gog magog

Pentecost Part 11 – God’s Battle Cry in the Last Trump

/ Stephanie Dawn / Leave a comment

And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. 

Numbers 10:9 ESV

The sounding of the trumpets, when used in war, was to cause Israel to be remembered before the Lord their God in order that He should save them from their enemies.  From Parts 9 & 10 of our study, it seems that the “Last Trump” that sounds at the time of the rapture is likely this battle cry of remembrance – for God to rise up and save Israel from destruction.

In Parts 7 & 8 of our study, we noted the connections between the heavenly Mount Zion, our assembling together at the time of the resurrection/rapture event, and the coming of the Day of the Lord.  Let’s review Joel 2, which connects the trumpet of alarm sounding from Zion (which can refer to both the Heavenly Mount Zion, Heavenly Jerusalem, and the Earthly Jerusalem), the coming of the Day of the Lord, the assembling of the people and the bridegroom and bride leaving their chambers (the resurrection/rapture event?), and God sparing His people for the sake of His Holy Name.  God becoming jealous for His land and having pity on His people sounds like Him remembering the Abrahamic Covenant (Israel land and people covenant).  It also sounds exactly like the purpose of the Gog Magog war in Ezekiel 38-39.  Let’s review the passage:

Joel 2:1-2,15-20 ESV

Blow a trumpet in Zion;
    sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
a day of darkness and gloom,
    a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
    consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
     gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
    assemble the elders;
gather the children,
    even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
    and the bride her chamber.

 Between the vestibule and the altar
    let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
    and make not your heritage a reproach,
    a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?’”

 Then the Lord became jealous for his land

    and had pity on his people.
 The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
    grain, wine, and oil,
    and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
    a reproach among the nations.

 “I will remove the northerner far from you,
    and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard into the eastern sea,
    and his rear guard into the western sea;
the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
    for he has done great things.

In case you are wondering, Zion’s Trump is H7782, Shophar  (Joel 2:1-2).  I think we’ve covered the other connections fairly well in previous posts, so let’s examine the connection with the Battle of Gog & Magog found in Ezekiel 38-39.

The Battle of Gog & Magog – Ezekiel 38-39

God has seemed conspicuously silent towards Israel for the last several thousand years, but in the near future God will break His silence in a specific war detailed in Ezekiel 38-39.

“Gog” and the many nations intend to plunder Israel.  However, we are shown how God sets this war up Himself to fulfill His plans and purposes.  He then intervenes supernaturally to save Israel from certain annihilation for the sake of His own name. 

Basically, God will raise Israel’s enemies up against her in such a way as to guarantee her destruction, just so that He can prevent her from being destroyed.  God breaks His silence with Israel for the purpose of announcing to an unbelieving world that  He intends to fulfill His covenant promises!  He will reclaim Israel as His people and His land.  God mentions this purpose 70 times in the book of Ezekiel; four times in these two chapters alone, to ensure He gets His point across.  However, He has one final test for Israel.

gog_magog

It’s impossible to overemphasize the significance that God Himself is arranging this war exactly according to His schedule.  He will use Gog / Magog as a set-up for both Israel and the nations.  It will be deliberately presented so that it can be interpreted by Israel as the final war (Battle of Armageddon).  When God intervenes, Israel will look for the Messiah to inaugurate the Messianic Kingdom.  A “messiah” will most certainly appear.

Will Israel accept or reject the ultimate false messianic figure?

There are strong connections between Ezekiel 38-39 and the opening of Seal 6 in Revelation 6.  These connections also seemingly mark the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13).  Collectively, Seal 6, Matthew 24, and Ezekiel 38-39 would seem to mark both the Rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord.  We discussed in Part 3, with Peter’s Pentecost Prophecy, how Seal 6 and the end of the church age ties in with Pentecost.  I hope you are starting to notice how all these threads are being woven together to form a beautiful tapestry!

Spare your people, O Lord,
    and make not your heritage a reproach,
    a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?’”

 Then the Lord became jealous for his land

    and had pity on his people.
 The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
    grain, wine, and oil,
    and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
    a reproach among the nations.

 “I will remove the northerner far from you,
    and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard into the eastern sea,
    and his rear guard into the western sea;
the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
    for he has done great things.

Gog approaches Israel “from the North”, and he will be driven away and slain on the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 39:4-6 describes this stench, with my commentary in brackets:

You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. [Emphasis is on the mountains of Israel, where they will be gathered] I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. [instead of humans offering clean animals in sacrifice, humans will be a sacrifice to the birds of prey and beasts of the field – ceremonially unclean animals.  Note the connection here to Luke 17:37 – the first of the sacrificial feasts God prepares for the birds of prey.  This places a strong connection between the rapture at the same time as or followed immediately by the Gog Magog war.] 5 You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. 6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord. [God will also send judgment on the countries these people came from – the land of Russia and the coastlands – those who stayed behind will not be spared from wrath]

I believe that the upcoming Ezekiel 38-39 (Gog/Magog) war will occur in conjunction with the rapture, and that the antichrist will claim it was the Battle of Armageddon.  He will then seek to “change the times and laws” and attempt to set up his own “kingdom age”.  For more study on the Gog/Magog battle, I refer you to these posts:

The Heavenly Battle – Revelation 12

As on earth, it is in heaven… I believe that the Last Trump will also initiate the greatest heavenly battle of all time.  I believe that THIS is the “heavenly dragon sign” we have been watching for.  I believe it will occur in conjunction with the rapture… as we go up, the angelic hosts go to war.

9045-st-michael-defeats-the-devil-eug-ne-delacroix

As I discussed in this post: Revelation 12 – A Visual Rearrangement, I believe that Revelation 12 gives an overview of the entire Day of the Lord from a unique vantage point.  I believe that verses 1-6 give an overview, and the rest of the chapter fills in details.  I have discussed Revelation 12 verse by verse HERE.  The part that the Last Trump introduces I believe is this (my commentary in brackets):

3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.  7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon.  And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. [Seal 6, Rev 6 – 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.  Does the Holy Spirit (Restrainer) remove with a violent wind (gale) just as He came down with a violent wind in Acts 2?]  And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,  [resurrection/rapture event]

10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.  [Revelation 7 – 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”]

12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” [1 week of years – 7 years – Restraint has now been lifted on the earth with the removal of the Restrainer, and satan will unleash his plan of deception.  God will send a powerful delusion on those who refused to believe the truth, so that they will believe satan’s lies. 2 Thess. 2]

There is no longer any place (purpose) for the accuser of the brethren (satan) in heaven, because we have been redeemed!  For one brief moment in time there are NO CHRISTIANS left to accuse!  We will conquer him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, loving not our lives even unto death.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.  Romans 10:9-10 ESV

For more on the dragon sign, you can check out these posts:

Who Sounds the Last Trump?

