Although he will have the support of ten Arab nations, I believe the nations directly involved in the initial attack will be Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran from without, and the Palestinians from within. I believe the other nations, which will then immediately become involved in the Jihad, are most likely to be Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan. Lord willing, I will continue a line by line exposition of Ezekiel 38 in Part 3.

 

Part 3...

Parts 1 and 2 have involved a line-by-line exposition from Ezekiel 38:1 through 38:3. I have established a case to show that the Antichrist is most likely to arise in Syria, but could arise in a country bordering on Syria.

Although he will have the support of ten Arab nations, I believe the nations directly involved in the initial attack will be Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran from without, and the Palestinians from within. I believe the other nations, which will then immediately become involved in the Jihad, are most likely Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan.

Ezekiel 38:4 – And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.”

This portrays a man overtaking a fleeing beast, putting hooks into its jaws, then turning and pulling it back along a path the man desires to lead it. The Antichrist will have no choice in this matter. God will create political and economic circumstances whereby he must come down at exactly the appointed time. I protest the efforts of some commentators to take the weapons of Ezekiel’s day, and attempt to carry them into our day and time. Suppose God had inspired Ezekiel to write 1020 Russian tanks, 923 MIG JETS, 3283 katyusha launchers, 50,000 katyusha rockets, 723 SAM shoulder held anti-aircraft launchers, 4673 mounted SAM’s, 2073 flamethrowers, and 7,218 shoulder held anti-tank missiles. The readers of Ezekiel’s day would surely have laughed him to scorn. I am persuaded that God meant for our final generation to picture a great, mighty, army, fully armed to the teeth with all the known modern weapons of warfare.

Ezekiel 38:5 – Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

Verse 5 names three of the peoples from which the Antichrist will draw his initial attacking horde: “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:” Persia was basically the peoples east of the Euphrates, which today would be Iran and Iraq. Libya corresponds with the location of modern day Libya. And Ethiopia in Ezekiel’s day was made up mostly of what we call Sudan today. Once again the point is made that they will be fully armed for all out war. I do not believe this attack will occur prior to 2003, but I am of the OPINION it will occur before 2015, with the most likely time being 2010 to 2015. Again, I emphasize, this is an OPINION based on the events in Israel since 1967, and it may be totally incorrect. The Scriptures clearly teach it will occur, and my GUESS is that it will be before 2015.

Ezekiel 38:6 – Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

Verse 6 continues to name the peoples of Ezekiel’s day from which he will draw his support, and by knowing where they lived at that time, we can at least attempt to identify those nations that occupy these areas today: “Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.” Quite frankly, I have searched, and researched, the writings of many historians, both ancient and modern, and, in the end, knowing that honesty is the best policy, I can only say that there is a wide diversity of opinion. Up to this point, as regards the locations of Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Libya, and Ethiopia, I have presented a case from both the Scriptures and historical records, which I believe is substantial. But in the case of Gomer, and the house of Togarmah, as to where they were settled in Ezekiel’s day, I can only give a rough approximation. The house of Togarmah and the descendants of Gomer were sandwiched between the Magogites (Scythians) to the north, and Meshach, Tubal, and Persia to the south. They stretched from west to east across modern day Turkey into the area south of the Caucasus Mountains, and through extreme northern Iraq and Iran.

It can be stated with great certainty, that when the book of Ezekiel was written, the descendents of those listed in verses five and six occupied what we call the Middle East today. They occupied the same area from which the toes and horns of Daniel 2 and 7 are prophesied to come, because the ten horns and ten toes are the same people. Both Daniel and Ezekiel were in Babylonian captivity when they wrote.

We concluded Part 3 with an exposition of Ezekiel 38:6, which had been continuous from Ezekiel 38:1. We will now continue our exposition, beginning with 38:7.

Ezekiel 38:7 – Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

This is a statement God makes as an ironical gesture to Gog the Antichrist. He is saying “be thou a guard to them,” ironically, “IF you can.”

This is a specific warning to Satan and his antichrist to get set, to be ready, and to be prepared to protect his armies as a guard or big brother. This is the showdown between God and Satan at the end of the age of the Gentiles, and God is literally saying, “This is it! You had better be ready.”

