Friday, December 12, 2014

The Prophetic Road to Revelation (Part IV):The War of Gog of Magog

Updated: 12 December 2014
There have been several updates applied within this part of the series. These updates are the result of ongoing study and research. The most profound of them is the view that the invading hordes of the Magog confederation's forces do not come to carry away the spoils of war, but rather they come to conquer the entire territory, the entire population and all of the wealth therein of the State of Israel as it will exist in the near-future of the post-Psalm 83, Isaiah 11:14 and Ezekiel 28:24-26 Middle East.

There are innumerable commentators who have discussed at length the identification of the nations comprising the Gog/Magog confederation which comes against Israel in the “latter days.” I will simply cite the Table of Nations found in Genesis 10 and provide the reader with this incredible map which graphically illustrates the distribution of the descendants of Noah. Those nations and their modern equivalents can be quickly located on this map.

In the concluding paragraph in Part 3 of this series, it was stated that another result of the War of Psalm 83 will be to precipitate the subsequent War of Gog/Magog so chillingly detailed in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 attended by destruction of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, Sudan and a host of smaller Caucasian and Central Asian nations who will be drawn to their fates along with the enigmatic “Gog.” In consideration of the “who” and “when” aspects having been fairly well identified by so many commentators, this section will look at some other specific details concerning the “what,” “where” and “why” aspects of Ezekiel’s 2600-year old Divinely inspired prophecy.

What Did Ezekiel Say?

First let us examine some of Ezekiel’s descriptive vocabulary with the understanding that he was describing events and physical items of at least two and one half millennia into the future. To put ourselves in Ezekiel’s sandals, just imagine the difficulty of accurately describing full-scale warfare and identifying the specific combatants some 2,600 years into the future. Such hypothesizing would be a daunting task to be sure and quite likely unachievable in the absence of demonstrated God-given prophetic accuracy within the Holy Bible and to which we all surely testify to in these ‘last days. We will also look at the very specific reason of why Ezekiel was made to impart such specificity in his description of this coming war.

In Ezekiel 38:8 the prophet says that Israel has been qabats (gathered, assembled) against the har (mountains, hill country) of Israel. Har is the same word used in Exodus 15:17, denoting the place God has made and established for Israel to dwell in, which have always been waste. Since ancient times what we consider as Israel ‘proper,’ that sliver of land along the Mediterranean coast and west of the River Jordan between Lebanon and Egypt has not always been chorbah (waste), so what part of Israel does this har that has always been chorbah refer to? I believe it is that part of Israel which was encompassed in the ancient Kingdom of Israel ruled by David and Solomon and which included large swaths of territory east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. This is the future Israel that will result from the literal, prophetic fulfillment of Psalm 83 as detailed in the portion of the map seen below.

I cite as further evidence of the not-so-distant future Israel expanding east of the Jordan River, and the specific location of the destruction of the Gog/Magog confederation armies, is identified in Ezekiel 39:11 where the prophecy states (emphasis added), “And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the [noses] of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call [it] the valley of Hamongog.”

The reader will note that the “valley of the Passengers” is firmly identified in this verse as being in Israel. It is within this specific valley where God long ago determined that Israel would someday bury the enemy hordes of the Gog/Magog confederation. At the present the valley of the passengers is located in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, but as a result of Psalm 83 will be located within the territorial boundaries of Israel. Ezekiel informs us that this valley of passengers is located “on the qidmah (east) of the yam (sea).” Since we’re in present day Jordan, then the sea referred to is the Dead Sea as seen on this next map.

“The valley of the Passengers” is bounded on the south by the 45-mile long Arnon River, strongly referenced in Numbers 21:14-15 and in Isaiah 16:2. The central town of this valley was known in ancient times as Dibon, or as the Israelite tribe of Gad called it Dibon-Gad. This town is currently known as Dhiban, and lies just north of ancient Aroer. (See Numbers 21:30, Numbers 32:34, and Numbers 33:45). In Joshua 13:17 this town was given to the tribe of Reuben. According to an entry at Biblos.com, "The form of the name, Dimon, in Isaiah 15 may have been given to make it resemble the Hebrew word dam, (blood) to support the play upon words in the verse." This is also consistent with the vivid description of the destruction God inflicts upon the Gog/Magog hordes. It does appear to this writer that modern Dhiban may well be officially renamed “Hamonah.” Indeed, if one executes a Google search today for “Hamonah” the first result will be a map identifying Dhiban, Jordan as Hamonah. Upon fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and 39 the valley of the Passengers will then henceforth be known as the valley of Hamongog.