…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  1 Corinthians 15:52 ESV

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  1 Thessalonians 4:16 ESV

last trump.jpg

The Last Trump will not be sounded by humans.  No matter what it is associated with – Feast of God, Battle Cry, Call to Assembly, or all of the above, the Last Trump is clearly sounded by God Himself.  We’ve been examining the different types of trumpets in Scripture, and trying to discern whether the Last Trump is a shophar or the silver trumpets.  But what if the Last Trump, like the First Trump, is referring to the trumpet voice of God?  David Lowe proposes this concept very well in his books Earthquake Resurrection and Then His Voice Shook the Earth.  Lowe explains it this way:

Just what could Paul have meant by the “trumpet of God” in I Thessalonians 4:17? Does the idea of God Almighty placing a gold or silver trumpet to his mouth come to mind? Given his omnipotence, the idea of the Creator of the universe placing a literal trumpet to his mouth in heaven seems a bit unnecessary. Could it be that the trumpet of God is actually his voice rather than a trumpet that he places to his mouth and blows?

Fortunately, there is a wealth of scripture that will shed some light on these questions. The first is Exodus chapter 19, in which the scene is set for the giving of the Ten Commandments. The following is the Septuagint version of the passage:

Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day, as the morning drew nigh, there were voices and lightnings and a dark cloud on Mount Sinai. The voice of the trumpet [salpiggo] sounded loud, and all the people in the camp trembled.

Exo 19:17 And Moses led the people forth out of the camp to meet God, and they stood by under the camp.

Exo 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke, because God had descended upon it in fire; and the smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the people were exceedingly amazed.

Exo 19:19 And the sounds of the trumpet [salpiggo] were growing much louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice.

It is clear from this famous account that the voice heard from the mountain was the sound of a trumpet.  As God spoke to Moses, his voice reverberated and shook Mount Sinai, and the people were extremely terrified. When Paul recounted this spectacle in the letter to the Hebrews, the voice of the trumpet is again mentioned:

Heb 12:18 For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind

Heb 12:19 and the blast of a trumpet [salpiggos] and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more

The trumpet and the voice are again combined in describing God’s communication to the Israelites.  Another example of supernatural communication and trumpets is found in Revelation, when John  encountered the Lord on the isle of Patmos:

Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet [salpiggo],

Rev 4:1 After these things I looked, and there was a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet [salpiggo] said: “Come up here so that I can show you what must happen after these things.”

Revelation chapter 1 states that John heard the resurrected Jesus Christ speaking to him, who would have been seated at the right hand of God after his ascension. In both cases, John described the voice he heard as a loud trumpet blast.

In each of the verses explored above, the Greek words salpiggi or salpiggo are used to describe a trumpet or the sound of the trumpet. These Greek words are also found in the two prophetic passages in I Corinthians and I Thessalonians in describing the sound just before the dead are resurrected:

I Cor 15:52 in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet [salpiggi]. For the trumpet will sound [salpisei], and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

I The 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet [salpiggi] of God [theos], and the dead in Christ will rise first.

According to Strong’s Concordance, these words are associated with the reverberation and vibration sound made by a trumpet when it is blown. These Greek words have root word origins that are too interesting and important to bypass. Again according to Strong’s Concordance, one root word is salos, which
means the quavering or billowing of the waves on the sea, and is used but once in the New Testament:

Luke 21:25 “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves [salou].

Source: http://www.earthquakeresurrection.com/excerpts/08.voiceandtrumpet.pdf

The “Last Trump” that will call us up to heaven is the trumpet voice of God Himself, issuing forth from the Heavenly Mount Zion just as it did at the First Trump on the earthly Mount Sinai.  It will be a call for the body of Christ to assemble, a call for the angels to go to war, and a call for God to intervene on behalf of His people for the sake of His Holy Name.

This introduces us to our next post:

Pentecost Part 12 – Covenants Confirmed, Covenants Proclaimed

Main Pentecost Study Menu: Everything You Need to Know About Pentecost, the Feast that Ties It All Together For The Church

Further Resources:

Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape?  If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.

The Covenant With Israel – Who Confirms It?

Connecting Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38&39

When God Intervenes (Douglas Berner) – I recommend this book for multiple reasons, but it has a very good discussion of the Gog Magog war.

The Silence is Broken!  God Hooks Ezekiel’s Gog & Magog (Douglas Berner) – If you are really interested in Ezekiel 38-39, this is an exhaustive discussion of it!

Douglas Berner has several short articles available online.

The Trumpet of God and His Voice: Are They the Same? – David Lowe

God’s Mosaic – A Whole Scripture Overview of Things To Come

Main Menu – God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model

The Bible is infallible.  I am not.  I am merely challenging traditional models and testing them against Scripture.  I believe that traditional pretribulation teachings provide a solid backbone upon which to lay the musculature of details, some of which I think might need to be adjusted slightly.  I encourage you to consider my thoughts as you also examine the scriptures to see if these things are so!

Ezekiel 38-39, Verse by Verse Discussion

/ Stephanie Dawn / 1 Comment

I have a detailed summary of the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39, but I do want to go through it verse by verse because it is such a critical prophetic piece.  I will provide links at the end of this post to the related discussions.

Ezekiel 38:

The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog [the leader, not his real name], of the land of Magog [Russia? Turkey?], the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal [Moscow and Tobolsk?], and prophesy against him 3 and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, [God is fully in control of the timing of this war and purposefully leads the leader and nations involved to do His will] and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. [The Hebrew words for these are pictorial words that describe their function, and representing them with modern weapons and machinery does not pose an interpretation issue] 5 Persia, Cush, and Put [Iran, with Sudan or Ethopia, and Libya or Somalia] are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; [defensive equipment] 6 Gomer [Turkey] and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah [Armenia or Turkey] from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you. [It is unclear who “all his hordes” and “many peoples” are.  It could possibly include all the nations bordering Israel, which would then include the Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 battles]

7 “Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. [This battle will be in preparation for a long time in advance.  One nation may do the invading, with the others providing a supportive defensive role?] 8 After many days you will be mustered. [God will bring them together] In the latter years [near the end of the age] you will go against the land that is restored from war [unspecified which war, or how long it has been. Israel has seen several wars and is currently in a state of restoration from them], the land whose people were gathered from many peoples [Jews have been returning back to the homeland from all across the globe] upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste [the land, which had been barren, is now abundant]. Its people were brought out from the peoples [just as predicted in Ezekiel in the previous several chapters] and now dwell securely [this is the “betach” mentioned earlier, which can mean safely or securely, but can also mean carelessly], all of them. 9 You will advance, coming on like a storm. [swiftly and powerfully] You will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you. [this describes the sheer number of them, and hints at Israel’s risk of complete annihilation]

