There is soon coming a time when the final grains of sand will completely empty out of the hour glass of this flesh age and the 7th Trump will sound and Jesus Christ will triumphantly return to establish the kingdom of God "on earth, as it is heaven".
What will that final day of this flesh age be like? Those who are familiar with the Word of God know that there are many events and prophecies that will come to pass on that day, some very good (for we who love the Lord and study to show ourselves approved) and some very bad (for those of us who, right now, couldn't care less)! It just depends on who you are (even whose you are) and what you have done:
It will be a day of triumph and victory and great joy for the children of God and those who have overcome the beast and those who love the Lord and are His at His coming.Nevertheless, as it is written, on that day every knee will bow to the King of kings and Lord of lords, just as we have read time and time again in this Book of Ezekiel, on that day "They [all nations and all peoples] shall know that He is LORD!" Also on that day, ALL peoples, both the just and the unjust, will be changed from flesh bodies into their incorruptible spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15) and so the Day of the Lord, the Sabbath, the 1000 year period we call the Millennium, will commence. (Note: we said "incorruptible spiritual bodies", but they will only be "immortal spiritual bodies" for some of us. Those of us who are part of the first resurrection at Christ's return, the beginning of the Millennium)It will be a Day of Vengeance and recompense against those who have sided with the beast system and have been deceived by Satan, the spurious messiah, into believing he is the Jesus returned, and have participated in doing his bidding.
We have now come to chapters 38 & 39, the final two chapters of Ezekiel preceding the chapters of the Millennial restoration, which are chapters 40 through 48. However, to fully understand these two chapters it is extremely important that we understand some of the other events taking place at the time of the 7th Trump, i.e. on that great day. Those who have studied 2 Thes. 2 and the 16th chapter of Revelation know that Satan and his cronies gather together in Jerusalem, where the famous "Battle of Armageddon" will take place when Christ returns. If you look up the word "armageddon" in Hebrew, you'll find it means "mount of rendezvous", which of course is Mount Zion where Christ returns.
Let's see what happens at the close of that final hour during the reign of the spurious messiah, the false Jesus, just before the real bridegroom, Jesus Christ, returns.
Remember this about these spirits of devils going forth to the kings when we read in chapter 39 that the king (leader) of Russia gets an evil thought!Rev. 16:12
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.[13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
[14] For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
We will discover that this "gathering place of the crowd" in Jerusalem, i.e. Armageddon, is one of two locations destroyed at Christ's coming. Remember He said regarding the temple in Jerusalem that there would not be "one stone left standing atop another" when He returns.[15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.[16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
When the 7th Vial of the 7th Trump of the 7th Seal is poured out, that's all folks! It's over for the flesh age. It is done!Rev. 16:17
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
These voices and thunderings and lightnings and earthquake are also recorded in the 11th chapter of Revelation following the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem which was measured for destruction in Rev. 11:1.[18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
We not only see the same voices, thunderings, lightnings, and earthquake as in chapter 16, but this time great hail is added, which has not been left out in chapter 16, but rather is mentioned in the last verse because it is the final act, call it those final grains of sand to fall from the hour glass.Rev. 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Let's continue in Rev. 16:
Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen. You can read more details in Revelation chapter 18.Rev. 16:19
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Don't be confused as to what is being said here; remember, the earth flesh age is over, the Islands and mountains are symbolic of governments and nations, all of which turn over their crowns to the King of kings. This is also recorded in chapter 11.[20] And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And then finally...Rev. 11:15
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
This great hail, each stone weighing a talent, i.e. 120 to 180 lbs., is the last act, the last drop in the vial of wrath, the final grain of sand in the hour glass we spoke of earlier. Remember though, this event is on the first day of the Millennium, which is last day of this flesh age, and all people on that day will end up in their spiritual bodies, some with immortal souls and some with still mortal souls which must remain that way until the Great White Throne Judgment.Rev. 16:21
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
You know, we should all consider it a privilege granted to us by our Father to be able to read some of the specific details of the 7th Seal, the 7th Trump, and the 7th Vial which consummate the end of this flesh age in these 38th & 39th chapters.
You see, since we believe His Word and we know that this is exactly the way things will end, we therefore know with certitude that there is not going to be a nuclear holocaust brought about by man in some sort of World War III. In that regard, these two chapters give His children comfort and knowledge and a "heads-up" in observing world events.
As we begin chapter 38, which sets the stage for the final act, there are two other basic things we need to know to understand this chapter.