Ezekiel Identifies Many Nations!

It is interesting to note that Ezekiel also mentions other nations besides those of the Gog/Magog confederation. In chapter 38 verse 13 we are informed by Ezekiel that Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish with all the kefer (young lions) thereof appear to question the motives of the invading Gog/Magog horde.
Of these nations Sheba and Dedan clearly represent the Arabs of the peninsula, Saudi Arabia and Yemen respectively, who along with their western Arab Muslim al-ikhwan (brothers) have just recently had their Islamic world rocked an enfeebled as a direct result of the final battle of the Psalm 83 War. The Islamic “Allah” was proven to be a powerless, false moon god in head-to-head confrontation with YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Again, Psalm 83 reveals that the IDF will go to war against the combined armies of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and possibly a token military force from Iraq like a galgal (whirlwind) and sweep these Arab armies before them like so much qash (chaff) in the wind, so that these armies are bä’ar (consumed whole) as esh (fire) consumes an entire yahar (forest).

Thus it will be that the God of Israel will make Himself known to the Arab Muslims as the true God (Psalm 83:16-18). It is this realization of the one, true God of these formerly Muslim Arabs which has them inquire of Gog/Magog if their intent is solely the spoils of war, and intimating that any power in direct military confrontation with Almighty God will suffer the same totally consumed and burnt up fate as the combined Arab armies were previously.
The other nations are represented as ‘merchants of Tarshish’ and their kefer (young lions weaned and ravening of their own accord). These are clearly the commercial and maritime nations of the Western (Mediterranean) Sea and their former colonies across the Atlantic Ocean. Here we see what I would consider the best Biblical prophetic reference yet to the emergent world power of the European Union and their former colonies of the Western Hemisphere, from Canada to Chile.

Skipping forward to our final destination in The Revelation of Jesus Christ, note that it is the continental and economic base of Europe which is the primary power that is backed by the equally immense population and resources of the former colonies in the Western Hemisphere. This is the global militarily peerless power of approximately of 1.6 billion people that will emerge under the sudden emergence of an incredibly charismatic and immensely popular peacemaker. This global peacemaker, whom we know from Daniel 9:27, will gabar (confirm and give strength to) a bĕriyth (treaty, alliance or Global Constitution) among many nations for 7-years duration. This period is also known as Daniel’s 70th Week (i.e. the Tribulation) destined to be disrupted at mid-point by the apparent assassination and seemingly miraculous recovery from a mortal head wound of the peacemaker. This man will be re-animated to life and totally indwelt by Satan himself.
Enter the Antichrist.

When God Goes To War



Again, to set the stage we’re returning briefly to Ezekiel 38:8. In this verse not only are we informed through Ezekiel that this impending invasion form the tsaphown (the obscure, dark northern nations) will occur in the achariyth shaneh (latter years) but that Israel will be a eretz shuwb chereb which means a country, territory returned or restored through the sword, (warfare) and populated by the returning descendants of those Jews dispersed worldwide by the Roman wars of total conquest between 66-70 A.D. This is precisely, exactingly descriptive of how the modern Eretz Israel was re-born as described previously in Part I from the winter and spring of 1947-48 to the present, and yet still in the immediate future as a result of the imminent fulfillment of Psalm 83. It is into this land, a territorially expanded Israel that the multinational military hordes and nations of origin of the Gog/Magog alliance will be brought to their destruction through chach lechiy, hooks placed into the jaws of these enemies by God.

I am compelled to make a specific note at this point that there is not just one hook or one jaw, but plural "hooks" and "jaws." There are more than one hook and more than one jaw, or many hooks and many jaws. Secondly, the "hook" is not necessarily a "fish hook" as we might imagine. The Hebrew word is chach can mean a ring, like a nose ring as found Ezekiel Ch 29:4, or a bracelet, and both of which were run through the nose of wild animals in order to tame them. Often in Old Testament times a rope was attached to the ring or the bracelet to lead the animal to where the trainer wanted it to go. The next Hebrew word to note is lechiy which is a reference to the cheek of a man, or the jawbone of an animal.