10 “Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme [God will enter these thoughts in “Gog’s” mind on a specific day that He has planned, to fulfill His purposes] 11 and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. [in Ezekiel’s day, all villages and towns had walls surrounding them to protect them.  This would be an unusual vision for him 2500 years ago, but is common for us today].  I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ [Israel, dwelling in “betach”] 12 to seize spoil and carry off plunder, [the human goal of this war is to plunder Israel’s resources; the recent discovery of massive amounts of oil in Israel may be a motivating factor] to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, [reflecting on the land that sat desolate for several thousand years but is now restored] and the people who were gathered from the nations [the Jews who have returned to Israel from around the globe, gathered invisibly by God Himself], who have acquired livestock and goods [their wealth], who dwell at the center of the earth [from God’s perspective, this is the focal spot on earth where He has staked out a claim for Himself].13 Sheba and Dedan [southwestern Arabia – possibly traders or merchants] and the merchants of Tarshish [Spain traditionally, but may represent all “younger” nations] and all its leaders will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’ [this may represent a weak protest against the invasion; or it may be a fear response by Arabia and “younger nations” that they may also be targeted at some point – it is clear to US the scope of the invasion, but it may not be clear to the world]

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? [God reiterates that Israel will be dwelling in perceived safety.] 15 You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. [Russia, to the uttermost north, and the many peoples – some of them described, some of them anonymous in this account, a great and well equipped army] 16 You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land.   In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. [Here is the purpose for this battle – so that the nations (all the world) will know the Lord is God]

17 “Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? [This is a rhetorical question. Gog has no supernatural control over when he invades Israel or how his invasion progresses.  There is no description of satan’s powers at work in this prophecy, unlike the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation.]  18 But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger. [God defines the day Gog comes against Israel as the day His wrath is roused – reference – Day of the Lord] 19 For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. [note: great earthquake, starts in Israel] 20 The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. [every living thing on the face of earth and in the atmosphere will be affected] And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. [all the mountains will be moved, cliffs and walls broken] 21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. [there will be confusion and the army will turn against itself] 22 With pestilence and bloodshed [associated with the spread of infectious diseases, blood may refer to the death toll, this is similar to Seal 4] I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones [severe flooding, destructive hail – similar to Trumpet 1 judgment], fire and sulfur [volcanic eruptions, or possibly military weapons, lightning accompanying the rain and hail – similar to Trumpet 1 and perhaps Seal 6 judgment]. [God’s judgment comes in three sets of plagues: pestilence and bloodshed, torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.  Note the contrast of both fire and ice in the judgments.] 23 So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord. [this is the purpose of the war, to reveal God’s face and remove His silence]

Compare Ezekiel 38:18-23 with Seal 6 in Revelation 6:12-17:

12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Also compare with Trumpet 1 in Revelation 8:7:

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Ezekiel 39:

“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.  2 And I will turn you about and drive you forward, and bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and lead you against the mountains of Israel. [Again, God affirms that He is the one directing this entire process on a very specific timeline.  This is opposed to the final battle at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, which satan directs.] 3 Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand. [The war against Israel won’t even really be able to begin] 4 You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. [Emphasis is on the mountains of Israel, where they will be gathered] I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. [instead of humans offering clean animals in sacrifice, humans will be a sacrifice to the birds of prey and beasts of the field – ceremonially unclean animals.  Note the connection here to Luke 17:37 – the first of the sacrificial feasts God prepares for the birds of prey.  This places a strong connection between the rapture at the same time as or followed immediately by the Gog Magog war.] 5 You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. 6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord. [God will also send judgment on the countries these people came from – the land of Russia and the coastlands – those who stayed behind will not be spared from wrath]

7 “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. [Once again, God’s purpose for this war is to make His Holy Name known in Israel] And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. [God will make His Name known in all the nations of the world as well.  Jack Kelley states it well – God will poke His head through the fabric of the heavens and yell – “I’m still here!!!”] 8 Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the Lord God. [It is a certainty and will be done exactly as God has planned.] That is the day of which I have spoken. [This can be none other than the Day of the Lord, which is spoken about throughout the entire Old Testament through the prophets – Isaiah 13:6, 9; Jeremiah 46:10; Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:11, 3:14; Amos 5:18; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7, 1:14; Zechariah 14:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:2]

9 “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years,10 so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord God.

11 “On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. [Gog will fall and be buried with his armies in a massive unmarked grave] It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. 12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. [Note that SEVEN MONTHS it will take to bury the dead] 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord God. [Note that ALL the people will participate in the cleanup] 14 They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make their search. 15 And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. 16 (Hamonah is also the name of the city.) Thus shall they cleanse the land. [The detailed cleanup is interesting as it is the only time in scripture a cleanup is mentioned.  Some draw the conclusion that there may be contamination of some sort – nuclear, chemical, or biological.]

17 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. [Again referencing Luke 17:37] 18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. 19 And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. 20 And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord God.

21 “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. 22 The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. [God will be glorified in Israel and among the nations; the main purpose for this war.  The partial blindness of Israel is removed; Romans 11:25 – again connecting the rapture of the church to the same time or immediately before this war]. 23 And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them. [God explains the reason for His silence.  Interesting connections to Ezekiel’s 430 days of laying and the purpose of the Church Age – the silent age of faith.]

The Lord Will Restore Israel

[What God does not include in this prophecy is the gap between verse 24 and verse 25.  In Ezekiel 38:1 – 39:24, God has revealed His face to national Israel.  He is silent no more – how will they respond?  God is giving them one more chance to receive their true Messiah – Jesus (Yeshua).  As with His first coming, the offer is genuine.  Inserted in this space is the 70th week of Daniel, the time of testing and purification for Israel (see Daniel 9-12 and Revelation 6-19). However, the majority of Israel will NOT see the gap and will try to usher in the kingdom under a false messiah figure – the antichrist – during the “Tribulation”.  This Gog war will create an economic, political, and religious vacuum that will beg to be filled.  We are told in Daniel, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation exactly “who” will step up to fill this vacuum.  Once the 7-year testing is complete, we continue on in Ezekiel with verse 25, which will usher in the true Messianic Kingdom. ]

25 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel [the process of restoring the whole house of Israel begins now, and will be completed at the end of the Day of the Lord – the process will take approximately 7 years to complete (possibly up to 10 years).  This is the regathering of ALL the Jews, which occurs at the Second Coming of Christ], and I will be jealous for my holy name. 26 They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, 27 when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. [The fulfillment of Matthew 24:31 – 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.] 29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.” [God’s Spirit will be poured out on them at their national SPIRITUAL rebirth, at the Second Coming of Christ]

Further Resources:

Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape?  If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.

The Gog and Magog War of Ezekiel 38 & 39

Connecting Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38&39

When God Intervenes (Douglas Berner) – I recommend this book for multiple reasons, but it has a very good discussion of the Gog Magog war.

The Silence is Broken!  God Hooks Ezekiel’s Gog & Magog (Douglas Berner) – If you are really interested in Ezekiel 38-39, this is an exhaustive discussion of it!