Ezekiel 38:8 – After many days thou shalt be visited: in THE LATTER YEARS thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

The “after many days” have piled up to some twenty-six hundred years since Ezekiel wrote these words. “Thou” refers to Gog, the anti-Christ. “Be visited,” means to muster, or to be called to arms. The rest of the verse identifies the general time, the place of the battle, and the people he will attack. The time (latter years) represents the closing years of the age of the Gentiles. The land is the restored nation of Israel that has been “brought back from the sword” (that has been restored from war). “And is gathered out of many people” refers to the residents of the land that is “brought back from the sword,” which have been gathered out of many nations across the face of the earth. “Against the mountains of Israel, which have always been waste” gives a topographical description of the land of Israel into which the anti-Christ will plunge southward. “Which has always been waste” refers to the hundreds of years between A.D. 135 and 1948 that the land of Israel was, compared to her former years of productivity, virtually a barren wasteland. “But is brought forth out of the nations” is exactly how the present nation of Israel was formed – by Jews brought forth from virtually every Gentile nation on this planet. Thus far, I am confident that all this has already been fulfilled. However, the last expression in verse eight has yet to be fulfilled, but I am convinced it is very likely to occur before 2005. The last phrase in verse eight, “And they shall dwell safely all of them,” has not happened since the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70. Israel has not had a single year since she became a nation in 1948, during which she has not had the constant possibility of war or the conscious awareness of a terrorist act at any given moment. They have most assuredly not dwelled “safely all of them.” In many of my previous Blogs, which you may scan back trough in our Blog Archives, I have detailed what I believe will cause peace to finally come to the Mid-East, in spite of what is currently going on in the region. But it will be a false peace, and of short duration. It will abruptly end with the forces of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey Iraq, and Iran pulling off a surprise blitzkrieg attack from the north. Palestinians will attack Israel from within at the same time and Israel will be forced to withdraw into the Negev. There will be five other Islamic nations involved in the peace of deceit, but the five aforementioned nations, Hamas, the PA, and Hizbullah will provide the bulk of the force.

We concluded Part 4 with an exposition of Ezekiel 38:8, which had been continuous from Ezekiel 37:1. We will now continue our exposition, beginning with 38:9.

Ezekiel 38:9 – Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

This describes the suddenness of the blitzkrieg attack of Gog the antichrist against Israel from the north. It compares the attack with the rapid development of a cumulonimbus cloud when it first comes quickly toward the observer as a rumbling thunderstorm, and then rapidly covers the land where he or she stands from horizon to horizon. This will be the manner the bands and many people supporting Gog will abruptly spread southward across Israel.

Ezekiel 38:10-12 – Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: [11] And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, [12] To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

Take a look back at previous Part 4 in our Blogs, and the exposition of the last phrase in Ezekiel 38:8, which is: “And they shall dwell safely all of them.” This phrase is directly tied to the “evil thought” that comes into the mind of the antichrist concerning the purpose of the false peace he has led them into by deceit. Verse 11, in the terminology of the people of Ezekiel’s day, painted a picture of people at peace with the other peoples around them. Believe it or not, in spite of what is currently going on around, and in, Israel, I believe that before 2015 you will see Israel lulled into a false sense of security by agreements with the Palestinians, Lebanon, and Syria. The arrangements, whether by voluntary free will choice, or by force, or by a little of both, will cause Israel to have truce security with all the nations that touch her borders, and terrorists that exist within her. But they will be agreements of deceit by Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinians. The Islamic leaders, and the leaders of the terrorist groups they support, are now becoming aware they can never defeat Israel by their present tactics, and that what is going on now, and what has been going on since 1948, can never accomplish their objective of driving Israel out of the choice northern part of her domain. In order for Israel to believe they have what every leader of Israel since 1967 has said they must have, that is, A TRUCE WITH SECURITY, TRUCE WITH SAFETY, the terrorist groups must temporarily cease their activities for a reasonable period of time, so that a well coordinated plan of blitzkrieg attack can be formulated between Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and the terrorist groups behind closed doors.

