(March 18, 2010) In September of 2007 I wrote an article for my website titled The Decline and Fall of America. The point of this article was to say that America had to decline in power in order for a prophecy in Ezekiel ch. 38-39 to come to pass. Another article I wrote, The Coming Invasion of Israel, describes the Ezekiel prophecy (usually referred to as the War of Gog and Magog) which declares that an alliance of nations surrounding Israel will attack it yet be supernaturally defeated by God. Scholars are uncertain as to the timing of this war and only agree on the fact that it occurs during the End-Times. In November of 2008 I wrote a post for my blog titled World economic fears and the decline of the United States where I quote an intelligence report that said:
“U.S. economic and political clout will decline over the next two decades and the world will be more dangerous, with food and water scarce and advanced weapons plentiful, U.S. spy agencies projected on Thursday.”
In that post I wrote, “I believe that America has to become either economically or militarily impotent or both and therefore become unwilling or unable to protect Israel. The Bible prophesies of a war where countries surrounding Israel invade it to their own peril in the last days. No non-Arabic country in the world would take on Israel as long as the powerful United States is protecting it. If the U.S. becomes impotent militarily then there is no more deterrent to those who would destroy Israel.”
Recent events have led me to believe that America may not only be on the decline economically but is also becoming politically unwilling to protect Israel. Our current government seems intent on increasing deficit spending which will lead our nation to economic impotence both nationally and globally. The unrelenting obsession with passing healthcare legislation regardless of its deleterious impact on the economy and future of America is perplexing. Environmental and Immigration policies of this government will further weaken the U.S. economy and is equally disconcerting. I can find no logical answers as to why our govenment is disregarding public opinion on these economic issues and pressing ahead even if it means political suicide for many members of the ruling party. It may be that President Obama thinks America’s sins against minorities throughout its history need to be atoned for and one way to do this is to weaken its free market system so that a socialist system might replace it. He did choose to sit under a pastor for twenty years who spoke against America’s faults. Michele Obama made the statement “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” in regards to the acceptance and support of her husband’s presidential quest by the American people. However, there may be a much deeper reason why America is pursuing what appears to be economic ruin.
It may be God’s unseen hand that is leading America down this path in order to fulfill His prophetic will concerning the nation of Israel. He used Egypt to fulfill His promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:13). He used the ungodly Chaldeans/Babylonians to perform His judgment: “For, lo, I RAISE up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their’s.” (Habakkuk 1:6) I would think that Mary and Joseph had to consider their mandated trip to Bethlehem a tremendous inconvenience and probably didn’t understand what God was doing at the time. But for His prophetic purposes He used the emperor of Rome to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2/Luke 2:1). Thus, God could be using America’s current administration to fulfill His prophetic purpose for Israel.
America and Israel
There are several news stories reporting President Obama’s Administration’s anger with Israel over plans to build 1600 apartments in East Jerusalem. The following headlines link to these stories:
U.S.-Israeli Ties in ‘Historic’ Crisis – “Top U.S. officials have lined up in recent days to condemn the Israeli plan to build 1,600 apartments in east Jerusalem, the sector of the holy city that the Palestinians claim for their future capital. The project caused a storm in Washington because it was announced during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the region last week, badly embarrassing the U.S. and complicating its efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. The Palestinians immediately threatened not to join upcoming U.S.-brokered talks meant to jumpstart negotiations after a 14-month breakdown…”
US envoy cancels Mideast trip, Israel feud deepens – “A U.S. envoy’s postponement of his Mideast trip appeared Tuesday to deepen one of the worst U.S.-Israeli feuds in memory – even as Israel’s foreign minister signaled his government had no intention of curtailing the contentious construction at the heart of the row…”
Obama runs out of patience with Israel – “The US is now said to be demanding substantive concessions from Israel after a warning by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he would not take part in talks if the plan to expand the mainly ultra-orthodox Ramat Shlomo settlement went ahead. The row has appeared finally to bring to a head the year-long tensions between the two governments since Barack Obama tried in vain to persuade the Israeli Prime Minister to agree to a total settlement freeze. He was thwarted by Mr Netanyahu who agreed only to a partial 10-month freeze, which did not include East Jerusalem…”
US may be seeking Israel ‘regime change’ – “The Obama administration’s row with Israel over settlements has prompted some analysts to wonder whether it seeks “regime change,” a new government that can make peace with the Palestinians…”
The Obama Intifada? – “Are we seeing the beginning (heaven forbid) of the Obama intifada? The escalating Arab rioting today in Jerusalem and the West Bank is undoubtedly being stoked up by the fact that the Obama administration has turned so viciously against Israel. Doubtless as a result the Arabs now smell victory within their grasp and may now unleash another wave of violence against Israelis…”
If President Obama turns from Israel in favor of the Muslims it may lead to a policy to where we would no longer protect Israel at any cost. A more likely scenario is that America will become economically unable to protect Israel. Either way the War of Gog and Magog will take place. How soon may be determined by the fate of the United States of America.