Douglas Berner has several short articles available online.

For an alternative interpretation, Beginning and End offers this exposition.

God’s Mosaic – A Whole Scripture Overview of Things To Come

Main Menu – God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model

The Bible is infallible.  I am not.  I am merely challenging traditional models and testing them against Scripture.  I believe that traditional pretribulation teachings provide a solid backbone upon which to lay the musculature of details, some of which I think might need to be adjusted slightly.  I encourage you to consider my thoughts as you also examine the scriptures to see if these things are so!

gog_magog

Connecting Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38-39

/ Stephanie Dawn / 1 Comment

Connecting Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38-39

When staring at individual threads, we are blinded to the overall tapestry that is being woven.  When putting together the threads of these three upcoming prophetic wars, a startling big picture emerges.

God’s Silence:

Psalm 83 – “God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!” (Psalm 83:1 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 – “I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword.  I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.” (Ezekiel 39:23-24 ESV)
 
The wars of Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39 will occur when God has been silent / hiding His face from Israel.  We know from the duration of the Church Age that He has been “silent” (in the Old Testament sense) for close to 2000 years.  Once the time of Jacob’s Trouble begins (what is commonly known as “the tribulation”), God will be actively intervening on the earth through the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments.  It seems that these 3 wars must then occur before the break in God’s “silence”.

Israel’s Condition:

Isaiah 17 – “For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge.” (Isaiah 17:10 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 – “the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.” (Ezekiel 38:8 ESV)
Before these wars occur we know that Israel has to be a nation, and from Ezekiel we know that the Jews will have been regathered from among the peoples (nations of the world).  This regathering so far has been physically and nationally only – Israel is still spiritually dead.  They have forgotten God.  God is about to break His silence and wake them up!  This establishes a possible starting point of anytime after 1948, but before spiritual restoration (presumably at or right after the rapture of the church – as per Romans 11:25).

Crafty Plans and Evil Schemes:

 Psalm 83 – They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. (Psalm 81:3 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 – On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme. (Ezekiel 38:10 ESV)
Isaiah 17 – “This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.” (Isaiah 17:14 ESV)
Psalm 83 – “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.” (Psalm 83:12 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 –  …to seize spoil and carry off plunder; all its leaders will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’ (Ezekiel 38:12 ESV)
In Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39, the main goal is to plunder Israel.  In Psalm 83, they wish for Israel to cease being a nation completely, so that they may take possession of the pasturelands of God.  Ezekiel 38 specifically mentions that God places the thoughts in Gog’s head according to His timing and purpose.

Participants in the Wars:

  • “many nations”, “the peoples” (Isaiah 17) – deliberately enigmatic
  • “all his hordes – many peoples are with you” (Ezekiel 38) – deliberately enigmatic
Inner ring of nations surrounding Israel:
  • Syria (Isaiah 17, Psalm 83)
  • Jordan (Isaiah 17, Psalm 83)
  • West Bank (Isaiah 17)
  • Saudi Arabia (Psalm 83)
  • Sinai Peninsula (Psalm 83)
  • Coastal Area of Gaza / Gaza Strip (Psalm 83)
  • Lebanon (Psalm 83)
  • Iraq (Psalm 83)
Outer ring of nations involved (Ezekiel 38-39):
  • Magog – Traditionally Russia or possibly Turkey  (Turkey is in much closer proximity;  however, Turkey displays no history of similar might or leadership the way Russia does).  This could be any land “from the north”.  Other contenders could be Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
  • Meshech and Tubal – Russian cities (Moscow?  Tobolsk?), or cities in Turkey, depending on Magog’s identification.
  • Persia – Iran
  • Cush – Sudan or Ethiopia
  • Put – Libya and possibly Somalia or Algeria and Tunesia
  • Gomer – Turkey, or possibly parts of Southern Russia or the Ukraine; Gomel region of Belarus
  • Beth-togarmah – Turkey or Armenia; Azerbaijan, Georgia

Purpose of God’s Intervention:

 Isaiah 17 – In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 17:7 ESV)
Psalm 83 – Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord.  Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;  let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone,  whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:16-18 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 – In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. (Ezekiel 38:16 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 – So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 38:23 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 – they shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 39:6 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 – And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. (Ezekiel 39:7 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 – And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:7 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 – I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment (Ezekiel 39:21 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 –  The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. (Ezekiel 39:22 ESV)
God is very clear that His purpose for intervening in all three of these wars is to vindicate His Name, to declare that He is God, to show His greatness and holiness, and to turn all eyes on Him.   This purpose is not only to spiritually awaken the house of Israel, but also to reveal Himself to the nations involved.

Speed of God’s Intervention:

Isaiah 17 – In the evening, sudden terror!  Before the morning, they are gone! (Isaiah 17:14 ESV)
Isaiah 17 indicates that the intervention from God will come suddenly – in the span of an evening/night.  In Ezekiel 38, God arises in jealously and wrath and refers to “in that day”, which is the imminent start of the Day of the Lord.  Destruction will be sudden.

God’s Specific Intervention:

Isaiah 17 –  Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale. (Isaiah 17:13 ESV)
Psalm 83 – O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. (Psalm 83:13 ESV)  
Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 are interestingly connected by chaff driven by wind.
Psalm 83 – “As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane.” (Psalm 83:14 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 – “On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.  The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence.  And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground.  I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God.  Every man’s sword will be against his brother.  With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.” (Ezekiel 38:19-22 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 – “I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord”. (Ezekiel 39:6 ESV)
Asaph’s request in Psalm 83 is for God to consume Israel’s enemies with fire, flame, tempest, and hurricane.  This is symbolic language, but it is surprisingly paralleled in Ezekiel 38, where God rains down wrath of fire and sulfur, torrential rains and hailstones.  There will also be a great earthquake that starts in Israel and spreads globally.  People will fight against their own troops, and pestilence (infectious disease?  plagues?) will occur.  The judgment will not only be at the battle scene, but also upon the nations who sent the troops.

How Israel is Affected:

Isaiah 17 – In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away. (Isaiah 17:4 ESV)

While God arises to protect Israel, and they will be definitively victorious, it seems that Israel may experience some losses and destruction.

Reference to “That Day”:

Isaiah 17 – “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade” (Isaiah 17:4 ESV)
Isaiah 17 – “In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 17:7)
Isaiah 17 – “In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth.” (Isaiah 17:9 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 – “…on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger.” (Ezekiel 38:18 ESV)
Ezekiel 38 – “On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 38:19)
Ezekiel 39 – “That is the day of which I have spoken.” (Ezekiel 39:8 ESV)
Ezekiel 39 – “On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:11 ESV)
“That Day”, as referred to in Scripture, is almost always a reference to the Day of the Lord.  In Ezekiel 39, God further clarifies that this is exactly “the day of which I have spoken” – the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

Isaiah 13 describes the Day of the Lord in a broad sweep, and has it beginning thus:

Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty is mustering
    an army for war.
They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens—
the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—
    to destroy the whole country.