Verse eleven describes Gog’s evil plan to attack a nation he has deceived with a false truce agreement. Verse 12 tells us he will break or betray the agreement (“turn thine hand”), and that he will take the spoils of war from the nation of Israel. The “spoils” are identified in terms the readers of Ezekiel’s day would understand (“cattle and goods”), but to us they are to mean all the national wealth and high tech resources of modern Israel. I firmly believe that in spite of what appears to be a state of never ending conflict between Israel and the other descendants of Abraham in and around her, soon a false truce will come to exist between them. And it will be followed by an attack against Israel, a nation in unbelief, as a sudden blitzkrieg from the north.

Israel does not live inside the long security wall they have built, the Palestinians do. Think of the significance of this! This security wall, hundreds of miles in length, is a wall around two gigantic enclosing all the Fatah villages in central Israel, and all the Hamas villages in southwestern Israel, while the Israelis live outside the wall, having no walls surrounding their individual towns.

So the Israelis live without the wall, making all their villages to meet the Scripture requirement of being “unwalled” villages.

When Israel is driven into the Negev, God will finally get her attention drawn to her true Messiah.

Romans 11:25,32 – 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 fulness of the Gentiles be come in. [32] For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

Lord willing, I will continue the exposition of Ezekiel 38 in Part 6

Part 6...

We concluded Part 5 with an exposition of Ezekiel 38:12, which has been done continuously from Ezekiel 38:1. We will now continue this exposition, beginning with Ezekiel 38:13

Ezekiel 38:13 – Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

Verse 13 mentions three other descendants which were not mentioned previously as being among the horde that attacked Israel, namely, Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish. Sheba and Dedan settled in the land we know as Saudi Arabia, later colonizing across the Red Sea in the horn we know today as Ethiopia.

Tarshish is much harder to nail down to a specific location. The descendants of Tarshish were sea merchants who became the peoples of the Mediterranean Sea coast. The headquarters of the descendants of Tarshish is now generally accepted by most biblical authorities as a district in the south of Spain where the city of Tartessus once existed. The merchants of Tarshish scattered their descendants in village settlements along most of the coastal sections of Europe. I am persuaded that Europe represents the descendant offspring of Tarshish. It is quite possible that God may look upon the rest of Western Civilization as being the offspring (descendants) of Europe (“the young lions thereof”).

The countries of the New World became the “melting pot” of Europe. It is very interesting what Saudi Arabia, Europe, and the rest of Western Civilization have to say to Gog about his attack on Israel: “Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” This is no more or less than the perfect description of a diplomatic protest to Gog’s actions.

When the anti-Christ and his armies roar south into Israel in a blitzkrieg lightning strike, the rest of the free world will protest, protest, protest – and do nothing about it. The anti-Christ will take Jerusalem within a week of his initial strike in the north, and within three weeks most of Israel will have fled into the Negev south of Beersheva, where she will remain for some three and one-half years. Jerusalem will fall and only one-third of Israel’s population will make it safely into the Negev. A truce will be declared, and it will hold from almost three and one-half years,

Zechariah 13:8 to 14:2 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. [9] And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Lord willing, we will continue expositing in Part 7on the remaining verses in the 38th Chapter of Ezekiel

Part 7...

We concluded Prophecy Update Number 6 expositing on Ezekiel 38:13, which we have done continuously from Ezekiel 38:1 for some time. We will continue this exposition, beginning with Ezekiel 38:14.

Ezekiel 38:14 – Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

The question of verse 14 is directed personally by God to Gog . It is a question to which both know the answer, as attested by “shalt thou not know it?” Gog will be well aware of it, because he will have made the truce agreement allowing Israel to dwell in safety. And this will be one of the reasons the antiChrist’s blitzkrieg attack will be so successful. It will catch Israel by surprise.

Ezekiel 38:15 – And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

Verse 15 reveals some very important new information when it states: “And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts.” When Ezekiel wrote his prophecies, the expression “the north parts,” to those who read it in those days, meant the area we call Syria and Lebanon today. I am certain that the Antichrist will arise to power as the head of some country which satisfies the requirements of being from “the north parts” as they were identified in Ezekiel’s day. Antichrist may arise in southern Turkey or northwestern Iraq, but in Ezekiel’s day “the north parts” encompassed the area occupied by Lebanon and Syria today. His army will be composed of troops from ten Arab nations. The initial attack will be conducted primarily by Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, but others will participate in various ways. When the Scripture says: “all of them riding upon horses,” it is picturing to the readers of Ezekiel’s day what would be a “fully equipped” army. His army will be equipped with all of today’s modern weapons to meet this requirement.

