the Lord,
but it is not. In the Ezekiel war it is nations that want to fight against
Israel to plunder them. In the Day of
the Lord, the entire earth wants to fight against God. Seeing as how that did not work out well for
Nimrod, one would think people would be smarter today. After that, the last war will be after Jesus
will reign for 1000 years. At the end of that time satan will be loosed to
deceive the nations and he will gather an army to surround the city but will be
defeated by fire. If we can keep our
details straight, we might see something very important.
We saw that angels are the “power” behind people, such as David against
Goliath. Therefore we have to add to our
thinking the dimension of angels, good and evil, that are fighting along with
humans. While we see John and Ezekiel
and Amos speaking of people, they are also speaking of angelic beings. One such being is Gog. While Gog is a place and could be a person’s
name, Gog is also a king of locusts. The
Septuagint gives us a clue into this. In Amos we see that king Gog is mentioned
with locusts.
Amos 7:1 Thus has the Lord God shewed me; and,
behold, a swarm of locusts coming from the east; and, behold, one caterpillar,
king Gog.
The
locusts have a king, his name is Gog. Therefore, when we see locusts in
Revelation, we can compare that to Ezekiel.
As we know, the Ezekiel war has not happened yet. Let’s first look at Ezekiel from the
Septuagint before we look at Revelation.
Ezekiel 38:1 And the word of
the Lord came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,
and the land of Magog, Rhos, prince of Mesoch and Thobel, and prophesy against
him, 3 and say to him, Thus saith the Lord God;
Behold, I am against thee, Rhos
prince of Mesoch and Thobel: 4 and I will gather thee, and all thine
host, horses and horsemen, all wearing breast-plates, with a great multitude,
shields and helmets and swords: 5 Persians, and Ethiopians, and
Libyans; all with helmets and shields. 6 Gomer, and all belonging to
him; the house of Thorgama, from the end of the north, and all belonging to
him; and many nations with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, prepare
thyself, thou, and all thy multitude that is assembled with thee, and thou
shalt be to me for a guard. 8 He shall be prepared after many days,
and he shall come at the end of years (NKJV: latter years), and shall
come to a land that is brought back from the sword, when the people are
gathered from many nations against the land of Israel, which was entirely
desolate: and he is come forth out of the nations, and they shall all dwell
securely. 9 And thou shalt go up as rain, and shalt arrive as a cloud
to cover the land, and there shall be thou, and all that are about thee, and
many nations with thee.
The first clue to timing is the
phrase “end of years” or latter days.
We have not come to the end of years yet; the end of years may refer to the
second half of the tribulation. We will see why shortly. Also note that many
nations first come against Israel, but after that Israel will dwell securely
(verse 8). This is a reference that the
Psalm 83 war happens prior to the Ezekiel war, and that Israel will be dwelling
securely before the Ezekiel war happens.
Then this group of nations will come against Israel.
10 Thus saith the Lord God; It
shall also come to pass in that day, that thoughts shall come up into thine
heart, and thou shalt devise evil devices. 11 And thou shalt say, I
will go up to the rejected land; I will come upon them that are at ease in
tranquility, and dwelling in peace, all inhabiting a land in which there is no
wall, nor bars, nor have they doors; 12 to seize plunder, and to take
their spoil; to turn my hands against the desolate land that is now inhabited,
and against a nation that is gathered from many nations, that have acquired
property, dwelling in the midst of the land. 13 Sabba, and Daedan,
and Carthaginian merchants, and all their villages shall say to thee, Thou art
come for plunder to take a prey, and to get spoils: thou hast gathered thy
multitude to take silver and gold, to carry off property, to take spoils.
The purpose is not to make Israel
desolate, or to make it Palestine, but to take her riches. People now live there from many nations; it
used to be desolate but is now inhabited.
It says that they acquired property while dwelling in the land. Israel acquires property in the Psalm 83 war
and then becomes rich. Ezekiel says Gog and those nations want Israel’s spoils.
14 Therefore prophesy, son of
man, and say to Gog, Thus saith the Lord; Wilt thou not arise in that day, when
my people Israel are dwelling securely, 15 and come out of thy place
from the farthest north, and many nations with thee? all of them mounted on
horses, a great gathering, and a large force? 16 And thou shalt come
up upon my people Israel as a cloud to cover the land; it shall come to pass in
the last days, that I will bring thee up upon my land, that all the nations may
know me, when I am sanctified in thee before them.