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
Because of this, all hands will go limp,
    every heart will melt with fear.
Terror will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.

“That Day” begins when God Himself musters an army for war on the mountains of Israel.

Conclusion:

Will the prophetic wars of Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38-39 occur simultaneously?  Will they follow one rapidly after another?  Will they inaugerate the Day of the Lord and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble?  It seems from a scripture analysis that these are all good possibilities.  The stage is set for anytime fulfillment.

Further Resources:

Target Israel: The Destruction of Damascus – Isaiah 17

Target Israel: Arab-Israeli Promised Land War of Psalm 83

Target Israel: Gog and Magog War of Ezekiel 38 & 39

God’s Mosaic – A Whole Scripture Overview of Things To Come

Main Menu – God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model

Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape?  If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.

The Bible is infallible.  I am not.  I am merely challenging traditional models and testing them against Scripture.  I believe that traditional pretribulation teachings provide a solid backbone upon which to lay the musculature of details, some of which I think might need to be adjusted slightly.  I encourage you to consider my thoughts as you also examine the scriptures to see if these things are so!

Image result for war

Satan Knew About September 23, 2017 All Along

/ Stephanie Dawn / 3 Comments

It is supportive of the significance of the Revelation 12 sign on September 23, 2017 that the enemy seems to also be well aware of this sign.  Since the 1960’s he has been dropping Seal Judgment hints (Revelation 6), September 23 hints (Revelation 12:1-5), woman clothed with the sun hints (Revelation 12:1-2), and now it seems possible that he has announced that on September 23 “a spectacular show in the sky will open up many events to come” through the demonically influenced statue of Lady Fatima (update: I was unable to get additional verification on this so have removed the content).  These are all part of his great deception, that he has been planning for millennia.

 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.  The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 ESV

However, rest assured there is an ESCAPE ROUTE offered by God to EACH AND EVERY human on the planet just as He promised.

But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.  

Luke 21:36 ESV

Salvation (2017)

This 2017 TV series features an asteroid about to hit planet Earth within the next 6 months, and what humanity tries to do to prevent it.  Sounds a lot like Trumpet 2 or 3 Judgment to me:

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.  A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.  The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.  (Revelation 8:8-11 ESV)

Alternately, it could refer to something a little more speculative – Planet X – the red dragon of Revelation 12:

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.  His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.  And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.  (Revelation 12:3-4 ESV)

I’m pretty sure that the show will get the Salvation message wrong, though.

Image result for salvation tv series

Wonder Woman (2017)

The movie Wonder Woman was released this summer, bringing Revelation 12:1-2 to mind:  “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” (ESV)

This movie notably features a Jewish Israeli woman in the lead role.

From Unsealed: “In Revelation 12, the woman represents Israel.  Diana means “heavenly” or “divine”.  The sign in Revelation 12 is a heavenly sign.  Etymologically, “Diana” comes from ancient European words meaning “daytime” or “daylight”.  The sign in Revelation 12 takes place during the day because the woman is “clothed with the sun”.  Diana was the Roman goddess of the moon and childbirth and the sign in Revelation 12 has the moon under the woman’s feet while she gives birth to a son.  Even more – it turns out Gal Gadot was five to six months pregnant during shooting.(…) Gadot’s soon-to-be-born daughter will be named “Maya”, which means “the supernatural power wielded by gods and demons to produce illusions.”” (Source: http://www.unsealed.org/2017/06/the-balaamic-prophecies-of-2017.html)

I had to look this up.  Seriously???  Yup, Maya is a Hindu word meaning “the power by which the universe becomes manifest; the illusion or appearance of the phenomenal world.” (Dictionary.com)

Image result for wonder woman

Lady Gaga – February 5, 2017

At the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2017, Lady Gaga  “falls from the sky” dressed in a silvery outfit that could make her appear “as a star”.  After this descent, she dances around columns of burning fire.  Compare this to Revelation 12:3-4:

 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. (ESV)

Image result for lady gaga february 2017 super bowl

Beyoncé – February 12, 2017

At the 2017 Grammy Awards,  Beyoncé performed as a pregnant woman clothed with the sun and wearing a golden crown.  This seems to be a pretty blatant mockery of the Revelation 12:1-2 sign:  “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.”  (ESV)

[Unsealed] devoted an entire article just to this one event because it was impossible to ignore the connection.

Related image

Fireball – Alice Cooper (2017)

On a dark, desert night
Look into the sky, something ain’t right
A fireball, red and greyPeople start to look, frozen in fear
A man grabs a woman, draws her near
They fall to their knees and prayAll mighty God… Is it today?
Fireball, in the sky
Fireball, in the skyHey, little boy with a cowboy gun
His mom picks him up, he starts to run
He laughs out loud, he thinks it’s a gameThe alarm goes off in the liquor store
The trucks roll by with a thunderous roar
It fell from the sky, a silver rainAll mighty God… The city’s in flames(All man alive – Can we survive?)My alarm goes off, I’m shaking with fright
Blood runs cold, teeth clench tight
But it’s alright now, It’s only a dreamWell I go to the window, lean on the sill
The night is hot, and all is still
There’s a blinding flash and now it’s realAll mighty God… We died today
Fireball, in the sky
Fireball, in the sky…

Compare the bolded to Seal 6:

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,  and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.  Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave[d] and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,  for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17 ESV)

Image result for asteroid

Passengers (2016) –

Besides hibernation pods and the typical must-travel-to-another-world-to-save-humanity plot, the code the heroine uses to bring her partner back to life is – you guessed it – 2317.  Video showing connections:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9tjlwFBCoY      Image result for the passengers movie resuscitation code

Set the World Afire – Megadeth (2010)

“I just want to set the world afire”
Red flash clouds choking out the morning sky
They said it’d never come, we knew it was a lie
All forms of life die now, the humans all succumb
Time to kiss your ass goodbye, the end has just begun
Distorted figures walk the street, it’s 1999
Weeds once underneath the feet have grown to vines
Bodies melted like a candle, a land without a face
No time to change your fate, no time left, it’s too late
The arsenal of Megadeth can’t be rid of they said
And if it comes the living will envy the dead
Racing for power and all come in last
No winning, first stone cast
This falsehood worldly peace 
Its treaties soon will cease
No one will be left to prove that humans existed
Maybe soon the children will be born open fisted
We all live on one planet and it will all go up in smoke
Too bad they couldn’t see this lethal energy
And now the final scene, a global darkening
Dig deep the piles of rubble and ruin
Towering overhead both far and wide
There’s unknown tools for World War III 
Einstein said, ‘We’ll use rocks on the other side’ 
No survivors, set the world afire!