Read and compare Ezekiel's use of this word with the text found in Isaiah 37:29. The purposes are literally identical, to "turn thee back". Therefore, the "hook" is a metaphor which represents the vehicle of the judgment that God has declared upon ALL of the nations of the Gog/Magog confederation. God Almighty has determined that His judgment is due to these nations which He considers to be no better than animals. It is God who nathan (gave, put or set) these devices of His choosing and by His sovereign will so that 5/6ths of these nations military forces will be drawn to their deaths in the Valley of the Passengers in what is today the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, but in that near-future time will have been conquered to become the land of Israel. God has from ancient times made the determination to nathan chach (set rings, hooks) into Gog/Magog and ALL of those nations to execute His Divine judgment of near total destruction (5/6ths) upon the entirety of that confederation of nations.

Additionally, in Ezekiel 38:10 we are introduced by the prophet to ra machashabah which transliterates in English as “an evil thought or evil plan.” That ra machashabah is the shalal, the spoil of war and source of the resultant coveting by the Gog/Magog alliance of Israel's expanded new territories, the sum of which contain newly acquired sources of wealth which are the net result of the final fulfillment of Psalm 83, Isaiah 11:14 and Ezekiel 28:24-26 and/or other additional or as yet possibly undiscovered vaults of oil, gas, precious stones, gold, silver or mineral wealth within the land of Israel’s expanded boundaries. The sum of all these things also result in the establishment of a new military reality and regional paradigm, first and foremost of which is that Israel will live in total security and fear no nation on this earth.


Moreover, the text of Ezekiel 38:12 is completely unambiguous about the fact that the Gog-led horde of enemy invaders intention is the complete and total conquest of Israel... meaning a conquest of all the land, all of its people and all of of the wealth they possess in that land. The entirety of the shalal (spoils) is everything that God has given to Israel in its rebirth to possess all the land under the Abrahamic Covenant. This is what the hordes led by Gog of Magog will come to take possession of. And make no mistake about this, they come to take what belongs to God. Ezekiel 38 verse 12 begins with a repetition of two Hebrew words: "Shalal shalal."  "Shalal shalal" transliterates to "a spoil a spoil," or more correctly in English as, "a spoil of a spoil."  This confirms that the Israel Gog's hordes come to take as their possession is one which Israel has already totally taken as their possession in total fulfillment of the three prophecies linked directly above.


And So They Will Come Against Israel

At the appointed time when this northern horde is mobilized and moves against a physically larger and prosperous Israel, the very face of the Lord will display the chemah, a burning rage which is manifest in his sending ‘esh ebrah, a supernatural excess of consuming fire against them. Simultaneous with this is sent a great gadowl ra’ash, an earthquake of intense shaking and magnitude with the epicenter in Israel will radiate outwards across the entire planet. These things are prophetic and unmistakeable signs which all people and living creatures of the Earth will both feel or experience with their senses directly; there will be no question among the people of Israel, or of the world, or among the wild animals that YHWH is the source. The Lord will get the entire world’s attention in the most unambiguous fashion.

When God Goes To War.

The voice of God will call out to His chosen weapons of war and the hordes of Gog/Magog will begin to slay one another. He will cause them to turn loose their weapons of deber (pestilence, plague, WMD) in the manner of shataph geshem (an overflowing raining down) of the ‘elgabyish ‘esh gopiryth (fiery pearls and breath of God) against themselves. The prophetic picture painted by Ezekiel is one of truly Divine “Shock and Awe.”

The Aftermath

The death, destruction and carnage will be truly horrific, so much so that when it is finished all the people who are gainfully employed full-time to cleanse the land will find are bones and shards of bones. Gog/Magog’s weapons of war will be used for fuel for the subsequent seven years. All Israel then returns to their covenant of faith with and in the Lord, for we see in Ezekiel 39:29
Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”

It is at this point I would suggest the reader turn to Romans 11:25-32 where we read:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written,

“There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”

'As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.'

In comparing the text of Ezekiel 39:29 and that of Paul in Romans 11:25-32 does it appear to you, as it does to me, that at some point during this sequence of events the time of the Gentiles comes to its completion, and therefore the Church age, and thus the Harpazo and “catching up” of the Bride of Christ? Ezekiel 39:29 refers to the Lord pouring out His Spirit upon all Israel not in the past tense, but as something already accomplished. While no man can know for sure, surely the conclusion of this season, as these Spirit-filled writers attest, is surely at hand, even at the door.

Originally version posted on May 17, 2009.


For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16


Part III

Part II

Part I

41 comments:

  1. a question if i may, do you agree with lamb&lions placing Gog/Magog AFTER the rapture? their position to me makes the most sense even tho placing it BETWEEN the rapture and tribulation is a minority held veiw. to me it seems the only veiw with no problems. i know you place it before the tribulation (correctly so) but do you think its AFTER the rapture? i do.