17 Thus saith the Lord God, to
Gog; Thou art he concerning whom I spoke in former times, by
the hand of my servants the prophets of Israel, in those days and years, that I
would bring thee up against them. 18 And it shall come to pass in
that day, in the day when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the
Lord God, 19 that my wrath and my jealousy shall arise, I
have spoken in the fire of mine anger, verily in that day there shall be a
great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 and the fish of the sea shall
quake at the presence of the Lord, and the birds of the sky and the wild beasts
of the field, and all the reptiles that creep upon the earth, and all the men
that are on the face of the earth; and the mountains shall be rent, and the
valleys shall fall, and every wall on the land shall fall. 21 And I
will summon against it even every fear, saith the Lord: the sword of every man
shall be against his brother. 22 And I will judge him with
pestilence, and blood, and sweeping rain, and hailstones; and I will rain upon
him fire and brimstone, and upon all that are with him, and upon many nations
with him.
23 And I will be magnified, and
sanctified, and glorified; and I will be known in the presence of many nations,
and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Before the Ezekiel war starts the
first six trumpets sound. God shakes the earth. Then, after the shaking of all
these things it seems that God’s wrath will back Gog as he goes out against
Israel. First, God shakes the earth, and then Gog assembles his army against
Israel. Let’s look at the first four
trumpets.
Rev 8:7-13 The first angel blew
[his] trumpet, and there was a storm of hail and fire mingled with blood cast
upon the earth. And a third part of the earth was burned up and a third of the
trees was burned up and all the green grass was burned up. [Ex 9:23-25.] 8 The second
angel blew [his] trumpet, and something resembling a great mountain, blazing
with fire, was hurled into the sea. [Jer 51:25.] 9 And a third of the sea was
turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea perished, and a
third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The third angel blew [his] trumpet, and a
huge star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it dropped on a third of
the rivers and on the springs of water —
11 And the name of the star is Wormwood. A third part of the waters was
changed into wormwood, and many people died from using the water, because it
had become bitter. 12 Then the fourth angel blew [his] trumpet, and a third of
the sun was smitten, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that
[the light of] a third of them was darkened, and a third of the daylight
[itself] was withdrawn, and likewise a third [of the light] of the night was
kept from shining. 13 Then I [looked and I] saw a solitary eagle flying in
midheaven, and as it flew I heard it crying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to
those who dwell on the earth, because of the rest of the trumpet blasts which
the three angels are about to sound! AMP
After the seals are opened, the
angels sound the trumpets. These first
four trumpets resemble what the Lord God says he will do before the war starts.
Notice that Gog/Apollyon is not loosed during the first four trumpets. During the fifth trumpet the locusts and
their king come out to battle. At the time
Gog is loosed on Israel, Adonai says he will guide him.
Ezekiel 39:1 And thou, son of
man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against
thee, O Gog, Rhos prince of Mesoch and Thobel: 2 and I will assemble
thee, and guide thee, and raise thee up on the extremity of the north, and I will
bring thee up upon the mountains of Israel. 3 And I will destroy the
bow out of thy left hand, and thine arrows out of thy right hand, and I will
cast thee down on the mountains of Israel; 4 and thou and all that
belong to thee shall fall, and the nations that are with thee shall be given to
multitudes of birds, even to every fowl, and I have given thee
to all the wild beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 Thou shalt fall
on the face of the field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord.
6 And I will send a fire upon
Gog, and the islands shall be securely inhabited: and they shall know that I am
the Lord. 7 And my holy name shall be known in the midst of my people
Israel; and my holy name shall no more be profaned: and the nations shall know
that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold
it is come, and thou shalt know that it shall be, saith the Lord God; this is
the day concerning which I have spoken.
The Ezekiel war will be over when
Adonai says so. This sets up the next
war, the Day of the Lord, when the whole earth gathers into battle. The whole
earth will not be destroyed, but the nations inspired by Gog/Apollyon will be
destroyed. But before we get ahead of ourselves let’s finish in Ezekiel. Israel will know that Yahweh Adonai delivered
them. We should ask ourselves the question, how will anyone know that the Lord
God delivered Israel?
9 And they that inhabit the
cities of Israel shall come forth, and make a fire with the arms, the shields
and the spears, and bows and arrows, and hand-staves, and lances, and they
shall keep fire burning with them for seven years: 10 and they shall
not take any wood out of the field, neither shall they cut any out of the
forests, but they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall plunder
those that plundered them, and spoil those that spoiled them, saith the Lord.