Compare to Daniel 9:27 “And he [the antichrist] shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” (ESV)

Image result for treaty israel

Evan Almighty (2007)

The movie Evan Almighty was released in 2007 and features a modern-day Noah who must build an ark to escape the coming flood.  He is told several times by God to have the ark built by “September 22nd, mid-day” because then the flood would come. (Clip by Revelation 12 Ministries):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtzlODcIe1s

The Number 23 (2007)

Also in 2007, The Number 23 was released as a psychological thriller.  In it, “Walter becomes obsessed with the 23 enigma, the idea that all incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23, or to some number connected to 23.” (wikipedia)

Labyrinth (1986)

In the movie Labyrinth, an evil king wants to kill a male child.  Unsealed notes that “the king taunts the baby boy while surrounded by demon-like goblins.  He grabs the boy and tells him, “in 9 hours and 23 minutes you’ll be mine.”” (Unsealed.org) Movie clip here – https://youtu.be/WHzKNTZA4JE

Image result for labyrinth king kill baby

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

In the same year that Labyrinth came out, Little Shop of Horrors was released.  This scrolls on the screen as it begins:

Image result for little shop of horrors twenty third day

Unsealed notes: “Then just a minute or two later (at 2:21) a man can be seen holding a newspaper with a headline describing a sign in the sky: “Unexpected Total Eclipse”. (Unsealed.org)  Movie clip here: https://youtu.be/SVsgpTaBhSY

The Four Horsemen – Metallica (1983)

By the last breath of the fourth winds blow
Better raise your ears
The sound of hooves knock at your door
Lock up your wife and children now
It’s time to wield the blade
For now you have got some company
The Horsemen are drawing nearer
On leather steeds they ride
They’ve come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the Four Horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
You have been dying since the day you were born
You know it has all been planned
The quartet of deliverance rides
A sinner once a sinner twice
No need for confessions now
Cause now you have got the fight of your life
The Horsemen are drawing nearer
On leather steeds they ride
They’ve come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the Four Horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and dieTime
Has taken its toll on you
The lines that crack your face
Famine
Your body it has torn through
Withered in every place
Pestilence
For what you have had to endure
And what you have put others through
Death
Deliverance for you for sure
Now there is nothing you can do
So gather round young warriors now
And saddle up your steeds
Killing scores with demon swords
Now is the death of doers of wrong
Swing the judgement hammer down
Safely inside armor blood guts and sweat
The Horsemen are drawing nearer
On leather steeds they ride
They’ve come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the Four Horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die

Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”  And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.  And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.  (Revelation 6:1-8 ESV)

Image result for 4 horses apocalypse

Bad Moon Rising – CCR (1969)

I see a bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin‘
I see bad times today
Don’t go ’round tonight
It’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise
I hear hurricanes a-blowing
I know the end is coming soon
I fear rivers over flowing
I hear the voice of rage and ruin
Don’t go ’round tonight
It’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise
I hope you got your things together
I hope you are quite prepared to die
Look’s like we’re in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye
Oh don’t go ’round tonight
It’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise
There’s a bad moon on the rise
cropped-cropped-download1.jpg
Is the “bad moon” the Blood moon mentioned in Joel 2, Acts 2, and Revelation 6?  See the Seal 6 Blood Moon post for further discussion.

Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In – The Flesh Failures (1967)

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius
Aquarius

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind’s true liberation
Aquarius
Aquarius

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius
Aquarius
Aquarius
Aquarius

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in

Oh, let it shine, c’mon
Now everybody just sing along
Let the sun shine in
Open up your heart and let it shine on in
When you are lonely, let it shine on
Got to open up your heart and let it shine on in
And when you feel like you’ve been mistreated
And your friends turn away
Just open your heart, and shine it on in

 

When the moon is in the Seventh House represents the 7th Lunar Month in the Hebrew calendar.  The seventh month is the month of Tishrei, which begins when the new moon ends and the first sliver of crescent moon is seen.  The first of Tishrei, when the moon enters the 7th house, marks the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah), which this year is September 21-22, 2017.  A common position expressed by many astrologers sees the Age of Aquarius as that time when humanity takes control of the Earth and its own destiny as its rightful heritage, with the destiny of humanity being the revelation of truth and the expansion of consciousness, and that some people will experience mental enlightenment in advance of others and therefore be recognized as the new leaders in the world.” (wikipedia)  Is this song referring to the Feast of Trumpets on 1 Tishrei?

Speaking of 23….

Unsealed.org also has an article about how the number 23 has been repeatedly portrayed in the entertainment industry!  – See here: http://www.unsealed.org/2017/09/923-shown-in-movies-for-decades.html

There are other examples that I haven’t covered, but I hope that I have shown that September 23 seems to be on satan’s radar as a point of interest.  September 23, 2017 seems to be a prophetically significant date.  Will it be yet another sign, converging with the rest of the end times signs?  What do you think?

Further Resources:

Convergence of Signs

Revelation 12 – A Sign in the Heavens

The True Revelation 12 Sign on September 23, 2017

Very Thorough Revelation 12 Sign PDF

Revelation 12 Sign on YouTube

The Sign Has Never Been Successfully Debunked

The Child in Revelation 12 is the Church

Stars and Constellations in the Bible (NOT astrology)

Labor and Birth References in the Bible

Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape?  If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.

God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model Main Menu

The Bible is infallible.  I am not.  Be a Berean – examine the scriptures for yourself to see if these things are so!

The Gog and Magog War of Ezekiel 38 & 39

/ Stephanie Dawn / 2 Comments

Israel is the central focus of Bible Prophecy.  God has seemed conspicuously silent towards Israel for the last several thousand years, but in the near future God will break His silence in a specific war detailed in Ezekiel 38-39.

 Prerequisites of This War:

Israel must be existing in a state of “peace and safety” (“betach“).  What this is exactly is debatable, but it seems that it involves either some overconfidence or lack of awareness (carelessness)  on Israel’s part.  She will not be actively at war when these nations attack her, and she will be caught by surprise.  (That means most of the rest of the world will likely be caught by surprise as well.)

Interestingly, “peace and safety”, and being caught unawares, is also strongly connected with another very important future event, the beginning of the Day of the Lord:

“For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 ESV)

Purpose of This War:

“Gog” and the many nations intend to plunder Israel.  However, we are shown how God sets this war up Himself to fulfill His plans and purposes.  He then intervenes supernaturally to save Israel from certain annihilation for the sake of His own name. 

Basically, God will raise Israel’s enemies up against her in such a way as to guarantee her destruction, just so that He can prevent her from being destroyed.  God breaks His silence with Israel for the purpose of announcing to an unbelieving world that  He intends to fulfill His covenant promises!  He will reclaim Israel as His people and His land.  God mentions this purpose 70 times in the book of Ezekiel; four times in these two chapters alone, to ensure He gets His point across.  However, He has one final test for Israel.