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  2. hartdawg,

    I think you misunderstood Nathan's key point regarding the timing. He prefaced his personal conviction by stating, "Let me go on the record, though, by stating that I am not dogmatic about this end time topic, nor should anyone be. The study of the end times (eschatology) is non-primary. Since God has given mankind merely an overview of His future plans, He has left us with nothing concrete enough to pinpoint the exact timing..."

    I concur with Nathan. This is THE position to take.

    The purpose of this coming work is to look primarily at the "what" and "where" aspects with a minor emphasis on the "when" aspect.

    That said, we are all aware of the Biblically stated fact that the Harpazo/Rapture will only occur when the Father has determined that all is in readiness for His Son to collect His Bride.

    I would ask you to consider the position that you have obviously adopted by seriously considering the following question:

    Since one of the purposes of the Father's direct intervention in the defense of Israel in the War of Gog/Magog is to nake Himself unambiguously known to the "heathen" nations, then why would He have already harvested this earth of believers with a Pre-Gog/Magog Harpazo/Rapture?

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  3. Good question. definately one i'll consider. it seems to me there are valid cases on both sides but regardless of the conclusion i come to the timing is ultimately in the fathers hands. i have no problem stating my opinion but i hope to never promote it. if you dont mind me asking how long have you been studying bible prophecy? i thoroughly enjoy it but have not been at it long. everyone i know thinks its unpractical and a waste of time and good prophecy books are hard to find. how long have you been at it?

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  4. hartdawg,

    I've immersed myself in the study of Bible prophecy (eschatology) since the evening I was baptizted in Holy Spirit. That was in the spring of 1972 (37 years ago). It happened that as the Holy Spirit descended upon and completely immersed my body and mind I spoke quite a few words in some foreign, and what I believe was an ancient language or tongue. At the same time I saw in my "minds-eye" a vision of the Greek letters Alpha and Omega.

    Someone who was there told me afterwords that I had said "interpretation of prophecy was a gift of the Spirit."

    It wasn't until just after 9/11 that I clearly understood the Alpha/Omega image as the sign it was intended to be by the Lord. The Alpha/Omega is the unit identification shoulder patch worn by soldiers assigned to the parent US Army ASC organization I went to work for that month. I was nearly floored the first time I saw it, and new exactly what it meant as it was identical to the "minds-eye" vision of about 30 years prior.

    About 7 years ago I first began to write about eschatological things, but most recently it has come on like a storm and a flood.

    Part 4 of the Prophetic Road to Revelation is the continuing manifestation of the burden.

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  5. Sean,

    I have read in some of your posts that you served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Do you believe that our invasion was a prophetic event designed by God to revive Babylon, and did you see anything prophetic while you were there?

    Thanks!

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  6. BTW, thank you for your service, and upholding our freedoms!

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  7. Gideon said...
    "Do you believe that our invasion was a prophetic event designed by God to revive Babylon, and did you see anything prophetic while you were there?"

    I believe that ALL major events in this world have or have had a prophetic significance.

    For example: The founding and existence of the USA as a Christian nation was critical event. With respect to the Lord's prophetic plan to re-establish Israel, never was this more in evidence than during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

    Sumer/Mesopotamia/Assyria/Babylon/Iraq is another of the nations of the world which has had a critical role in prophetic world events; from Genesis and Adam to the loosing of the four angels bound at the Euphrates in Revelation.

    I didn't "see" anything prophetic there but I most certainly sensed something. And that something most certainly wasn't a fear of Saddam's Scud, al-Samoud or Silkworm missiles. The battery of PAC-3 Patriots directly behind my tent was more than reassuring. However, being that I was keenly aware of the prophetic role this region has in the 'last days,' I definitively sensed that something in the Spiritual sense. I remember looking out across southern Iraq and the Euphrates/Tigris marshland and thinking about how it would one day be all dried up to make way for the Kings of the East prior to the evetns at Har Megiddo in Israel.

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  8. Sean,

    I absolutely agree with the fact that all major events in history have been prophetic.

    I especially believe, like you, that our country's establishment was straight from the hand of God. I believe there has been several main reasons for this 1) to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world 2) to spread freedom around the world 3) to be God's instrument that would allow for a rebirth of Israel.