The reason this is important is because these two chapters concern the two superpowers of the latter days, even the nations of Jacob and Esau, which basically are the US/GB and Russia. Although Russia has appeared low-key lately as a superpower, let's not go to sleep ourselves, because the Bear is beginning to awaken out of his hibernation and is "putin" on some weight to come out of his den and devour much flesh (when he gets the urge, the evil thought).1. The house of Israel is not the house of Judah. We learned that in the last chapter, right?2. Gog in verse two means the "chief prince", who is the leader of Magog which is the land where Meshech and Tubal are located, which is in the region of the Caucasus in the land of Edom, i.e. Russia.
It
is also really amazing how well prepared we have been for this chapter
38.
We
have seen the spiritual condition of the house of Israel through the vision
of the dry bones.
We
have seen the judgments against Edom, the house of Esau, i.e. Russia, in the 35th and
32nd chapters where we saw the degradation of the Edomites and her allies
who shall bear their shame with the rest of those who "go down into the
pit".
And
of course we also just learned in chapter 37 that the house of Israel and
the house of Judah are two separate sticks at this time and will remain
so until Jesus Christ puts them back together at His return.
You
see, it is really common knowledge among scholars that the chief prince
of Meshech refers to Russia and consequently when preachers read that Russia
comes against Israel, they
point to the little nation of Israel in the Middle East.
That
is NOT the house of Israel, remember? It is
part of the house of Judah mixed with the bad figs of Jeremiah chapter
24, i.e. the sons of Cain. You should
already know where the largest gathering of the true house of Israel is.
It is that one nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all!
Therefore, there will be two locations of final battle on the last day of this flesh age. One will be where the house of Judah (in part) dwells, and that location is called Armageddon. The other is where the house of Israel resides and that location is called Hamon-gog.
Know also that the prophecy contained in these next two chapters has not yet come to pass and is yet future, though not very far off! The catalyst for the final wrath of Satan will come from God's own elect who will be delivered up during his reign as the spurious messiah to give testimony (which will be the light of truth) and God's witnesses who will speak after the manner of the example set forth on Pentecost Day when the Holy Spirit gave them utterance and everyone present from every nation clearly understood what was being said in their own dialect.
One final thought before we begin. These awesome final events of the last day will occur for exactly the same reason that God brought the plagues and destruction on Egypt, so that the Mighty Power of God would be shown and made known to the whole world. The destruction of the armies of Gog and his allies will be akin to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the result will be that the whole world "Shall know that He is the LORD!"
It is the plan of God, so it is for the love and benefit of all His children to bring them back to His loving arms.
The reason that the leader of Ro'sh (Russia), leader of the Muscovites (Meshech) is singled out is because this is not against the individuals of the nation, but against the evilness of the oppressive system which has tried to eradicate God from its people and their society.Ezekiel 38:1
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,
What are your chances in any battle if the Lord GOD is against you, especially if your battle is with Him? You may think you're a Goliath, oh Gog, leader of "Ro'sh", but you'll find all it takes are a few 180 lb. hailstones and you and your little fighter planes and rockets are history! You see, it will be God Himself who will "strike the bow" from the left hand of Gog.[3] And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
Come on you jealous communist-loving pinkos! I'll put a ring in your nose and bring you out with all your high-tech weaponry and all your valiant soldiers and we'll just see what you've got assembled there to go up against the Creator of the Universe. Aren't you a smart bunch?Ezekiel 38:4
And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
(Remember at this time Satan has been in charge for awhile and he is giving the orders.)
Bring all your allies too, like Iran (Persia), Ethiopia, Libya, etc.!
Bring all your military might and fighting men...[5] Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
Bring all the troops from the nations that you're "putin" together around Gomer (southern Russia) and Togarmah (Armenian area), etc., and even the people of the east, the communists and socialists of the orient, and get ready to rumble! Whadda ya got? Nukes and Lasers? The Lord GOD controls the weather![6] Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
You get all set with your battle plans and you lead those mighty forces oh Gog, chief prince of Ro'sh![7] Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
"In the latter days" sets the time of these events. The chief prince of Ro'sh and his allies of the New World Order will come against the mountains of Israel, which would be located in the land of the House of Israel! Does this mean Judah and the nation of Israel in the Middle East? No, they are still a separate stick, remember? Besides, the other descriptions in this verse 8 let us know for sure where we are talking about. The mountains of Israel are in the land of the free and the home of the brave, which was a wilderness until just a few hundred years ago when the gathering from the nations began and the Pilgrims came to the New Land where they now dwell safely.Ezekiel 38:8
After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
Next we will see from which direction this great army will hail!
The time is soon coming when enough is enough! By the latter days of the five month reign of the king of Babylon, who will be exercising all the power of the first beast, which is the one world system, aka the New World Order, he will be pushed by the "bruisers" and become indignant against the people of God and even send Ro'sh and his allies against the land of Israel, in her new land, the land that not too long ago was just a wilderness! At that time our Father will determine that enough is enough and intervene by sounding the 7th Trump.