When the war is over, Israel will
burn the weapons and armaments that came against them. Where will this take place? In Israel. This fire will burn for seven years. This means the fire may start to burn just
before the Day of the Lord, and it will continue to burn into the millennial
reign. This war probably starts at the time of the wrath of God, the last forty
two months of the tribulation as we will see shortly. The next war will start
with the Lamb coming to earth with His armies to fight against the entire earth.
11 And it shall come to
pass that in that day I will give to Gog a place of renown, a
tomb in Israel, the burial-place of them that approach the sea: and they shall
build round about the outlet of the valley, and there they shall bury Gog and
all his multitude: and the place shall then be called the
burial-place of Gog. 12 And the house of Israel shall bury them, that
the land may be cleansed in the space of seven months. 13 Yea, all
the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a place of
renown in the day wherein it was glorified, saith the Lord. 14 And
they shall appoint men continually to go over the land, to bury them that have
been left on the face of the earth, to cleanse it after the space of seven
months, and they shall seek them out. 15 And every
one that goes through the land, and sees a man’s bone, shall set up a mark by
it, until the buriers shall have buried it in the valley, the burial place of
Gog. 16 For the name of the city shall be Burial-place:
so shall the land be cleansed.
These things all happen in Israel,
but what is happening in the rest of the world?
There is still a beast, a false prophet, and shortly satan will be cast
down. So while Israel is in clean up
mode, there will still be a harlot to deal with. It is interesting that Azazael
is buried in Israel also.
17 And thou, son of man, say,
Thus saith the Lord; Say to every winged bird, and to all the wild beasts of
the field, Gather yourselves, and come; gather yourselves from all places
round about to my sacrifice, which I have made for you, even a
great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, and ye shall eat flesh, and drink
blood. 18 Ye shall eat the flesh of mighty men, and ye shall drink
the blood of princes of the earth, rams, and calves and goats, and they are all
fatted calves. 19 And ye shall eat fat till ye are full, and shall
drink wine till ye are drunken, of my sacrifice which I have prepared for
you. 20 And ye shall be filled at my table, eating horse,
and rider, and mighty man, and every warrior, saith the Lord.
21 And I will set my glory
among you, and all the nations shall see my judgment which I have wrought, and
my hand which I have brought upon them. 22 And the house of Israel
shall know that I am the Lord their God, from this day and onwards.
23 And all the nations shall
know that the house of Israel were led captive because of their sins, because
they rebelled against me, and I turned away my face from them, and delivered
them into the hands of their enemies, and they all fell by the
sword. 24 According to their uncleannesses and according to their
transgressions did I deal with them, and I turned away my face from them.
25 Therefore thus saith the
Lord God, Now will I turn back captivity in Jacob, and will have mercy on the
house of Israel, and will be jealous for the sake of my holy
name. 26 And they shall bear their reproach, and the iniquity which
they committed when they dwelt upon their land in peace. Yet there shall be
none to terrify them 27 when I have brought them back
from the nations, and gathered them out of the countries of the nations: and I
will be sanctified among them in the presence of the nations. 28 And
they shall know that I am the Lord their God, when I have been manifested to
them among the nations. 29 And I will no more turn away my face from
them, because I have poured out my wrath upon the house of Israel, saith the
Lord God.
After
the Ezekiel war, the rest of the world will still be functioning with
commerce. At this time those nations
will try to “defect” from being under the control of God Almighty to the
control of satan, which is why the armies of the earth try to war against Jesus
and His armies. Let’s go back to Revelation to look at the fifth and sixth
trumpet, and compare this to Ezekiel.
The spiritual dynamic seems to be Gog, the locust king, or Apollyon,
coming out of the pit to encourage this war against Israel. This is the angelic
spiritual entity that goes behind the humans.
Rev
9:1-11 THEN THE fifth angel blew [his] trumpet, and I saw a star that had
fallen from the sky to the earth; and to the angel was given the key of the
shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit). 2 He opened the long shaft of the
Abyss (the bottomless pit), and smoke like the smoke of a huge furnace puffed
out of the long shaft, so that the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the
smoke from the long shaft. [Gen 19:28; Ex 19:18; Joel 2:10.] 3 Then out of the
smoke locusts came forth on the earth, and such power was granted them as the
power the earth's scorpions have. [Ex 10:12-15.] 4 They were told not to injure
the herbage of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only [to attack]
such human beings as do not have the seal (mark) of God on their foreheads.
