There is only one God. Israel is his land and its people are his chosen people. Today he has regathered his people out of all the nations just as he promised to Moses and the prophets and this regathering is a sign of the last days.
The prophet Ezekiel prophesied that when this regathering was complete God would plant his sanctuary and tabernacle in the midst of them forevermore. Ezekiel also prophesied that a great army from many Islamic nations would invade Israel to destroy them from the land. This prophecy is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39. The invading nations are specifically identified by name in chapter 38 except for an unearthly leader of these nations called Gog. Gog is a name used in the Bible for a leader of the world powers that fight against God. Specifically, Gog is a prince or power from the demonic world who gathers the nations to fight against God.
The names of the nations listed in Ezekiel 38 can be traced in the Bible to the children of Noah who were scattered by God and settled in certain geographic locations with national boundaries set by God. These nations and their borders can be further identified with the contemporary nations now occupying these boundaries by referring to a Bible atlas which shows the ancient kingdoms.
The nations that will invade Israel are identified as Rosh, Meshech and Tubal (present day Turkey); Persia (present day Iran); Cush (present day Egypt); Put (present day Libya); Gomer and Togarmah (present day Russia). Genesis 10 lists Gomer, Magog, Tubal, Meshech and Togarmah as the sons of Japheth and the bible atlas tells us that they settled in what is now called Turkey and southern Russia. Cush and Put are the sons of Ham who settled in present day Egypt and Libya. Ancient Persia is not a son of Noah but is present day Iran. God set the boundaries for these nations at the time the children of Noah were scattered over the world and these are the nations occupying those lands today.
Ezekiel tells us that God will put a hook of some kind in the jaws of these nations which will draw a great army to war against Israel. This "hook" is a matter of speculation but it certainly could be Israel's plan to start building their Temple in Jerusalem. This great army will converge and descend from the uttermost parts of the north. They will come by land and air, possibly with paratroops. and we are told that it will happen in the "latter days". In the fullness of God's time he will draw them against Israel so his holiness can be seen and vindicated through the overwhelming destruction of this great army who disregards his word and opposes his will. He will so shake the invaders that they will turn their weapons on one another as they approach the mountains of Israel. Then he will send pestilence, great hailstones and pour out a rain of fire and brimstone on the army. He will also send fire on the coastlands of Turkey and southern Russia.
Israel and all the nations will know that it is the God of Israel that has saved them and no other nation will even participate in the battle. The people of Israel will be burying the dead bodies for seven months in order to cleanse the land. They will be buried just east of the Dead Sea in a valley that will become known as "the valley of the multitude of Gog". The nation will use the battle gear and weapons as fuel for seven years. All nations will stand in awe when God manifests his honor and glory in Israel and the threat to the world from militant Islam will vanish forever.
Some have tried to reconcile this battle with the battle of Armageddon which will take place at the very end of the tribulation period because there are some similarities. However, there are also differences and it seems more likely that the battle will take place sometime preceding the tribulation period and God's intervention will encourage many nations to support Israel by making a seven year covenant with them, which will allow them to build their Temple in peace. One of the signers of the covenant will be a leader, known at the time as a man of peace, who will later be revealed as a man of sin called Antichrist. The signing of the seven year covenant with Israel will mark the beginning of the seven year tribulation period.
robert@oncloudsofglory.com
http://OnCloudsOfGlory.com
Author, "Sanctification, a New Beginning, a New Life" and "The Last Trumpet"
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