Yes. I’ve been watching that for awhile.
I’ve noticed Ezekiel 38 and 39 taking shape for several years now.
It is.
Psalm 83 comes in the equation somewhere...
Rather than humbling themselves before the Great Deliverer, admitting that no enemy was a match for Him, and that all proud adversaries to His Kingdom must fall -- these miserable and contemptible miscreants immediately scurried around, desperately seeking other antichrist candidates to cower/grovel before.
At this point in history, there are two global enemies to the gospel: Islam, and America's state religion of secular humanism. Both have an appointment with God behind the woodshed of history. I fear that the contemptible ingrates who ignored His victory over communism will provoke His wrath. Perhaps, in annoyance at our Christian fatalistic doomsayers, He will destroy America's reigning ideology first.
Wise Christians undermine secular humanism by refusing to participate in the American state church. They refuse to render unto Caesar that which is God's -- the children entrusted to their care. Their kids don't show up in public schools, those kiddie penal colonies.
Wise Christians also pray for the fall of Islam, and study Arabic, Turkish, or Farsi so that, when that day comes, and a billion people wonder what to do next, they'll be ready with answers.
Foolish Christians continue reading their tea leaves, using God's Word for a Ouija board, and always seeing therein the message that pleases Satan most: that God has ordained the world-wide triumph of evil.
Forgive me if I decline their kind invitation to become an unpaid cheerleader for the devil's team. God is at work around the world. I want to be in on what He is up to. Not contaminating His people with fatalistic despair and impotence.
Read Revelations 3:3
Wise up and stop being such a fatalist.
"Earthquakes in diverse places"
I’ve always trusted that no matter how the world looks at the moment, God’s prophetic word will be fulfilled. And it certainly looks more plausible than ever at the current moment. I wonder how many Believers thought that the Holocaust and Nazi rule was a prelude to the end times? I must admit, however, that for the past year or so, I have revisited Ezekiel 38 MANY times. And until now, I guess that American Christians have been “so vain that they probably thought this book (Bible) was about them.” But we are not indispensable.
The Magog Invasion: An Alternative View: A Surprise in Psalm 83?
For many years we have been following the conventional view of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the ill-fated invasion attempt of Magog and its allies, notably Iran. With the growing tensions between Iran—as an ostensible nuclear power—and Israel, these passages are the subject of much current discussion and debate.
However, the conventional view still leaves a number of puzzling inconsistencies and contradictions. Ezekiel 38 indicates that Israel is dwelling safely and “without walls.” Yet, when we visit there we are confronted with a 430-mile-long wall 25 feet high. And being shelled continually with hundreds of missiles from both the Hamas and Hezbollah is hardly dwelling “safely. ”
It is also significant to notice that the motivation of the invasion attempt by Magog and its allies is to take spoil: gold, silver, cattle and goods.(1) The Ezekiel account also includes participants from distant lands.
This leaves us with a puzzling anomaly: the players listed in Ezekiel seem to exclude any of the bordering nations: Where are the Palestinians? The Lebanese? The Syrians? The Iraqis? The Jordanians? The Egyptians? The Saudi Arabians? (Sheba and Dedan only appear as spectators rather than as participants!)
It is extremely provocative to contrast the attackers of Ezekiel 38 with the participants described in Psalm 83, which details immediate neighboring combatants. Furthermore, they also have a distinctively different agenda than the parties in the Ezekiel account:
Psalm 83
Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: (Psalm 83:1-5)
This appears to be a significant difference from the motivation of Magog and his allies, which is to take spoil. These combatants are the immediate neighbors, which continue to harass and torment Israel today and are unabashedly committed to wiping Israel off the map!
Furthermore, the specific players highlighted here are nearby, and not the ones included in the Ezekiel account:
The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. (Psalm 83:6-8)
Many may be surprised that the identity of the “Tents of Edom” includes the “Palestinians” of today. This is a topic which will be treated in a separate follow-up article, tracing the origin of the "olam ebah"—the “Everlasting Hatred”—from the womb of Esau and Jacob, and Esau’s contempt of the covenant birthright, to Esau’s spiteful intermarriage with the Ishmaelites, continuing the “everlasting hatred” to this very day.(2) As the Babylonians took Judah into captivity, the Edomites (“Idumeans” in Greek), under pressure from the Nabateans in the east, moved west and established their own “Idumea” encompassing Hebron and environs.
The other members of the Confederation can be easily identified with any good concordance or Bible Handbook. (They are also explored in detail in our featured briefing pack, see page 8 of April 2010 Newsletter from www.khouse.org.)
Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. Psalm 83:9-12
In pleading for the destruction of their current enemies, the Psalmist appeals to the God of Israel to do just as He did in their historical victories of the past.
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountain on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: Psalm 83:13-17
The Judgment against Edom is mentioned in more Old Testament books than it is against any other foreign nation: (3) (Again, the origin, identity, and destiny of “Edom” will be subject of subsequent articles.)