Related posts:
- CNBC article agrees that America will decline (March 25, 2010) Yesterday the CNBC website ran a news story titled Health Care Law Signals US Empire Decline? The opening paragraph of this article states, "The passage of the health care law shows that the US empire is declining because it illustrates the fact that people expect the state...
- America: “Curiouser and curiouser” (April 10, 2010) A friend of mine recently forwarded an email to me titled "Budget in Wonderland" written by Bill Miller who is the Senior Vice President and National Political Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The email stated, "'Curiouser and curiouser,' Alice exclaimed after falling into Wonderland and...
- President Obama’s bipartisan Debt Commission: America will go broke under status quo (July 14, 2010) Earlier this year President Obama created a bipartisan Debt Commission to analyze America's fiscal status and future financial outlook. The co-chairmen of this commission are former Republican senator Alan Simpson from Wyoming and President Clinton's former chief of staff Erskine Bowles. These two men spoke at the...
- The Decline and Fall of America If you read the article "The Coming Invasion of Israel" on this blog or my web site, you know that Bible prophecy reveals that a conglomeration of countries will invade Israel in the future. In the last sixty years no non-Arabic nation has dared attack it. There is one very...
- Pat Buchanan’s book “Day of Reckoning” predicts the end of America (November 25, 2007) In his new book "Day of Reckoning: How hubris, ideology and greed are tearing America apart", Pat Buchanan declares that America will not survive if it continues on its self-destructive course......
- U. S. Comptroller General warns that America parallels the fall of the Roman Empire (August 14, 2007) "Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were 'striking similarities' between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including 'declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility...
- The Election of Barack Obama as President (November 9, 2008) Someone recently asked me if Barack Obama would become a player in End-Times events. My overriding concern for whoever becomes President of the United States is what is God's will for this country. The Bible makes it clear that it is God who raises up rulers and...
- World economic fears and the decline of the United States (November 20, 2008) The economies of the world seem to be on the verge of collapse and it is causing fear around the world. (Fear stalks the world’s economies) According to this article, "Market analysts said panic had set in among traders. 'Markets are utterly unhinged,' said Bill O’Donnell, a...
- POLL: 14% of Americans believe President Obama is the Antichrist! He’s not but he is treading on dangerous ground (March 26, 2010) According to a recent Harris poll 14% of the American people think that President Barack Obama may be the Antichrist! Strictly speaking, an American President would not meet the requirement of either the Eastern interpretation or the Western interpretation of End-Times biblical prophecy which declares where the...
- Is America turning its back on Israel? (June 3, 2009) I wrote an article on my website titled "The Coming Invasion of Israel" which describes a prophecy in Ezekiel. This prophecy declares that during the last days an invasion of Israel is going to take place by the countries surrounding it. The problem is that America has...
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Tags: decline of America, Ezekiel 38, Invasion of Israel, President Obama
I see so many endtime sights saying the next endtime war is Gog and Magog. This cannot be correct! According to Revelation 20:7-10, the Gog and Magog war won’t be fought until after the 1000 years is over. Satan gathers Gog and Magog to battle, but fire comes down from heaven and devoures them.
No doubt we’re gearing up for a 3rd world war, but it doesn’t look scriptually correct to call it Gog and Magog to me.
An interesting question which has called for little discussion amongst prophecy students. I think the best way to answer it is to look at the Ezekiel prophecy of Gog and Magog separately from the Revelation prophecy and see if they are indeed separate prophetical events.
The only biblical references to the name Gog are found in the Books of 1 Chronicles, Ezekiel, and Revelation. The reference in 1 Chronicles ch. 5 is of a genealogical nature and is irrelevant to the Gog of our discussion. It is in Ezekiel we discover that Gog is a name or title of a ruler:
“1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” (Ezekiel 38:1-3)
It is in this same verse that we see Gog is a ruler over the land of Magog. Genesis ch. 10 tells us that the land of Magog refers to lands settled by the descendents of Noah’s grandson Magog:
“1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras…5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.” (Genesis 10:1-2,5)
Generally, Western prophecy students believe various regions of the former Soviet Union constitute the land of Magog. The First Century Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the Scythians inhabited the land of Magog in the regions of what is now Russia and the various Islamic countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Empire. Therefore, some prophecy students believe that the Gog invasion of Israel mentioned in Ezekiel will be led by a leader from this region.
