Today, as you are reading this, most of the Bible's many prophecies have already been fulfilled. these foretold all of the various dispersions and early regatherings of Israel back into their promised land, the 333 details of the Messiah's first appearance as the Lamb of God, the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the more than 1,900-year scattering of the Jews to all parts of the world, and finally their regathering in the 19th and 20th century climaxed by the nation's resurrection as modern Israel in 1948--these are all uncontestable facts of the historical record. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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<o> </o>
But there are two prophecies of major importance to these Last Days that still have yet to happen. I speak now of the two great major wars that will serve to glorify God, the two wars the Bible tells us will precede the return of Jesus Christ to planet Earth when he will set up His 1,000-year rule as King of kings and Lord of Lords.
<o> </o>
One of these wars has been written about so much and so often, and has been the focus of so many books and motion pictures, that it has by now become a universal symbol of mass destruction and catastrophe. Its name is Armageddon and it will involve hundreds of millions of soldiers who will come into the Middle East to destroy Israel at the end of the Tribulation period.
<o> </o>
But the second of these two wars has received much less attention. Yet, in its own way, it is almost as decisive in the scenario of these Last Days as its better known counnterpart. The Bible calls this war the "Battle of Gog and Magog," Ezekiel Chapter 38, verses 1 through 9, prophecies about this war in these words--" And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I will turn thee about, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords; Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer, and all his hordes; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north, and all his hordes; even many peoples with thee.
<o> </o>
"Be thou prepared, yea, prepare thyself, thou, and all thy companies that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples, and they shall dwell securely, all of them. And thou shalt ascend, thou shalt come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy hordes, and many peoples with thee."
<o> </o>
Using the names by which these nations were known during Biblical times, today we know these countries as Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey and the Moslem Republics known as Magog. These will form a confederation to invade Israel and the Middle East, for the specific purpose of conquering the Jews and destroying their country. Theirs will be a religious crusade, what in Islam is called Jihad, with the sole motive of proving that the prophet Mohammed and his god Allah are superior to Moses and his God Jehovah.
<o> </o>
Some expositors believe that the references to "Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" in Ezekiel 38 refers to Russia, Moscow and Tobolsk, two of Russia's major cities. Respected sources like Dwight Pentecost and John Walvoord believe that Russia will lead this invasion of Moslem nations. There is a certain degree of geo-political logic to bolster their view. Russia has for many years coveted a warm water port in the Middle East, and if she can take over the oil wells of the Arabian Peninsula, at one stroke the Bear can regain her status as a world superpower to whom the western world must plead on bended knees for the energy needs so vital to modern industrialized economies.
<o> </o>
But there is contrary evidence that limits the invading nations to a strictly Moslem confederacy. Research has found that in Bible times, the terms "Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" described tribes that occupied the land mass just north of the Caucusus Mountain range. And the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, citing ancient Assyrian writings, places the location of Magog in the land mass between ancient Armenia and Media--in short, the Republics south of Russia and north of Israel, comprised of Azerbajian, Afghanistan, Turkestan, Chechnya, Turkey, Iran and Dagestan--significantly all of them Moslem nations.
<o> </o>
Whether or not Russian troops will be taking part in this invasion, one thing is very clear. Russian weapons and advisers will certainly be involved, since Russia is heavily committed to arming and training the armed forces of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Ethiopia and Libya, all of them military client states of Russia. Time--and not too much time, in my view--will prove which of these Rosh-Gog-Magog interpretations is correct.
<o> </o>
Psalm 83 speaks about this conspiracy against God's covenant people, the Jews, and His nation Israel. Verses 2 through 4 describes this evil plot--" For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more. For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You"
<o> </o>
This prophetic Psalm was written by Asaph several thousand years ago, but has yet to be fulfilled to this day. Bible scholars tells us there is absolutely no evidence that such a massive regional conspiracy to destroy Israel ever occurred in ancient times. Though Israel's enemies will enjoy massive numerical superiority, the Bible clearly tells us that by the power of God, tiny Israel--"the apple of His eye"--will utterly devastate the invading armies and her allies in this war, a war that historians of the day may likely call World War III.
<o> </o>
When the invading armies move across Israel's borders "to take a spoil," what will the rest of the world do to stop the slaughter? According to Ezekiel Chapter 38:13, they will not even lift a finger beyond shouting empty words. Here is how the prophet describes it--"Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, (representing the trading nations) shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take the spoil? hast thou assembled thy company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?" No doubt this spirited outcry will be heard in the debating section of the United Nations General Assembly without effect.
<o> </o>
But Israel will have one ally--no less than the Antichrist! According to Daniel 11, the assault against Israel will be launched by Egypt, known Biblically as the "king of the south," against the Antichrist. Let's look at those Scriptures in Daniel now--"And the king (Antichrist) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
<o> </o>
"And at the time of the end shall the king of the south contend with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through. He shall enter also into the glorious land (Israel), and many [countries] shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon (Jordan). He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps."