All the members of the Confederacy detailed in Psalm 83 are Muslims. Each of them is the subject of specific judgments which are detailed in Ezekiel 25 through 32. However, the principal issue of the entire episode is to make a specific point:
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. Psalm 83:18
His name alone is Jehovah, not Allah, the moon-god. And the Abrahamic Covenant has not been repealed! If this view is correct, it suggests a very dramatic prelude to the events of Ezekiel 38.
Order of Events?
1. Israel is regathered in the Land (Ezek 37:12; Isa 11:11,12; Deut 30:3-5).
2. Ancient cities are rebuilt and inhabited (Ezek 36:1-5, 8-10).
3. They meet Muslim/“Arab” resistance (Jer 49:16; Zeph 2:8; Ezek 25:12; 32:5; 36:2; Obad 1:10).
4. Israel establishes an army for defense—see also #10 (Ezek 36:6,7;38:8).
5. Adjacent Muslim nations Confederate (Ps 83:1-8).
6. The Confederacy is committed to the destruction of Israel (Ps 83:1-5, 12).
7. War starts between the Confederacy and Israel (Jer 49:2, 8, 19).
8. Title regained: “My people Israel” (Hos 1:8-10; Rom 9:25,26; Ezek 36:8-12).
9. Israel decisively defeats the Confederacy (Obad 1:9, 18; Ezek 25:13,14; Jer 49:10,20,21, 23-26; Isa 11:12-14;17:1; 19:16,17).
10. Israel has become “an exceedingly great army” (Ezek 37:10; Jer 49:21).
11. Israel takes prisoners of war (Jer 48:46,47; 49:3,6,11; Zeph 2:10,11).
12. The Region is reshaped (Isa 17:1; Jer 49:2, 10; Zeph 2:4).
13. Israel expands its borders (Obad 1:19; Jer 49:2; Isa 19:18,19).
14. Israel “dwells securely” in the Land (Ezek 38:10-12).
This, then, would seem to set the stage for the subsequent events of Ezekiel 38 and 39. If this view is correct, there may be a huge surprise ready to unfold that will totally restructure the Middle East!
“The only certain barrier to truth is the presumption you already have it.” Our challenge is to keep an open mind and study diligently, continually reexamining the numerous presuppositions that tend to blind us all. We are, indeed, entering one of the most exciting times in the history of the Planet Earth! May the Holy Spirit be your personal guide as you continue your “treasure hunt” of searching the Holy Scriptures to prove that these things are so!
So, yes, the Gog-Magog war is getting close, but something has to happen first to make Israel feel safe enough to take down the wall they have been building around the country. Some think that event will be the Psalm 83 war, which hasn't been fulfilled yet but appears to be about to happen with each passing day, and others are of the opinion that the Ezekiel war will take place after the Antichrist signs the seven-year peace pact between Israel and the nations, which would also make Israel feel safe.
At any rate, we know God said all these things will happen, and we see all the players in these events beginning to take their places on the prophetic stage and so we can say with all confidence that these events are very near to being fulfilled.
An interesting article, the first paragraph of which is chilling in light of Bible prophecy and Israel's feeling "safe" and "secure".
Every year of human history has always seemed like it was on the precipice of “something big”. That’s how prophecies work.
Myself, I always fall back on Ecclesiastes 1 - 9.
We make Russia bolder as every day goes by.
I read it I’m a Christian. As soon as heard this morning what happened in Poland my thoughts went to Gog & Magog.
oh..yeah baby... it’s coming!
There is nothing I am more certain of (and believe me, I have posted this frequently here on various posts) than we are on the edge of something HUGE.
I also believe today was the first day of WWIII.
I enjoy very much Rosenbergs books and as mentioned before have his most current articles and alerts e-mailed to me as they happen. Indeed He is very much aware of prophetic events but does not go off into the hyper state that some do every time there is something that might mean something prophetically.
We are called to be aware but more so be wise in our understanding of the times..... that means though we understand the times we are not to be hasty to think ahead of God as some do...as He could and has slowed things down or speeds them up in the past and as He chooses.
Earthquakes and that mentioned in Matthew have and will be with us...these are the birth-pangs and the beginnings. I generally focus on the alignment of nations and watch the world stage in that respect....and it is continually in motion.
But it is most interesting how things have shifted since BO took office and the overall opinions of world leaders concerning the moves Bo makes... or better said lacks making. The US has always been in the forefront and has many times used it's powers to put pressure on rouge nations and such.. to keep the lid on otherwise volatile situations. It is obvious our leadership now has no aspirations to do this and other countries see this quite clearly, so they are on the move in a big way while the door is open to do so.
Bo is giving a free pass to all while he suffocates the United States. But even this is prophetic....the Us will loose it's leadership role among the nations and we see this happening under the leadership of this President....so it could be for only a time the nations will move as we see them doing now, only to see that window close down after we elect the next Pres. And then things may calm down once more....or they will errupt even further....time will tell. For now I am looking still for His return...each and every day as I have done now for several years.