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  9. sean and gideon, i also agree with BOTH of you about this country BUT we are no longer supporting isreal, instead of the gospel we are spreading sin and moral decay and instead of freedom we are siding with terrorists. if wrong correct me. our nation is done, (my opinion)

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  10. hartdawg,

    I've felt the same feeling ever since November 4th 2008. We know from the Bible that Israel went through seasons of 400 years. Our country hit 400 years in 2008, from the founding of Jamestown; 1608-2008. At the end of the 400 years a change occurred in Israel's direction.

    Boy did we ever get change...from liberty to what I believe will soon be tyranny.

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  11. Good work, Sean. I'm enjoying the series.

    ...from liberty to what I believe will soon be tyranny.Even as we speak!

    May He come soon.

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  12. yo sean! i have yet another question. do you believe a literal babylon will be rebuilt? this may be a little off the topic but with your military background and presumibly knowledge of the middle east and your study of prophecy i figured you might have a knowledge of it. i heard convincing cases from both sides and i still have some scripture to look up but i would like your thoughts. as of now i have no idea. thank you and God bless!

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  13. hartdawg wrote:

    "do you believe a literal babylon will be rebuilt?"

    Well, technically speaking, no, I do not.

    To explain, I believe there are literally and figuratively two last days Babylon's described in Isaiah and Revelation (among other the prophetic chapters which speak to this issue in the Bible).

    Literally speaking, "Mystery Babylon" does not need to be rebuilt, it already exists. It is the USA. It will fall prior to the Tribulation and the rise of the Antichrist and his Beast Empire.

    The other Babylon is the Beast Empire of the Antichrist headquartered in Rome and based upon the nations incorporated into the revivied Roman Empire.

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  14. thanks for the info, i never thought of "mystery" babylon being the u.s. i was always tought (by human tradition probably and thats usually wrong) mystery babylon was the one world religion. however the sins listed in rev 17 are the sins america commits. i'll have to think about that one.

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  15. Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I will certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am confident they'll be benefited from this website.
    Thank you.

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  16. Hi Sean,

    After reading this update, it seems to me it falls in line with the Apostle Paul's writings in 1 Thess 4 where the bride is caught up at the Lord's coming, spared His wrath, then Chapter 5 when they (Israel)are living in a state of peace and safety, the Gog hordes are saying peace and safety and sudden destruction comes on them bringing a National return of Israel to God. Your valued thoughts are welcome. Thanks

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  17. Hi jmoll106,

    The summary of key points for this update are contained in the sentence of the intro on the purpose for the attempted conquest and its place within the prophetic sequence of last days wars.

    "... the invading hordes of the Magog confederation's forces do not come to carry away the spoils of war, but rather they come to conquer the entire territory, the entire population and all of the wealth therein of the State of Israel as it will exist in the near-future of the post-Psalm 83, Isaiah 11:14 and Ezekiel 28:24-26 Middle East."

    The Harpazo is not tied to this or any other last days prophecy.
    The Bride of Christ could be here to witness this prophetic event or the Bride of Christ could be gone ... no one but the Father knows for sure.

    That said, I have always believed that Ezekiel 39:29 is as close to an indication as exists anywhere in Bible prophecy about the end of the current Church Age dispensation and the start of the 70th Week.

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  18. Thanks Sean, I agree the Harpazo is not tied to any other prophecy too. The OT and NT has so many events taking place and we are on the cusp of all these happening, I am trying to see how this puzzle fits together. I don't want to be like the 2 on the road to Emmaus and Jesus said " O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."
    Your commentary is so thought provoking and is much appreciated.

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  19. Hi Sean,
    I loved reading about your born again experience when you were baptized by the Holy Spirit. Awesome testimony. Could you elaborate more on the Alpha/Omega sign. I understand you saw it on a patch when you were in the military but what specifically did the sign mean to you. Thank you for all your eschatology insight!!

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  20. Completely Agree that the Harpazo is not tied to any prophetic event happening first.

    I do believe that the Lord has made some iron clad promises to the Bride, however.

    One of these promises is that the Bride is to be kept completely from the Time and Place of the Lord's Wrath (orgēn SG#3709). 1 Thess 1:10, 1 Thess 5:9, Rom 5:9.

    As you have mentioned, Ezek 28:25 states that the Ps 83 events are specifically declared to be the Lord's Judgments.

    Zeph 2:2-3 and Ezek 38:19 (LXX)specifically declare that they are the Lord's Wrath (orgēn SG#3709).