[Ezek 9:4.] 5 They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment (distress,
vex) them for five months; and the pain caused them was like the torture of a
scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death
and will not find it; and they will yearn to die, but death evades and flees
from them. [Job 3:21.] 7 The locusts resembled horses equipped for battle. On
their heads was something like golden crowns. Their faces resembled the faces
of people. [Joel 2:4.] 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth
were like lions' teeth. [Joel 1:6.] 9 Their breastplates (scales) resembled
breastplates made of iron, and the [whirring] noise made by their wings was
like the roar of a vast number of horse-drawn chariots going at full speed into
battle. [Joel 2:5.] 10 They have tails like scorpions, and they have stings,
and in their tails lies their ability to hurt men for [the] five months. 11
Over them as king they have the angel of the Abyss (of the bottomless pit). In
Hebrew his name is Abaddon [destruction], but in Greek he is called Apollyon
[destroyer]. AMP
Rev
9:13-19 Then the sixth angel blew [his] trumpet, and from the four horns of the
golden altar which stands before God I heard a solitary voice, 14 Saying to the
sixth angel who had the trumpet, Liberate the four angels who are bound at the
great river Euphrates. 15 So the four angels who had been in readiness for that
hour in the appointed day, month, and year were liberated to destroy a third of
mankind. 16 The number of their troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times
ten thousand (200,000,000); I heard what their number was. 17 And in [my]
vision the horses and their riders appeared to me like this: the riders wore
breastplates the color of fiery red and sapphire blue and sulphur (brimstone)
yellow. The heads of the horses looked like lions' heads, and from their mouths
there poured fire and smoke and sulphur (brimstone). 18 A third of mankind was
killed by these three plagues — by the fire and the smoke and the sulphur
(brimstone) that poured from the mouths of the horses. 19 For the power of the
horses to do harm is in their mouths and also in their tails. Their tails are
like serpents, for they have heads, and it is by means of them that they wound
people. AMP
Two
hundred million people will come against Israel. If there are 7 billion people on earth today,
and 2 billion who claim to be disciples of Jesus are gathered just before the
tribulation, then 2 hundred million out of 5 billion is not that many people. Even if we speculate that 2 billion people die
during this time, (which might be high) that leaves 3 billion people on
earth. The beast is given authority to
make war for forty two months. Not just one war, but two wars. After Gog is defeated, the next war is
Armageddon.
Rev
13:5 And there was given to it a mouth speaking great things, and
evil-speakings, and there was given to it authority to make war
forty-two months,YLT
The
Masoretic text says make war instead
of exercise his will.
Rev
13:5-8 And the beast was given the power of speech, uttering boastful and
blasphemous words, and he was given freedom to exert his authority and to
exercise his will during forty-two months (three and a half years). [Dan 7:8.]
6 And he opened his mouth to speak slanders against God, blaspheming His name
and His abode, [even vilifying] those who live in heaven. 7 He was further
permitted to wage war on God's holy people (the saints) and to overcome them.
And power was given him to extend his authority over every tribe and people and
tongue and nation, [Dan 7:21,25.] 8 And all the inhabitants of the earth will
fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been
recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the
foundation of the world. AMP
It
seems that, on the spiritual side, the locust king initiates a war against
Israel, while on the physical side, the beast, the one who made the peace
agreement, and the one who won the Psalm 83 war for Israel, will turn on Israel
and bring calamity. Gog, the locust king, aka Apollyon/Abbadon, the destroyer,
will be allowed to overcome God’s people. Then he will control the entire
world. After God steps in and causes Gog
to lose, the beast will curse the Most High God. The bowl judgments are being
poured out at this time and men curse God as well. That is how the beast is
able to gather a worldwide army to try and fight Jesus. Daniel gives us some
further insight. The temple will be established
and the sacrifices will resume, but at the end of the three and one half years
of turmoil, all fighting will be finished.