Here are how the forces of Gog come against America:
Yep, Gog and his troops will come like a storm, but just wait until they run into the storm God has waiting for them!Ezekiel 38:9"You and all your allies - a vast and awesome army - will roll down upon them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud." (LB)
Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
Remember, we learned about the evil spirits going forth from Satan to the kings of the earth (Rev. 16:14)? Well, it really doesn't take much to get old Esau (Russia) riled up against his brother Jacob (Israel/USA-GB). He has always been envious and jealous in that his brother Jacob received the bountiful Birthright Blessings from God instead of him, even though it was his own fault for despising his heritage and selling out the birthright blessings of his posterity for a mere bowl of communist red pottage.[10] Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
Esau hated his brother Jacob because Esau was envious and jealous and angry. Well, those are not a very nice "things to come into thy mind". And Esau said, "then I will slay my brother Jacob". Now that's a downright evil thought!Genesis 27:41
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
Do you remember in chapter 35 we learned that this hatred Esau has for his brother Jacob is a perpetual hatred?
With a mind set like Esau's it won't take much for the evil spirits of the NWO under the administration of the false Messiah (Satan) to get Gog all fired up to come against the house of his brother Jacob (Israel/USA-GB).Ezekiel 35:5
Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
Get ready Gog. You're gonna get what's coming to you![6] Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
So in the latter end of the latter days the leader of Ro'sh, Russia, with his evil thoughts in mind, will see an opportunity in the unwalled cities of the land of opportunity, the land of the free and the home of the safe dwellers. (Cue the Star Spangled Banner music.)Ezekiel 38:11
And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
Why? What is it that Gog wants?
Oh my goodness, were back to the same old thing, the basis of Esau's perpetual hatred. He's after "spoil", which is the goods and the merchandise and the wealth and the property, i.e. all the Blessings of the Birthright that God has blessed the USA with. So Esau wants to just TAKE by force what doesn't belong to him. That's an evil thought too![12] To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
Do you know who the gathered people of verse 12 are? It real easy to know. All one needs to do is read the history of this nation and he or she will find this land to be the melting pot of the gathering of all 13 tribes of God's people Israel as they came to our shores "from out from among the nations". The reason for 13 tribes is that Joseph's birthright was split between his two sons Ephraim (England) and Manasseh (America), thus making Manasseh the 13th tribe. Let's see, there were 13 original colonies and 13 original states. There are 13 stripes on our flag. Hmmm.
In fact, did you know that between the Obverse and the Reverse sides of the Great Seal of the United States, there are 13 sets of 13! Really! Take a dollar bill out and see for yourself. For instance: the Eagle holds an olive branch with 13 leaves in its left talon and it holds 13 arrows in its right talon. Its beak holds a scroll with the 13 letter phrase, "E. Pluribus Unum", which means "One out of many", tribes that is! The "cloud of glory" above the Eagle's head has 13 stars in it and there are 13 bars on our flag and 13 rods in our National mace. Then too the pyramid has 13 courses of stone, above which is written in 13 letters "Annuit Coeptis", which means He has favored our beginnings. Want to know more? Then read the booklet "Our Great Seal", by E. Raymond Capt, and learn the rich history of how our seal was brought forth carrying the heraldry of Israel.
If all this is true then wouldn't you say that the number 13 is the national number of the United States of America? No wonder Satan wants everyone to think it's unlucky!
In the next verse we will see the World Trade Centers (WTC) of Sheba, and Dedan, and Tarshish, with all the money hungry young lions vying to cash in on the assault by Gog against the richly blessed people of God.
By the way, Tarshish is the home of the kenites, who are the sons of Cain, who have been "calling the shots" in Russia for a long time, especially since 1917 when they ousted the monarchy of Nicholas and Alexandra and turned Russia into a communist state and closed all the Christian churches in the land in an attempt to eliminate God from the nation. God bless the people of that land who hold fast to their Christian faith at the risk of losing face, reputation or even life.Ezekiel 38:13
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
So if you are familiar with the god of the kenites and the methods of their operations, then you know that wherever and whenever the opportunity arises to play "Let's Make a Deal", you will find them gathered about! You can just hear them say to Gog in verse 13, "Go for it Gog! We'll not only finance your offensive (with interest of course) but we will also broker the spoil for you (for a small fee of course)! We just want you to be comfortable with your evil plans and know that we're behind you all way, Gog!"
Don't you get it Gog? Don't you understand that God's people dwell safely because He protects them? No one has ever defeated the USA and yet you think you and your allies can come against her?[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?