    The Lord's Judgments/Wrath were completely taken care of at the Cross as far as the Bride is concerned.

    So given the Lord's ironclad promise of Zero Wrath for the Bride, doesn't it follow that the Bride needs to be taken completely out of any areas that the Ps 83/Ezek 38 Wrath would be falling on???

    Evacuation (worked in 70 AD),
    Extermination by satan's sock puppets (seems to be in process now),
    Harpazo (my preference)

    These 3 seem to be the only possibilities for Zero Bride to be present in those Wrath affected areas.

    Blessings!
    -randallb








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  21. Hi Rhonda,

    To me the meaning of the Alpha/Omega was that it is the eternal sign of Jesus Christ.

    It is His declaration in Revelation 22:23.

    No different than the "I AM that I AM" spoken to Moses.

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  22. RandallB,

    Ezekiel quotes God in verse 18 of chapter 38 saying, "My chemah (rage, burning anger) shall come up in my face." In verse 19 the word used to express this is 'ebrah (overflowing rage or fury) which has the same meaning in the context of this prophecy.

    I believe the difference here is that this is the Lord's pre-70th Week rage, burning anger and fury against a very specific set of nations that the prophecy serves an an oracle against from the most ancient times, even prior to Ezekiel as the text states.

    In other words, I do not believe this prophecy of Ezekiel can be attributed to occurring during the 70th Week Thlipsis or Megas Thlipsis, even though not even one single soldier of the enemy forces will survive.

    Daniel 11:44 tells us that these northern countries will be a concern to the Antichrist, but that's getting on towards the end of the 70th Week and a completely different military engagement (lead in to Har Megiddo).

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  23. Hello Sean,

    Completely agree that the Wrath depicted in Ezek 38 is Pre-Trib.

    The Lord has modeled several times in the OT that He makes sure His Own is completely out of the areas affected by His Wrath/Fierce Anger/Judgements even when the affected area was only a single city.

    Also completely agree that the Bride is subject to satan's & the world's persecutions.

    However, I see nothing in those iron clad promises of keeping the Bride out of His Wrath that requires that Wrath to only be worldwide.

    Otherwise wouldn't that be Partial Bride beating??????


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  24. Hi sean.
    I have yet another question:
    2nd thessalonians chapter 2 says that the day of the Lord (70th week) will not come til the man of sin is revealed and Daniel 11:40 says that the king of the north and the king of the south will come against him. That tells me that the antichrist will be revealed prior to the 70th week. Could it be that Daniel 11:40 and Gog/magog are one and the same? Perhaps the antichrist will be revealed prior to both the 70th week AND Gog/magog and after Gog/magog the antichrist confirms a covanant. I hope I am wording this ok. I have a hard time articulating this. Am I way off base here?

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  25. Randall,

    The Bride of Christ is not involved in Ezekiel 38/39. In fact no one is harmed in any way except for the invaders; they all die.

    Now, consider this.

    Where does the Lord say that this judgment occurs?

    39:4 "You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel..."

    39:5 "You shall fall on the open field..."

    And where else?

    39:6 "And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands."

    No one is harmed but the invaders and their homelands. This is not a worldwide judgment, it occurs only on the mountains and open fields of Israel and in the lands where the invaders have come from.

    No Bride of Christ is involved in the attempt to invade and conquer Israel. Those who suffer this judgment are only the godless nations of the north who are named and their non-Arab Muslim allies (Turks, Persians. Libyans and Sudanese are not Arabs).

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  26. hartdawg,

    In Daniel 11:40 we don't know where the A/C is exactly, but I think we can be reasonably sure that he's somewhere Europe when the southern and northern armies attack simply because his military forces do not enter the Holy Land until verse 41.

    The important point is that it is the Antichrist and his forces defeat those attacks and they go on to conquer extensively.

    So, tell me, who miraculously wins the battle prophesied in Ezekiel 38/39?

    Isn't it God, and isn't it primarily for the purpose of God showing Israel that He is God?

    Further on at Daniel 11:44, that occurs towards the end of the 70th Week, just prior to the final battle of Har Megiddo.

    Does that sort it for you a little bit better?

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  27. Yes, I think it does sort it out a little. Perhaps the confusion lies in a misunderstanding on my part. Here's what I mean.
    1) I believe that the antichrist is revealed prior to the 70th week
    2) I believe the Gog/magog battle occurs in very close proximity to the 70th week
    If....if I'm correct on point 2 then it seems to me that the antichrist will be revealed prior to both the 70th week and Gog/magog
    That said, I'm still of the belief that there could be a space of a few months between the battle and the 70th week, and the antichrist will be revealed sometime in that space.