Dan
7:21-28 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them
[Rev 13:7-9.] 22 Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the
saints of the Most High [God], and the time came when the saints possessed the
kingdom. 23 Thus [the angel] said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom
on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms and shall devour the
whole earth, tread it down, and break it in pieces and crush it. 24 And as for
the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall
arise after them, and he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall
subdue and put down three kings. 25 And he shall speak words against the Most
High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change
the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law; and the saints shall be
given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time [three and one-half
years]. [Rev 13:1-6.] AMP
Dan
9:26-10:1 And after the sixty-two weeks [of years] shall the Anointed One be
cut off or killed and shall have nothing [and no one] belonging to [and
defending] Him. And the people of the [other] prince who will come will destroy
the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood; and even to the
end there shall be war, and desolations are decreed. [Isa 53:7-9; Nah 1:8; Matt
24:6-14.] 27 And he shall enter into a strong and firm covenant with the many
for one week [seven years]. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and offering to cease [for the remaining three and one-half years];
and upon the wing or pinnacle of abominations [shall come] one who makes
desolate, until the full determined end is poured out on the desolator. AMP
Dan
12:7-13 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the
river, when he held up his right and his left hand toward the heavens and swore
by Him Who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half a time
[or three and one-half years]; and when they have made an end of shattering and
crushing the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8
And I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, O my lord, what shall be
the issue and final end of these things? 9 And he [the angel] said, Go your
way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end. 10
Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be tried, smelted,
and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly. And none of the wicked shall
understand, but the teachers and those who are wise shall understand. [Dan
11:33-35.] 11 And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away
and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.
[Dan 11:31.] 12 Blessed, happy, fortunate, spiritually prosperous, and to be
envied is he who waits expectantly and earnestly [who endures without wavering
beyond the period of tribulation] and comes to the 1,335 days! 13 But you
[Daniel, who was now over ninety years of age], go your way until the end; for
you shall rest and shall stand [fast] in your allotted place at the end of the
days. [Heb 11:32-40.] AMP
We
don’t know how long the Gog/Magog war lasts, but it lasts until Gog falls.
Sometime after the sixth bowl judgment the beast gathers the world wide army
for Armageddon. Yet, before the sixth bowl is poured out the Ezekiel war is
over. Once the Lord God delivers Israel, the nations will know that it was God
who delivered Israel and attempt to wage war against God himself. Yet Jesus comes with an army of his own and
defeats the Beast and his armies. I find it interesting that the Ezekiel war is
a physical war against physical Israel, but the next war, the Day of the Lord,
is the war against spiritual beings.
Exactly how does one fight God?
Rev
17:12-14 Also the ten horns that you observed are ten rulers (kings) who have
as yet received no royal dominion, but together they are to receive power and
authority as rulers for a single hour, along with the beast. [Dan 7:20-24.] 13
These have one common policy (opinion, purpose), and they deliver their power
and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war against the Lamb, and the
Lamb will triumph over them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings — and
those with Him and on His side are chosen and called [elected] and loyal and faithful
followers. [Dan 2:47.] AMP
Rev
19:19 Then I saw the beast and the rulers and leaders of the earth with their
troops mustered to go into battle and make war against Him Who is mounted on
the horse and against His troops. AMP
Rev
19:19 And I saw that demon and the kings of the world and their armies, as they
gathered to do battle with the one on the house and his armies. 20 and the
demon was hunted down and the false prophet with him, the one who preformed
those miracles before him, by which were lost those who took on the mark of the
demon and the ones who worshipped his image. And while alive they were both
thrown into the sea of fire that burns like brimstone. 21 And all the others
were killed by the sword of the one who sat on the horse, by that which emerges
from his mouth, and all the birds [of prey] ate their fill of their flesh.
(Aramaic New Testament, translated by Victor Alexander, p.511)
Gog,
the locust king, the spiritual ruler, will inspire a war against Israel because
of her prosperity. The timing of the
Gog/Magog war will be sometime after Gog is loosed from the abyss. The locusts
are under Gog’s command and they fight against Israel until God says it’s
over. Gog and those nations who gather
with Gog will be defeated. By the sixth bowl judgment, the world starts to
gather for the last slaughter, Armageddon.
Armageddon may not actually take place in the mountains of Megiddo, but
Megiddo was the place of two other battles; Deborah and Barak, and Josiah. But
the place of the last horrific battle may not be in Israel. The kings of the earth and the people of
earth are deceived into believing that the beast has such great power that he
can defeat God.
We
see in the Ezekiel war that 2 hundred million come against Israel. Then, in the
Day of the Lord the whole earth gathers for battle. When we previously studied
the Day of the Lord, we saw many interesting things that seem to be “other
worldly” or “extra dimensional”, meaning that something changes in the way
people see things during the tribulation.
Somehow there are additional dimensions to consider. To put some of these things into a better
perspective we have to once again look at dimensions, string theory, and
quantum physics, which may help us to understand how the entire world will
attempt to fight spiritual beings on the Day of the Lord.