Ezekiel 38:16 – And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

We are advised that the character of the attack will be like a lightning blitzkrieg strike. His armies shall move south across the land like a fast moving thunderstorm cloud races across an area, leaving havoc in its wake. It is to occur in “the latter days” of this Gentile age. We are advised that God, not Gog, will determine when the attack occurs. When the conflict is finished God will be set-apart (sanctified) in the eyes of all nations as having used Gog for the setting apart of Israel in the Negev to await God’s deliverance some 1260 days later. God is in charge! He will determine the time of the attack by putting it in the minds of the attackers. These 10 Arab nations will surrender their power to Gog, but after Israel has suffered in the Negev for some 3 and ½ years, Christ will then return with the saints to end the Battle of Armageddon, and God will the sanctified (set-apart) in Christ as the all powerful King of kings.

Revelation 17:12-14 – And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

It will be highly advisable to watch the efforts of Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon to reconcile their political and military differences during the coming months. They, along with the terrorist groups, after continuing attacks by the terrorist groups they control, will come to realize that in order to come up with a plan to meet their common objective, the end of the Jewish State, they must fully cooperate and coordinate with one another. They all want to get Israel out of the land from Dan to Beersheba. The continuation of terrorist attacks, no matter how numerous or violent they become, will never accomplish their objective. If they will stop the terrorist attacks, and settle for whatever they can get in concessions for the Golan Heights and the West Bank, Israel can be led into a false sense of security after a few years of what seems to be a genuine truce. Then and only then, can Israel be driven into the Negev by a blitzkrieg attack from “the north parts.”

There can never be a true and lasting peace in the Land of the Bible until Jesus returns to reign on this planet. However, out of this ungodly act of infamy by Gog, there will eventually come a brief period of calm, and many will believe it will be genuine and lasting. But the terrorist groups will only hold off their activities for a short period of time, and they will do this only as a ruse to lead Israel, and the rest of the free world, into a false sense of security. But this brief period of calm will be broken by a blitzkrieg attack from the north of Israel.

Lord willing, we will continue our exposition of the 38th Chapter of Ezekiel in Part 8.

Part 8...

Ezekiel 38:17,18 – Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? [18] And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.

God makes it plain that Gog is a man he has warned Israel and the world about by Israel’s prophets since Genesis. Since Ezekiel indicates he is the chief prince of the descendents making up the tribes of Meshech and Tubal at the time Ezekiel wrote, it may may be one of his parents descended from Meshech and the other from Tubal. But I admit that is speculation on my part.

Genesis 10:1,2 – Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. [2] The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

Verse 18 proclaims that God is about to cut loose on an unbelieving world His fury. God’s creation is about to be shaken from one end to the other by geological upheavals associated with God using his own creation, the earth to fulfill his own prophecies by the fury of his own power. His fury will begin with the earthquake in Revelation 6:12, which will trigger a tectonic beginning of earthquake demonstrating his fury across the earth in repeating chains for some three and one-half years. Verses 19 to the end of Ezekiel 38 describe the chains of quakes and volcanic eruptions during this period. The last, and greatest earthquake since God made man ends the 1260 days of great tribulation, closes the Tribulation Period and the Age of the Gentiles at the final battle of Armageddon. This last great earthquake also occurs in the same Jordan River Valley where the Revelation 6:12 earthquake occurred to begin the 1260 day period of tectonic chaos. This last earthquake is in Revelation 16: 16-21. The results of this earthquake are described in Ezekiel 39.

Ezekiel 38:19 – For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

Verse 19 gives a general statement of what will happen in Israel. It will be the greatest shaking the Israelites have ever experienced. The Arabah Fault will shake from Lebanon to the Gulf of Arabah.

Ezekiel 38:20 – So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

Verse 20 lets us know that the great shaking will not be limited just to Israel with its local Arabah Fault line – it will occur on a worldwide basis along all the thousands of interconnecting fault lines, both on land and on the sea floor.

Ezekiel 38:21 – And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Verse 21 describes the effect that the great worldwide upheaval will have on mankind – in a word, total mass confusion as to foe or friend, amidst fantastic casualty rates.