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  28. I'm not even sure that zephaniah is a rapture passage. I heard that it's speaking to Israel being hidden in the second half of the 70th week

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  29. RandallB,

    If you wish to believe that members of the Bride of Christ will be conscripted into Gog of Magog's armies or those of the Islamic Republic of Iran or the other enemy confederation, you are certainly free to do so, but that is something I cannot allow to be taught from the comments section of this blog simply because I reject the notion as pure speculation that has no backing in Scripture.

    On your second issue, hartdawg is correct in his comment above regarding Zephaniah 2 - it has nothing to do with the prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39 and is not a part of this discussion.

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  30. I want to make this perfectly clear for some desperately need to be educated in the Love of Christ Jesus beyond their current state of knowledge of Scripture.

    Question: When does the great and terrible day of the Lord occur and are there an unmistakable signs associated with it?

    The answer is that the day of the Lord occurs during the 70th Week and there are two Scriptures which speak to this specifically: Joel 2

    And the Apostle Peter opened his sermon on Pentecost Day as recorded in Acts 2 beginning at verse 14 as he repeated verbatim through the Holy Spirit the prophecy of Joel.

    The signs are a pouring out of the Lord's Spirit upon all flesh, the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood "before the great and terrible day of the LORD come."

    Therefore, anything which occurs in the last days (which commenced after Jesus' death and Resurrection) prior to this is prior to the 70th Week, and therefore prior to the wrath of God.

    And any member of the Bride of Christ who has died in the past 1,981 years since circa 33AD, or will who die in any manner whatsoever prior to the Harpazo have not died due to the wrath of God.

    This includes any of the prophetic events, such as Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and on the Ezekiel 38/39, which may occur prior to the Harpazo are not taken as a result of any wrath of God. Period.

    Indeed, even those Saints of the Megas Thlipsis (Great Tribulation) during the 70th Week who are slain for their testimony of Christ Jesus are not slain due to the wrath of God. They will wear His Seal upon their foreheads.

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    1. Getting back to the original topic, I heard many scholars say that Germany and Austria are part of the coalition. My small tablet isn't distinguishing the colors on the map you posted very well. Are they included?

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  31. hartdawg,

    That image is 'The Distribution of the Descendents of Noah' map, and I think it dates to the mid-1800s.

    It follows the general Biblical outline that sons of Japheth became the Indo-European tribes, the sons of Shem settled in the Middle East, and the sons of Ham went to the southern hemisphere.

    This map in particular shows Gomer as living in the region of southern Ukraine north of Crimea, and Magog to the east of that.

    I selected this map five years ago because it appeared to be the most accurate. I still think it is the most accurate.

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  32. Then that would add to the prophetic significance of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine would it not? According to a Russian friend of mine whose family lives in the Ukraine things have not settled down by any means over there even though it's not being covered as much as it has been.

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  33. Yes, and this was stated early on in my SITREPs during the Russian invasion and conquest of Crimea...

    The prophecy states that God will turn Gog of Magog around with hooks in his jaws, meaning Gog is involved in a military adventure in one direction when God suddenly turns him (and his allies) around to embark on the invasion and conquest of Israel.

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  34. Sean,

    Driving in to work this morning I was thinking.

    Maybe the collapse of the Ruble will be the cause for Gog to go on quest for spoils and plunder? I wonder if we are seeing the hook develop!?

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  35. Ken I agree completely.

    In fact, I have been reading a very many reports of late all saying the same thing: the foundations built by Putin over the past 15 years to support the post-collapse Soviet economy in Russia are very close to collapse.

    So close is this collapse that efforts to shore up the value of the Ruble are virtually futile.

    So, a second Russian economic collapse is probably imminent, and resorting to more war is likely Putin's only option short of admitting failure. This coming collapse could well be one of the "hooks."

