In bible prophecy we are told of a military confederacy which will come against the nation of Israel in the "latter years" (Ezekiel 38:8), a reference to the end times leading up to Christ's visible, physical, bodily return to earth at the Battle of Armageddon.
The confederacy of which I'm speaking is believed by most to consist of the following nations:
- Magog - Most agree this is a reference to Russia.
- Meshech - Most associate this with modern day Turkey, ancient Anatolia, but some say it refers to the Moscow area.
- Tubal - Most associate this with modern day Turkey, ancient Anatolia.
- Persia - modern Iran
- Ethiopia
- Libya
- Gomer - eastern Europe or Turkey
Most of you who have been following my writing through the years know I've been telling my readers to keep watch for Russia to make more and more friendly with Iran and Turkey, the latter presently a member of NATO, as well as vice versa.
It's been no secret for years now that Russia has been heavily investing in Iran's nuclear program, providing them with both the technology and equipment needed for the world's most dubious state sponsor of radical Islamic terrorism to develop nuclear weapons. But what I am going to be commenting on today? It's nothing less than an undeniable sign that the Gog-Magog confederacy described in Ezekiel 38 is within view for all practical purposes.
Israel National News is today reporting the following, in part:
Russia has given Iran its bear hug and warns Israel and the West that an attack on Tehran would be considered an attack on Moscow. The threat heightens the prospect of World War III in the event of a military strike on Iran.
“Iran is our neighbor,” Russia's outgoing ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, told reporters in Brussels. “And if Iran is involved in any military action, it’s a direct threat to our security.”
With the news of our world today filled with rumors that the United States, Israel or both may be on the verge of a pre-emptive attack on Iran designed to prevent the antagonistic, terrorism-supporting Islamic regime from posing an existential threat to Israel at the very least, Russia is drawing a line in the sand unless Dmitry Rogozin was speaking off the cuff.
If Rogozin's words were officially sanctioned and a true reflection of Moscow's intentions when he said an attack on Iran is the equivalent to an attack on Moscow, INN is correct in its assertion that World War III is a looming possibility for humanity in the foreseeable future. But in my opinion? A far more realistic near-term possibility is a fulfillment of the battle of Gog-Magog occurring beforehand as detailed in Ezekiel 38-39. What most would consider WWIII? That event, Armageddon as those of us familiar with bible prophecy commonly refer to it, is some distance away for a number of reasons I won't get into in this commentary.
For the Gog-Magog confederacy to make its move, which I believe this news brings closer to fulfillment, a few things still need to happen. Something is going to have to enter into the mix we're seeing come together in the news of our world today which causes Israel to perceive it is existing in the troubled Middle East in peace and safety. Let me explain.
Ezekiel 38:11says Israel will have to be a land of un-walled villages having neither bars nor gates.
Israel without checkpoints, security barriers, and the like? That is nowhere close to happening right now, is it? Not that I can see! But there's more! The people of Israel will have to be dwelling not only in safety, but in great prosperity as well.
Ezekiel 38:13 describes on looking nations inquiring of the Gog-Magog confederacy, at the time of their future military aggression against Israel, if their actions are being motivated by greed - a desire to carry away silver, gold and other spoils of war.
Today, should the Gog-Magog confederacy attack Israel, I believe most in the global community would consider the motive of the attackers to be exactly what current Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly stated is a goal of Iran, namely to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.
So, to reiterate, it seems from my perspective some key ingredients are missing from the Ezekiel 38 equation. What could they be? Opinions vary, but a distinct possibility is military conflict.
Some students of end times bible prophecy believe there will be a major conflict in the region or several before the battle of Gog-Magog takes place as described in Ezekiel 38-39. I am of a similar opinion, one chief reason in my mind being that Syria is noticeably missing from the list of nations associated with the Gog-Magog attack. Perhaps, the answer to the question of why Syria appears sidelined at the time of the Gog-Magog attack is prophetically addressed elsewhere.
Isaiah17:1 reads: "The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."
Damascus destroyed and left a ruinous heap? An area currently populated by approximately two million people wiped out to the extent it can't even be likened to a city? That seems to be precisely the case. But could this prophecy have been fulfilled in the past sometime? It is hard to pinpoint historically if so.
Damascus is widely recognized as the longest continuously-inhabited city in the world. Therefore, it seems wise for us to consider Isaiah 17:1 as a potential factor in future events on the prophetic horizon, at least where Syria's absence in the coming battle of Gog-Magog is concerned.
As I write this commentary, it's hard to tell where Syria is currently headed, its people and government in conflict with one another in a manner consistent with what we've witnessed in other nations in the region since the "Arab Spring" started. That being said, I can't imagine any scenario short of Syria being option less militarily that would prevent them from participating in a lop-sided attempt by a group of nations to wipe Israel out. But who knows? Only time and circumstances will determine the answer definitively.
In conclusion, while many questions remain to be answered where the Middle East and the fulfillment of bible prophecy is concerned, I am confident in stating the news I have written of in this commentary today reflects positively on the accuracy of end times bible prophecy and is, in fact, a reminder that the return of Jesus Christ is right around the prophetic corner.
Are you ready?
By Michael G Mickey
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