Ezekiel 38:22 – And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

Verse 22 paints a picture of the destruction that God will reign down upon Gog and his Islamic army. It describes the fantastic array of pyroclastic associated materials, which will shower down on the antichrist’s army out of the volcanic activity unleashed.

Ezekiel 38:23 – Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Verse 23 confirms that God has a purpose in all this geological upheaval and destruction – it should leave no doubt as to who is God and who is antichrist.

Part 9...

Ezekiel Chapter 38 deals with the initial attack of Gog the Antichrist against Israel at about the same time the earthquake of Revelation 6:12 occurs in the Jordan River Valley of Israel. When the attack occurs some three and one-half years remain until the battle of Armageddon ends the Tribulation Period.

Revelation 12:6 represents the period of three and one half years between Chapters 38 and 39 in Ezekiel, when Gog drives Israel into the Negev Wilderness, and leaves her there for some three and one-half years, by-passing the Negev and driving across the northern Sinai to conquer Cairo and all Egypt. Gog remains there and establishes a vast Islamic Caliphate from Morocco to New Guinea.

Daniel 12:40-43 represents the initial attack against Israel just described and Gog’s three and one-half year Caliphate reign from Cairo. Daniel 12:44,45 represents his return to Jerusalem to call all the old world nations to come and assist him in finally destroying the Jews. The land of Magog (Russia) comes down to join him and the 39th Chapter of Ezekiel begins with attack against Israel at Armageddon and ends with fire coming down on Magog (Russians) as described in Ezekiel 39:6 and also in Revelation 16:16-21.

Ezekiel Chapter 39 deals with the final attack of Gog against Israel in the Negev Wilderness after he drove her there some three and one-half years before. This is the time when he asks the people of the land of Magog (Russia) to come down and help him utterly destroy Israel at Armageddon. The Chapter then continues on into the Millennial Reign events following Armageddon, beginning with the burial of the millions of the bones of Gog’s army scattered across Israel, amounting to 5/6 of his great army.

In Part 8 we continued our exposition of Ezekiel 38:1 that began some time ago, finishing with the last verse in chapter 38. This exposition will continue in chapter 39.

Ezekiel 39:1 – Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

In Parts 1 through 8 the 600 B.C. location where Meshech and Tubal’s descendants were settled was thoroughly covered, and a case was made to prove that Gog is most likely to come out of Syria. The location of Magog’s descendants was also outlined in these Prophecy Updates. Once again, we are advised that Gog is the enemy of God.

Gog has ruled as Antichrist in Cairo for more than three years following the war described in Ezekiel 38 and Daniel 11:40-44. He returns to Jerusalem to issue a call to all the nations of the Old World, including the land of Magog (Russia), to come and help him finally end the “Jewish Problem” in the Negev Wilderness forever, once and for all. They come down, but none can help Gog or the nations of the Old World, because God is about to cut loose on them with the greatest earthquake which has occurred since God placed man on the earth. It will destroy five-sixths of God’s army in the Jordan River Valley and upon the mountains of Israel from Dan to Beersheba.

Ezekiel 39:2 – And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

In the time frame this book was written, the expression “the north parts,” was taken to mean what we identify today as Syria and Lebanon. It is important to understand that God will do this without the help of man. He says: I will turn, I will cause, and I will bring. What he is about to unleash is the greatest geological upheaval Israel has known up to that time. It will destroy 5/6 of Gog’s mighty horde (See Birth Pangs 15 and 16 with their associated diagrams).

Daniel 11:44 to 12:1 – But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. [45] And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Revelation 16:16-21 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. [20] And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. [21] And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Ezekiel 39:6 –And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Revelation 14:19,20 – And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. [20] And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Zechariah 14:12-14 – And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. [13] And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. [14] And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

Ezekiel 39:3 – And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.

This verse paints a picture of men abandoning their weapons in horrifying fear. The earthquakes and volcanic holocaust will so frighten the men of war that all thought of combat will be erased from their minds. They will drop their weapons as they flee for their lives.

Ezekiel 39:4 – Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

There won’t be any flesh left to pick on those soldiers of God caught in the Jordan Valley from the Gulf of Aqabah to the entrance of the Jezreel Valley (See Birth Pangs 15 and 16 with their associated diagrams). But there will be gobs of flesh on the bones found in interior hills of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee.