It’s impossible to overemphasize the significance that God Himself is arranging this war exactly according to His schedule.  He will use Gog / Magog as a set-up for both Israel and the nations.  It will be deliberately presented so that it can be interpreted by Israel as the final war (Battle of Armageddon).  When God intervenes, Israel will look for the Messiah to inaugurate the Messianic Kingdom.  A “messiah” will most certainly appear.

Will Israel accept or reject the ultimate false messianic figure?

Who Are the Players?

A specific and limited coalition of nations, including:

  • Gog – the leader of the nation Magog and ruler of Meschech and Tubal.  Much time has been spent trying to identify “Gog”.  Due to the mention of “Gog and Magog” at the end of the Millennial Kingdom for an entirely different war, I believe it is most likely that “Gog” represents the supernatural figure behind the nations involved.  In this sense he might be a “prince”, like Michael is the angelic “prince” of the people of Israel.  Ephesians 6:12 tells us that there are powers and principalities ruling in this world.  “Gog” may be behind the throne of Russia, or possibly Turkey.  Michael Heiser suggests in his book Unseen Realm, that “Gog” is simply a general representation of the “lands to the north”.  The “north” was where the spiritual forces of darkness were considered to arise from.
  • Magog – Traditionally this is identified as Russia or possibly Turkey; however, Turkey displays no history of similar might or leadership the way Russia does).  Other contenders could also be Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.  Again, Michael Heiser doesn’t consider specific nations to be in view here so much as the forces of spiritual darkness coming “from the north”.
  • Meshech and Tubal – Possibly Russian cities (Moscow?  Tobolsk?), or cities in Turkey or elsewhere, depending on Magog’s identification.
  • Persia – Possibly Iran
  • Cush – Possibly Sudan or Ethiopia
  • Put – Possibly Libya and possibly Somalia or Algeria and Tunesia
  • Gomer – Possibly Turkey, or parts of Southern Russia or the Ukraine; Gomel region of Belarus
  • Beth-togarmah – Possibly Turkey or Armenia; Azerbaijan, Georgia
  • “all his hordes – many peoples are with you” –  this is enigmatic

Image result for ezekiel 38-39

Note that of the specific nations listed, none border Israel directly but many are predominantly Muslim.  Strikingly missing are Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.  Those countries ARE involved in separate prophetic wars (Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83), with the possible exception of Egypt.   It will be interesting to see if “all his hordes – many peoples are with you” mentioned in Ezekiel 38:6 include Syria and the nations described in Psalm 83.  Either the wars are connected and God doesn’t want to reveal that part of His hand yet, or the Gog/Magog war possibly follows the other two battles (but would be very difficult to place BEFORE the other two).

There is a vast distinction between the limited nations listed here and the battle of Armageddon and the Millennial Kingdom Last Battle, which both will include representatives from ALL the nations of the world.

Timing of This War:

This war has to occur when Israel is established as a nation but before her repentance and spiritual restoration.   There is no mention of the Temple in this prophecy, or even of Jerusalem at all. It would seem that the third Temple is yet future when this war erupts.  Gog will amass upon Israel suddenly and unexpectedly, while Israel is dwelling “securely” (safely, or possibly carelessly).  God is the one who will put the ideas in (Gog)’s head, and will draw him out at the fullness of time.  God has a very specific time, plan, and purpose ordained for Gog’s war.

It would seem that Isaiah 17’s destruction of Damascus might be the spark that lights the fuse of a massive explosion of war in the Middle East.  It is unclear whether Psalm 83’s war was already fulfilled in the 6-day war of 1967; however, it is difficult to see an Islamic-Israel war that doesn’t involve at least some of the Psalm 83 nations.  These might be included in the war Ezekiel 38-39 mentions as the “many nations”.  Either way, the Gog-Magog war will likely erupt within the next few years given the prophetic readiness of the Middle East.

There are strong connections between Ezekiel 38-39 and the opening of Seal 6 in Revelation 6.  These connections also seemingly mark the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13).  Collectively, Seal 6, Matthew 24, and Ezekiel 38-39 would seem to mark the beginning of the Day of the Lord.

There is also strong connection between the beginning of the Day of the Lord, which contains wrath, with the rapture of the church. The Ezekiel 38-39 war may thus occur immediately before, at the same time as, or immediately after the rapture (a short timeframe, possibly days or weeks).

Summary of This War:

A future leader or supreme commander, Gog (identity unknown, but NOT the beast, antichrist, or false prophet), of the land of Magog (Russia?), will oversee a vast military alliance which will be heavily armed.  The alliance will be primarily Islamic, and their goal will be to overtake Israel’s resources.  It seems that Russia will be joined by  Iran and Islamic nations from north and east Africa (Ethiopia, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and others), plus Islamic nations of the Middle East and Central Asia (Turkey, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and others).  The individual countries involved may vary slightly from this list.

There may be mild protest to this invasion, but there will be no intervention in support of Israel and Israel may not even have time to defend herself.  God will completely destroy the invading armies and send destruction upon Russia and the homelands of the invaders using: a global earthquake, internal chaos and infighting, pestilence, torrential rain, hail, fire and brimstone.  What begins as divine judgment on the troops surrounding Israel  will expand to include the whole world.

After God intervenes and destroys the army, Israel will spend 7 months cleansing the land and burying the dead.  Israel will also be able to use the invaders’ weapons as some type of fuel source and will plunder their equipment.  They will do so for a period of 7 years (but there may be more than 7 years’ supply available).  At the 7 year point, something will happen to intervene with this use if the supply has not run out.

7 Years of Burning

With regards to the 7 years of weapons burning, this is a fascinating key.  First we see that these weapons are burned for fuel.  This would suggest that normal fuel sources currently used (natural gas, electricity) will be unavailable, unaffordable, or otherwise difficult to attain following this war.  Interestingly, that would support this war’s association with the opening of the Seals; Seal 6 in particular.  As far as the 7 year key, I see two possible options here:

  1. The battle occurs 3.5 years before the confirming of a covenant with a leader/messiah figure/high priest figure.  The covenant will then be made.  3.5 years into the covenant, the leader (the Beast, or antichrist, false messiah) will cause sacrifices to cease and set up the abomination of desolation, claiming to be “god”.  This will disrupt the weapons usage for fuel as the elect Jews will flee to the wilderness and be heavily persecuted for another 3.5 years before their true Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua) returns.
  2. The battle occurs shortly (days to 7 months) before the confirming of a covenant with a leader/messiah figure/high priest figure.  3.5 years into the covenant, the leader (the Beast, or antichrist, false messiah) will cause sacrifices to cease and set up the abomination of desolation, claiming to be “god”.  The majority of Jews (up to 2/3) will embrace this false messiah as “god”, and will entice the world to worship him with them.  The weapons usage for fuel will continue, as the nation exalts itself and their “messiah” above the nations, believing this is the Millennial Kingdom.  The minority of Jews who oppose this man will flee to the wilderness and be heavily persecuted for another 3.5 years before their true Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua) returns.  The weapons burning will cease when Jesus comes and sets up His millennial kingdom.
  3. The results of the battle (God’s intervention) is what confirms God’s Abrahamic covenant with Israel.  While most, if not all, Jews will recognize this, only 1/3 will accept the message of the 2 Witnesses that Jesus is the Messiah.  The remaining 2/3 will perhaps follow Mosaic Law for the first 3.5 years.  At the 3.5 year mark, the antichrist will cause sacrifices to cease and set up the abomination of desolation, claiming to be “god”.  The weapons usage for fuel will continue, as the nation exalts itself and their “messiah” above the nations, believing this is the Millennial Kingdom.  The minority of Jews who oppose this man will flee to the wilderness and be heavily persecuted for another 3.5 years before their true Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua) returns.  The weapons burning will cease when Jesus comes and sets up His millennial kingdom.