Ezekiel also lists an alliance of nations that will accompany Gog in this invasion. They consist of several Middle Eastern countries which are now governed by Islamic leaders. Many Western prophecy students believe this invasion will occur prior to the Battle of Armageddon.
Eastern scholar Walid Shoebat has a different perspective on Ezekiel’s Gog and Magog prophecy. He believes that Magog includes Turkey and the southern Islamic countries of the former Soviet Union but not Russia proper. Mr. Shoebat also believes that the leader Gog is actually the Antichrist and that the prophesied invasion of Israel is part of the Battle of Armageddon. You can find his reasoning for this belief in his excellent book God’s War on Terror (my article Islam and End-Times Prophecy is a synopsis of this book and contains a section on Gog and Magog).
I believe the difference between the Gog and Magog prophecy of Ezekiel and that of Revelation can be ascertained by looking at the circumstances surrounding the invasion of Israel and the results from it.
Ezekiel gives a limited list of nations that will invade Israel. They all seem to be located in the Middle East and Northern Africa and will come from the north of Israel: “4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee…14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: 16 And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:4-6,14-16) Conversely, in Revelation God’s servant John saw that the Battle of Gog and Magog will involve all the nations of the world: “7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.” (Revelation 20:7-8) Thus, the Millennial armies of Gog and Magog will arrive from the four corners of the earth whereas Ezekiel’s invasion limits the number of countries involved.
The description of Ezekiel’s Battle of Gog and Magog sounds extremely similar to God’s judgments that are to occur during and at the end of the Battle of Armageddon:
“18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that My fury shall come up in My face. 19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 38:18-23)
The Bowl or Vial judgments of Revelation ch. 16 occur at Armageddon. They include a great earthquake (Ezekiel – “great shaking in the land of Israel”), fish and animals dying from the ecological devastation (Ezekiel – “the fishes of the sea…”), Armageddon ends with “flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake…and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven” (Ezekiel – “and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone”).
Chapter 39 of Ezekiel continues describing the results of the Gog and Magog invasion:
“1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: 3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.” (Ezekiel 39:1-4)
Notice that God declares that He will leave a remnant of the invasion force (“and leave but the sixth part of thee”). In Revelation God destroys the entire enemy force and casts the Devil into Hell for eternity (“9 And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever”). Also, Ezekiel mentions that the birds of the air will devour Gog’s defeated army. This parallels the description of the aftermath of the Battle of Armageddon:
“17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great…21 And the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from His mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh” – Rev. 19.
There is one parallel between Ezekiel and Revelation that does match, “6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let them pollute My holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:6-7) Revelation states, “9 And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them.” (Revelation 20:9) However, I don’t think it would be unusual for God to use the same form of fiery judgment in separate events. The bible makes it clear that fire is a purifying agent and that “God is a consuming fire”. (Hebrews 12:9)
Ezekiel states that after the Gog and Magog invasion Israel will be burying the dead for seven months:
“12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. 13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD. 14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. 15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.” (Ezekiel 39:12-15)
The Gog and Magog uprising in Revelation occurs at the end of the Millennium. There is no more Israel after that because John declares what he saw next:
“10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it; from His presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.” (Revelation 20:10-11)
One final observation on the difference between the two prophecies concerns the salvation of Israel. After Ezekiel’s prophesied invasion, the nation of Israel knows who the true God is:
“7 So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let them pollute My holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:7)
The salvation of the Jews occurs at the second coming of Jesus Christ:
“1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it…9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:1-3,9-10)
There will be no more chances for salvation after the Millennial defeat of Gog and Magog because the Great White Throne judgment occurs after its over.
I believe there are obvious differences between the prophesied events of Ezekiel ch. 38-39 and Revelation ch. 20. The fact that the terms Gog and Magog are used in both instances can be confusing. Whether or not Ezekiel’s Gog is the Antichrist, it is the Devil who wants to destroy the Jewish nation of Israel hoping to defeat the Lord’s plans. The Devil is referred to by various names throughout the Bible (i.e. “Prince of Tyre, King of Babylon etc.) and so it may be that the title/name of Gog is just another appellation describing the diabolical force which has fought against the Lord since the Garden of Eden and will continue to fight Him until the culminating Battle of Gog and Magog at the end of humanity’s history on the earth.