I guess you do think you can come against the house of Israel, oh Gog, and it is written that you SHALL. It is even written what direction you shall come from, that you shall come with your forces out of the north**![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:
**Note: Could this be Alaska? One of the finest, most credible Bible scholars and teachers of our day claims to have personal knowledge that Alaska will be the final burial ground of Esau's forces lead by the chief prince of Ro'sh. Though it is presented as speculation, for there is no direct Biblical documentation, this teacher supports his speculation for some of the following scriptural reasons:The armies of Gog do "come from the north" where Alaska is located. No cities of Israel shall be entered into and the armies of Gog shall "fall upon the open field" (39:5).
But perhaps the most visible "sign" that Alaska is the Hamon-gog of Ezk. 39:5 is that on March 29, 1876, the Russian Minister to the United States and our Secretary of State William H. Seward, sign an agreement making Alaska part of the United States, i.e. part of Jacob's land and no longer part of Esau's land. Some called that agreement Seward's Folly, but you see, Esau once again sold some of his inheritance to his brother Jacob, this time not for pottage because he was hungry, but for just over $7,000,000 because he needed some dough to fight the Crimean War. (The number "7" in Biblical numerics is the number of "Spiritual Perfection" and it will be God Himself, not man, who strikes the bow and defeats Gog and his allies.)
Hey, what difference would it make to Esau if it was land given to him by God. Esau has no regard for his heritage, remember? His philosophy is that if you get hungry for red pottage or green money, just sell your birthright! Too bad he didn't know about the rich gold deposits in Alaska and the rich "black gold" (oil) reserves located there. Jacob made out once again by receiving a blessing at the hand of Esau's disregard for his heritage.
It would therefore be so fitting that Alaska would be that open field where the chief prince Ro'sh and his army fall! We'll just have to wait and see.
Again, all this takes place in "the latter days", even the latter days of Satan's, the spurious messiah's, reign, i.e. at the very end of this flesh age. And these specific events SHALL take place for we are reading in this 38th chapter of Ezekiel that it is part of God's Plan. God fully intends to destroy this military assault all by Himself, without man's help, and He will do it for a very good and loving reason! He is not mean nor is He a blood thirsty God, but rather His actions will show to all His children that He alone is the Lord! (Even children from Russia who He also loves and wants to save, even if it takes until the end of the Millenniun, at the Great White Throne)Ezekiel 38:16
And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
Adonai Yahveh now asks the chief prince Meshech another question:
Yes, even though we are reading this prophecy about the destruction of Ro'sh and his band of opportunists in the Book of Ezekiel, this is really OLD NEWS! You will find that the "latter end" of Esau was written of long ago in Numbers 24:17-25. You will even find the kenite mixed in there to give Esau false security. So what else is new?Ezekiel 38:17
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
When the chief prince Ro'sh allows the evil thoughts planted by Satan and his locust army to cause him to take action and come against the house of Israel, the Lord GOD sees "Red", Esau Red! And we will read that the Lord GOD personally strikes down the forces of Gog.[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.
Yes, it certainly will shake up the people in the land of Israel, but remember, this is the last day of this flesh age and the first day of the Millennium. In other words, Jesus Christ has returned and all the earth is handed over to the King of kings and Lord of lords. That is a shakeup of the whole earth! And so it shall be.Ezekiel 38:19
For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
It's all over! The nations shall all turn in their crowns to Christ and the walls of that great city, both physical and spiritual, will come tumbling down just like the walls of Jericho did at the sound of the 7th Trumpet and the shout!Ezekiel 38:20
So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
The brother that every man of Ro'sh is against is his brother Jacob![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.
The word "plead" means "to judge" or to "pronounce sentence", and yes, the defeat of Gog's forces will be bloody as God literally puts a stop to this army in like manner as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, by raining fire and brimstone, and now with great hailstones too. By this method no man or nation can claim the victory for the defeat of Ro'sh. It is much like knowing that man cannot take credit for a hurricane, can he?[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.
Keep in mind that Jesus Christ is returning on the very day this happens and we know that all flesh will be turned to spiritual bodies, (keep in mind, when we refer to the defeat of Gog's forces as being bloody, we are saying bloody so that your physical eyes can see and understand what will be happening spiritually) some by an instant change, in a moment in a twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52), and some like those of Sodom & Gomorrah. Either way it will be quick!! Here's a refresher of how Sodom & Gomorrah bit the dust:
OK, one last time so that we never forget. Why will the final events of this flesh age happen in the manner we have read here in Ezekiel 38? So that all His children will know that the "I AM" is LORD!Luke 17:29
But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
In chapter 39 we will see the results of a battle where pitiful man comes against Almighty God.Ezekiel 38:23
Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
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