I was heavily leaning towards the second option as most probable, until recently.  Further study has led me to believe the third possibility is most likely.

Timing Criticisms:

Several scholars I admire dispute the timing of the Gog/Magog war on the basis that God’s name will, indeed, be blasphemed again during the Day of the Lord.  Out of respect for them, I have given this consideration and prayer.

The specific verse in question is Ezekiel 39:7  “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore.”

First, note that God’s holy name is made known in the midst of His people Israel, and it is Israel whom He does not let profane His name anymore.  Israel, indeed, will emphatically desire to return to relationship with God after this battle.   Although Israel will be spiritually awakened to the One True God, and will enthusiastically re-institute Old Testament style worship, many of them will still reject their true Messiah – Jesus Christ.   Instead, they will accept the ultimate false “messiah”.   At some point the “antichrist” will claim to BE “god”.  And it seems Israel will so passionately believe this to be true, that she will entice the world to follow after him with her.

Second, the verse doesn’t say that unbelievers won’t profane God, or even that Gentiles in general won’t profane Him. The main aim of the Gog/Magog war is to raise God in the eyes of Israel and the nations, vindicating His holiness and greatness.  This is stated 7 times in these two chapters, and will surely come about literally at the beginning of the Day of the Lord.  There will be no longer any question in anyone’s mind that God exists and that He is both holy and great.  It will also be clear that He is the God of Israel.

Third, note that there is no mention of blasphemy of God’s name until the Beast (Antichrist) is given his authority at the “abomination of desolation”.  The Beast, and only those who follow him and take his mark, blaspheme God:

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.  (Revelation 13:5-6 ESV)

The humans who follow after the Beast also begin to blaspheme God – they curse His name (Bowl 4, Revelation 16:9) and curse Him directly (Bowl 5, Revelation 16:11).  These are people who have lost the ability to be redeemed.

Douglas Berner was kind enough to explain to me that while neither the battles of Gog / Magog, Armageddon, nor the Millennial Kingdom completely eliminate the profaning of God’s holy name (since Satan will be released at the end of the Millennial Kingdom for a short time to deceive the nations and face God again in battle), God is pointing to this as an ultimate end result.  Until the sin nature has been dealt with completely (at the end of the Millennial Kingdom), there will be those who profane God.

Basically, I understand God not allowing His holy name to be profaned anymore as an “already but not yet” statement.  It will come about exactly as He ordains.  While we will see its fulfillment immediately in part, the full expression of it is yet future.  We have seen this before with the Kingdom of God.  We have seen it when Jesus stated “It is Finished” at the cross.  We will see it when the 7th Trumpet sounds “It is Finished”, before the bowls have even been unleashed.  We will see it when the second announcing angel states that “Babylon is Fallen”.  All these examples demonstrate that what is being stated it is as sure as if it is already complete – it will most certainly come to pass.

WARNING:

The war of Gog and Magog is *not* the same as the battle of Armageddon, but it will lead many to mistakenly believe so.  Much of Israel, and likely the world, will interpret this war and the events that follow as fulfilling Messianic prophecies.  Their partial blindness will be lifted (Romans 10:25) and they will see God because of God’s direct and unmistakable intervention to save them.

 

Douglas Berner notes in his book “The Silence is Broken!“:

“God created a complex prophetic pattern through His revelation of prophecy which fosters confusion and misunderstanding.  We should ask the question: Would it serve God’s purpose for the Gog and Magog invasion to be misinterpreted by the Jewish people or by the Gentile peoples throughout the world?  I believe the answer is clearly – yes.

God has designed a prophetic pattern which allows for the true picture of the End Times to be understood – but only if one seriously studies both the prophecies of the Old Testament and the New Testament… God’s intricate prophetic design, with its seemingly copycat and psuedo-mirror image passages, promotes a number of misunderstandings which can have serious consequences for those who err in their interpretation of prophecy.  In the case of Gog and Magog, Israel and the nations of the world will be intentionally set up and ripened by God for the rise of Satan’s Antichrist – because God has specifically allocated a certain period of time for Satan to manifest his full power on earth.

The time quickly approaches when history will catastrophically flip from the present Age of Grace to the period of God’s Day of the Lord judgments.  Very suddenly, the day to day normalcy of life that the world assumes will abruptly terminate.”

Israel will rightly worship God, but instead of embracing Jesus as their Messiah (Yeshua HaMashiach – as God’s two witnesses and 144,000 Jews will boldly proclaim), they will return to Old Testament / Old Covenant worship and reinstate the sacrificial system.  Then, as a nation, they will perform the ultimate spurning of Jesus and embrace the antichrist.  It is the critical refining test for Israel, and we are told that 2/3 will fail and only 1/3 will pass:

“In the whole land, declares the Lord,
    two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
    and one third shall be left alive.
 And I will put this third into the fire,
    and refine them as one refines silver,
    and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name,
    and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people’;
    and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

Zechariah 13:8-9 ESV

Further Resources:

Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape?  If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.

The Covenant With Israel – Who Confirms It?

Connecting Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38&39

How Many Gogs Are There?

Contrasting Ezekiel 38-39, Armageddon, and the Last Battle

The Armageddon Deception

Ezekiel 38-39 Verse by Verse Discussion

When God Intervenes (Douglas Berner) – I recommend this book for multiple reasons, but it has a very good discussion of the Gog Magog war.

The Silence is Broken!  God Hooks Ezekiel’s Gog & Magog (Douglas Berner) – If you are really interested in Ezekiel 38-39, this is an exhaustive discussion of it!

Douglas Berner has several short articles available online.

For an alternative interpretation, Beginning and End offers this exposition.

God’s Mosaic – A Whole Scripture Overview of Things To Come

Main Menu – God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model

The Bible is infallible.  I am not.  I am merely challenging traditional models and testing them against Scripture.  I believe that traditional pretribulation teachings provide a solid backbone upon which to lay the musculature of details, some of which I think might need to be adjusted slightly.  I encourage you to consider my thoughts as you also examine the scriptures to see if these things are so!

gog_magog