<o> </o>
Here we see some of the same nations we met earlier in Ezekiel 38--Libya, Ethiopia, and northen peoples of Gog and Magog. So it is apparent that there has been some sort of mutual defense pact between Israel and the nations behind the Antichrist. Even given the seemingly natural events of warfare, God Himself does intervene on Israel's behalf in a mighty way. Apparently, God will cause these vastly numerical Moslem armies to turn their weapons against each other.
<o> </o>
We read about this in Ezekiel 39: 1-6--" And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken," says the Lord GOD. And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."
<o> </o>
Perhaps God will cause a kind of civil war to break out among the confederacy, where one ethnic group will turn against other ethnic groups in this alliance--Aghans against Syrians, Iranians against Iraquis--as ancient animosities and rivalries rise to the level of revenge. Israel on her part, faced with such an overwhelming invading force, may well decide with the consent of Antichrist, who apparently has a token military presence in the land, to employ battlefield nuclear weapons. These neutron bombs, about the size of a baseball, when detonated on a field of battle will heavily radiate all flesh within a radius of 500 yards of the explosion.
<o> </o>
Unlike thermonuclear weapons, these neutron bombs incapicitate every human being caught in its sphere of penetration, disabling any soldier from the capacity to fight. Within thirty minutes, the most severely radiated persons will die as their vital organs cease to function. Those who survive past a half hour will gradually recover their strength and health over a period of two weeks, and will not suffer any long-term bodily damage. The Pope and the Vatican in 1987 honored the inventor of the neutron bomb, Sam Cohen, with its own peace prize. Cohen was cited as having devised a most humane weapon that affects only combatants in war and does not indiscriminately kill and maim civilians.
<o> </o>
As the hordes of invading troops still threaten to overrun Israel, the Israelis will likely opt to exercise their military strategy known as the "Sampson Option." This is a contingency plan drafted by Israel after their War of 1973, when a surprise attacked by Arab nations on the Day of Atonement nearly resulted on the unprepared, outnumbered Jews being overrun by much greater Arab armies.
<o> </o>
So prime minister Golda Meier and her war ministers passed a desperate plan ordering that any future Israeli government that sees enemy armies overwhelming their soldiers by sheer numbers, that government must resolve to unleash Israel's considerable arsenal of nuclear weapons against the invading nation's major cities. They called this desperate tactic the "Sampson Option" after their Biblical strongman Sampson.
<o> </o>
As described in the Book of Judges, Sampson was captured and blinded by his Phillistine enemies. Chained the pillars of the great Phillistine temple, and being mocked and tortured by a hostile gathering of notables, Sampson tore down the supporting pillars and caused the roof to crush everyone present, himself along all his enemies. In this case, when Israel was faced with inevitable destruction, they have vowed to use all their nuclear might against their enemies, even if they would be destroyed along with the attackers.
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> </o>But there are two prophecies of major importance to these Last Days that still have yet to happen. I speak now of the two great major wars that will serve to glorify God, the two wars the Bible tells us will precede the return of Jesus Christ to planet Earth when he will set up His 1,000-year rule as King of kings and Lord of Lords.
<o
> </o>One of these wars has been written about so much and so often, and has been the focus of so many books and motion pictures, that it has by now become a universal symbol of mass destruction and catastrophe. Its name is Armageddon and it will involve hundreds of millions of soldiers who will come into the Middle East to destroy Israel at the end of the Tribulation period.
<o
> </o>But the second of these two wars has received much less attention. Yet, in its own way, it is almost as decisive in the scenario of these Last Days as its better known counnterpart. The Bible calls this war the "Battle of Gog and Magog," Ezekiel Chapter 38, verses 1 through 9, prophecies about this war in these words--" And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I will turn thee about, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords; Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer, and all his hordes; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north, and all his hordes; even many peoples with thee.
<o
> </o>"Be thou prepared, yea, prepare thyself, thou, and all thy companies that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples, and they shall dwell securely, all of them. And thou shalt ascend, thou shalt come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy hordes, and many peoples with thee."
<o
> </o>Using the names by which these nations were known during Biblical times, today we know these countries as Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey and the Moslem Republics known as Magog. These will form a confederation to invade Israel and the Middle East, for the specific purpose of conquering the Jews and destroying their country. Theirs will be a religious crusade, what in Islam is called Jihad, with the sole motive of proving that the prophet Mohammed and his god Allah are superior to Moses and his God Jehovah.
<o
> </o>Some expositors believe that the references to "Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" in Ezekiel 38 refers to Russia, Moscow and Tobolsk, two of Russia's major cities. Respected sources like Dwight Pentecost and John Walvoord believe that Russia will lead this invasion of Moslem nations. There is a certain degree of geo-political logic to bolster their view. Russia has for many years coveted a warm water port in the Middle East, and if she can take over the oil wells of the Arabian Peninsula, at one stroke the Bear can regain her status as a world superpower to whom the western world must plead on bended knees for the energy needs so vital to modern industrialized economies.