Ezekiel 39:5 – Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

Verse 5 reaffirms the principle of “I will” in verses 2 and 3. It confirms there is no way all this can be changed. Why? “For I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. We have short-changed the power of God ever since man began to develop weapons of massive destruction. I assure you that, by the end of the terror of the Tribulation Period, we will have seen how puny what we have developed is in comparison to God’s mighty arsenal.

Part 10...

This is the last Part of the Line by Line Exposition from Ezekiel 38:1 to 39:16

Ezekiel 39:7 marks the end of the battle of Armageddon and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. A massive cleanup of millions of human remains begins across Israel during the early stage of Christ’s reign beginning in verse 9.

Ezekiel 39:7 – So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.

Now, let’s take a look at the aftermath of this attack after God has destroyed Gog’s army by the greatest geological holocaust that has ever occurred in the land of Israel.

Ezekiel 39:8-16 – Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. [9] And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: [10] So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. [11] 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 Hamon-gog. [12] And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. [13] Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. [14] And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. [15] And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. [16] And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.

Verse 8 informs us that the day of the Lord is done. The events daily appearing in the Middle East are presently leading us to that great day of the Lord. Finally, it will be over - God’s wrath will have passed - and a remnant of Jews still in physical flesh will dig themselves out of the ashes of the Great Tribulation Period. They will begin to build a new millennial world with their Messiah, Jesus Christ, as their King.

Verse 9 pictures these Jews gathering the war weapons of Armageddon and smelting them with fire into weapons of agriculture and commerce. It will be seven years before the metals have all been recycled into materials to be used by a nation in peaceful pursuits.

Verse 10 advises us that wood will not be used to provide the fire necessary for smelting the metal in the weapons of war. They will take the oil of the Arab nations that spoiled them in the Tribulation Period. They will use their oil to produce the fire that fires the metal into useful peacetime products.

Verse 11 describes the massive cleanup of the millions of corpses from the Battle of Armageddon that still clutter the hills of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. They will bury them in a valley they will name “the valley of Hamon-gog.” Hamon-gog means “multitude of Gog,” and Gog is the Antichrist, so this valley can be referred to as “the graveyard of the Antichrist.” The exact location is unknown. We are merely told it will be to the east of the Dead Sea. You will not find directions listed as being anything other than north, east, west, and south in the Old Testament. Any direction from NE to SE was referred to as east, SE to SW as south, SW to NW as west, and NW to NE as north. So this burial zone could be anywhere from northeast to southeast of the Dead Sea. I rather suspect it will be to the southeast of the Dead Sea near Petra.

Verse 12 gives the length of time required to cover and bury the countless numbers of exposed bodies - seven months. However, many bodies will be buried under massive landslides associated with earthquake activity, and it will be necessary to continue to search for bodies for a much longer period of time.

Verse 13 tells us that all the Israelites will take their turn during the seven-month period of massive burials. It may be that each Israelite will be required to do one months service during the period. By the end of the seven-month period they will have buried most of the bodies.

Verse 14 advises us the compulsory graveyard service of all the Israelites will end after seven months, but that a new system will be instituted to continue the search as long as is required. It may work something like this: the nation of Israel will take some of its men, employed in other aspects of continuous nation rebuilding, and divert them to a full-time job of overseeing and performing the removal of the remaining bodies from the land. These full-time body disposers will work together with other Israelites (passengers) that travel routinely through the land.

Verse 15 describes how the full-time grave providers and passengers will work together toward a common goal. After seven months only skeletons will remain, so when a traveler happens across a skeleton, in his normal daily pursuits, he will stick up a clearly visible marker by it. When the full-time grave providers see the marker, they will carry the bones to the Antichrist’s graveyard for burial.

Verse 16 informs us there will be so many grave provider personnel that a city named Hamonah will spring up by the Antichrist’s graveyard. Since the name Hamonah means “multitude,” it is only natural to assume the city is named in memory of its permanent residents.

Part 11...

One or Two Wars before Armageddon?