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  36. The Roman Vatican Pope is the Antichrist, the Beast out of the Earth who will rule with the One World Government - the revived modern Roman Empire Kingdom (Beast out of the Sea). This is the Kingdom Jesus is coming to take over and make it into the Kingdom of God and Heaven. The Pope is now flying Syrian refugees by the Vatican private plane for them to live in the Vatican with their Qurans and worshipping Allah! The refugees said recently that the Pope is a better leader than any Islam leader! There you have it, the proof is in. And the Pope wears white like Jesus did, and he is called the Holy Father which Jesus said not to call anyone Father only God (other than your earthly Dad of course), and the Catholic Religion is antichrist religion (prays to statues and Mary who didn't die for our sins, etc) and it will rule the world and have True Christians killed because they do not take the Mark of the Beast (computer chip for personal id and info, and financial and bank info, buying and selling, gps tracking, etc). And will set up images of "the beast" for all to bow down and worship and whoever doesn't will be killed (just like in Daniel with Nebuchuneezar).

    After the Gog/Magog War, then the false peace starts in the world as the 7 Year Tribulation begins, then Israel rebuilds her Temple. At 3 1/2 years the Antichrist Roman Pope takes over the Temple (as Israel is the safe spot at that time in the world) (the abomination that causes desolation) and declares himself as the Christ and implements the mark of the beast system and the statue worship. This last 3 1/2 years will be intense martyrdom of Christians throughout the world amongst all the natural disasters, famines, plagues, wild beast attacks, etc. This is the time Christians have to have strong faith to get through and endure. Israelites will be led by God to Petra in the mountains to dwell there for the 3 1/2 years where God will take care of them as they have to run from Israel like the Exodus from Egypt. There is no rapture until Jesus comes in the sky on his white horse with his army on horses too, then we will be caught up to him in the sky then. Jesus is only returning once, not twice. And that is right at the end before the grand finale of destruction.

    I'm trying to put together a little website to track major daily news from now til i guess when the mark of the beast starts and then they will shut down all Christian sites as we can't take the mark or we will be rejected by God. We won't be able to travel on commercial airlines either, we have to live a hidden life to not get killed.

    As the persecution was in the times of Jesus and the Apostles, so it will be for us Christians (it already is that way for many Christians in some countries that are hostile to Christians, but for us who live in freedom to be Christians, we will have to adjust to living in persecution, many of us being martyrd. We have to pray for God to give us strong faith in Jesus Name.

    Sean i'm so happy to have found your site, i'm also so passionate about Revelation and the End Time Bible prophecies. Revelation is from the Greek Word Apocolypse that simply means: The revealing of, the unveiling of the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't mean destruction, but because so much destruction comes before Jesus's revealing, the world has thought it to mean destruction. Our Jesus shall be revealed and every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Amen & Halleluyah! Maranatha Come Lord Jesus! :)

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  37. Shawn Marie,

    Thanks for finding and reading my blog!

    Your comment has reminded me (for which I thank you) that I really need to complete this series, and by that I mean this series, "The Prophetic Road to Revelation" cannot be complete without a part which discusses the Harpazo and the 70th Week up to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Over the past 7 years of this blog's existence there have been many posted items which discuss events that will occur during the 70th Week; these are scattered throughout all of the monthly archives.

    To this end the very next item posted will be a studied EXSUM (Executive Summary) of the eschatological particulars of the 70th Week; it will be a re-working of the current 'Part V Epilogue' of this series.

    Regarding your first sentence above, use the search engine on the upper left-hand corner of the blog mainpage and enter "Origin of the Antichrist".

    After reading that item post a comment on what you think of the historical evidence regarding the precursor/template of the coming antichrist; specifically that he was a Macedonian-Greek of the Seleucid Empire*. (*The Seleucid Empire was one of four rump empires from Alexander the Great's Macedonian-Greek Empire that explicitly fulfilled the angel Gabriel's prophecies given to Daniel (see Daniel 10:20-21 through the entirety of Daniel 11).

    Notice who and what Antichus IV Epiphanes was: he was not a religious leader, but regarded himself as a demigod. He encoded his self-styled status as a demigod into his royal name. He was a king of Seleucia who had himself crowned through cunning, deceit and subterfuge; he was the military commander-in-chief of the Seleucid Army.

    And notice how the prophetic narrative Gabriel provides in these verses does not shift personages in the change from Antiochus IV Epiphanes (of the 2nd Century BC) and the near-future Antichrist (or the early 21st Century AD).

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  38. I read this article completely regarding the comparison of most up-to-date and previous
    technologies, it's remarkable article.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Really have enjoyed this. Wish there were classes on this subject in my area or even at a local church.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Unknown,

    Perhaps you might take this series and introduce it to a local church in your area. There may be others who'd enjoy it as you have.

    And thanks to your comment the Lord just revealed something anew which I will now bring to the attention of other readers of Eschatology Today.

    ReplyDelete

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