<o
> </o>But there is contrary evidence that limits the invading nations to a strictly Moslem confederacy. Research has found that in Bible times, the terms "Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" described tribes that occupied the land mass just north of the Caucusus Mountain range. And the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, citing ancient Assyrian writings, places the location of Magog in the land mass between ancient Armenia and Media--in short, the Republics south of Russia and north of Israel, comprised of Azerbajian, Afghanistan, Turkestan, Chechnya, Turkey, Iran and Dagestan--significantly all of them Moslem nations.
<o
> </o>Whether or not Russian troops will be taking part in this invasion, one thing is very clear. Russian weapons and advisers will certainly be involved, since Russia is heavily committed to arming and training the armed forces of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Ethiopia and Libya, all of them military client states of Russia. Time--and not too much time, in my view--will prove which of these Rosh-Gog-Magog interpretations is correct.
<o
> </o>Psalm 83 speaks about this conspiracy against God's covenant people, the Jews, and His nation Israel. Verses 2 through 4 describes this evil plot--" For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more. For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You"
<o
> </o>This prophetic Psalm was written by Asaph several thousand years ago, but has yet to be fulfilled to this day. Bible scholars tells us there is absolutely no evidence that such a massive regional conspiracy to destroy Israel ever occurred in ancient times. Though Israel's enemies will enjoy massive numerical superiority, the Bible clearly tells us that by the power of God, tiny Israel--"the apple of His eye"--will utterly devastate the invading armies and her allies in this war, a war that historians of the day may likely call World War III.
<o
> </o>When the invading armies move across Israel's borders "to take a spoil," what will the rest of the world do to stop the slaughter? According to Ezekiel Chapter 38:13, they will not even lift a finger beyond shouting empty words. Here is how the prophet describes it--"Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, (representing the trading nations) shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take the spoil? hast thou assembled thy company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?" No doubt this spirited outcry will be heard in the debating section of the United Nations General Assembly without effect.
<o
> </o>But Israel will have one ally--no less than the Antichrist! According to Daniel 11, the assault against Israel will be launched by Egypt, known Biblically as the "king of the south," against the Antichrist. Let's look at those Scriptures in Daniel now--"And the king (Antichrist) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
<o
> </o>"And at the time of the end shall the king of the south contend with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through. He shall enter also into the glorious land (Israel), and many [countries] shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon (Jordan). He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps."
<o
> </o>Here we see some of the same nations we met earlier in Ezekiel 38--Libya, Ethiopia, and northen peoples of Gog and Magog. So it is apparent that there has been some sort of mutual defense pact between Israel and the nations behind the Antichrist. Even given the seemingly natural events of warfare, God Himself does intervene on Israel's behalf in a mighty way. Apparently, God will cause these vastly numerical Moslem armies to turn their weapons against each other.
<o
> </o>We read about this in Ezekiel 39: 1-6--" And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken," says the Lord GOD. And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."
<o
> </o>Perhaps God will cause a kind of civil war to break out among the confederacy, where one ethnic group will turn against other ethnic groups in this alliance--Aghans against Syrians, Iranians against Iraquis--as ancient animosities and rivalries rise to the level of revenge. Israel on her part, faced with such an overwhelming invading force, may well decide with the consent of Antichrist, who apparently has a token military presence in the land, to employ battlefield nuclear weapons. These neutron bombs, about the size of a baseball, when detonated on a field of battle will heavily radiate all flesh within a radius of 500 yards of the explosion.
<o
> </o>Unlike thermonuclear weapons, these neutron bombs incapicitate every human being caught in its sphere of penetration, disabling any soldier from the capacity to fight. Within thirty minutes, the most severely radiated persons will die as their vital organs cease to function. Those who survive past a half hour will gradually recover their strength and health over a period of two weeks, and will not suffer any long-term bodily damage. The Pope and the Vatican in 1987 honored the inventor of the neutron bomb, Sam Cohen, with its own peace prize. Cohen was cited as having devised a most humane weapon that affects only combatants in war and does not indiscriminately kill and maim civilians.
<o
> </o>As the hordes of invading troops still threaten to overrun Israel, the Israelis will likely opt to exercise their military strategy known as the "Sampson Option." This is a contingency plan drafted by Israel after their War of 1973, when a surprise attacked by Arab nations on the Day of Atonement nearly resulted on the unprepared, outnumbered Jews being overrun by much greater Arab armies.
<o
> </o>So prime minister Golda Meier and her war ministers passed a desperate plan ordering that any future Israeli government that sees enemy armies overwhelming their soldiers by sheer numbers, that government must resolve to unleash Israel's considerable arsenal of nuclear weapons against the invading nation's major cities. They called this desperate tactic the "Sampson Option" after their Biblical strongman Sampson.
<o
> </o>As described in the Book of Judges, Sampson was captured and blinded by his Phillistine enemies. Chained the pillars of the great Phillistine temple, and being mocked and tortured by a hostile gathering of notables, Sampson tore down the supporting pillars and caused the roof to crush everyone present, himself along all his enemies. In this case, when Israel was faced with inevitable destruction, they have vowed to use all their nuclear might against their enemies, even if they would be destroyed along with the attackers.