As a young man, living in the pre-Hal Linsey books age, I was taught that only one war occurred during the “latter days” before Armageddon. It was a war that began in the Middle East when the antichrist attacked the nation of Israel, and ended some 3 and ½ years later with the final battle of this age – Armageddon. But I now find myself surrounded by a large array of preachers and teachers who are convinced that the war led by Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and found in Ezekiel 38 and 39, occurs before the war that commences some 3 and ½ years before the battle of Armageddon, and that the antichrist is not Gog, but comes out the war led by Gog, and then leads 10 European Union nations against Israel. They teach that when Gog and his armies come against Israel they will be slaughtered, and that Israel will be absolutely successful in thoroughly routing them. Perhaps I overlooked it, but in all my years of looking in many old musty religious archives, I never found a manuscript published before 1812 that taught there were two back-to-back wars just before the battle of Armageddon. It would seem to me that the arrival of Napoleon in Europe set the stage for a shift from bringing the antichrist out of the southern flank of the old Roman Empire to a new scheme of bringing him out of the northern flank. This shift necessitated the invention of two wars. I do not believe the shift should ever have been made. I believe the attack of the antichrist is found in the following Scriptures, and I believe the attack occurs 1260 days before the end of this age at Armageddon.

Ezekiel 38:10,11 – Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: [11] And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

Daniel 7:24,25 – And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. [25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Daniel 11:41 – He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

Micah 5:5 – And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 13:5,6 – And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. [6] And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Revelation 17:12.13 – And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

I believe that the following names all apply to the antichrist: He is Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal in Ezekiel 38 and 39, the eleventh horn in Daniel 7, the king of the north in Daniel 11:40, the Assyrian in Micah 5, the seventh wounded head on the beast in Revelation 13, and the eighth head on the beast in Revelation 17.

The 3 and ½ year war in all the accounts follows a certain pattern from start to finish.

(1) The initial attack occurs, and is successful.

(2) After Jerusalem falls, the Lord begins to fight for Israel.

(3) The Lord fights for Israel for 3 and ½ years.

(4) God protects Israel in the Negev during that period.

(5) The Lord leaves most of the enemy bodies on the hills of Israel at the final battle of Armageddon.

Ezekiel 38:8,9 (1) – After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. [9] Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

Zechariah 13:8 (1) - And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Zechariah 14:2,3 (2) – For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. [3] Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Daniel 7:25 (3) – And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Revelation 12:6 (4) – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Ezekiel 39:1-5 (5) – Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: [2] And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: [3] And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. [4] Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. [5] Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

Revelation 19:17-21 (5) – And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. [19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Ezekiel 38:1,2 – And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

Gog is a person, the antichrist. Magog is a land, the land of Magog. God tells Ezekiel to set his face against a person, Gog, and against a land, Magog, which is Russia. Gog is NOT the chief prince of Magog (Russia). He is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. At the time of Ezekiel’s writings the descendants of Magog were settled in Russia, while the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were settled in Syria. The antichrist will come out of Syria to launch the initial attack. Some 3 and ½ years later Magog (Russia) will come down to join him at Armageddon.

To make a long story short – I believe there is only one war, the war that begins when Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, attacks Israel, and ends three and one-half years later when Magog (Russia), along with all of Europe, Eurasia, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, comes down to join him against Israel at the final battle of Armageddon – Only to find the bodies of their great armies end up as buzzard bait on the hills of Israel.

BUT AM I PREPARED TO BE WRONG? CERTAINLY! WHAT WILL I DO IF THERE ARE TWO WARS? WELL, I WILL JUST SAY I WAS WRONG, AND WAIT FOR ANTICHRIST TO COME OUT OF THE FIRST WAR, THAT IS, IF I AM STILL HERE.

BUT WHAT IF THERE IS ONLY ONE WAR? WELL, ONLY ONE THIRD OF ISRAEL WILL SURVIVE, JERUSALEM WILL FALL, ISRAEL WILL BE DRIVEN INTO THE NEGEV, AND YOU WILL BE WAITING FOR AN ANTICHRIST THAT IS ALREADY ON THE SCENE, THAT IS, IF YOU ARE STILL HERE.

My advice is to be prepared for either eventuality, even one that may be quite different from how many of these verses are commonly interpreted. I think that falls under the category of “watching.”

Mark 13:37 – And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.