A Coming War - Ezekiel

 

Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 give a prophecy about a war coming and names the countries which will be coming against Israel to destroy her. While there is some disagreement, most Biblical historians believe the countries named are Gog, Rosh (Russia), Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia or Sudan), Put (Libya), Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah (Turkey).

This war is described in some detail. In verse 38:8 it says this war will come after the people are gathered from many nations – telling us it is a war which follows the prophecies of chapters 36 and 37. In the following verses we see several statements that the people of Israel are living in peace, and these nations are coming to take something of value. The remainder of chapter 38 describes how God alone will protect Israel. Chapter 39 continues with a description of the end of this war on the very day it is set to begin.

God also tells the way in which this army will be destroyed. In verses 17-23 of chapter 38, He says a great earthquake will come. Mountains will come down, and there will be fire and brimstone – perhaps a volcano with the deadly poisonous gasses will kill many of these people. The people of the earth will know it was God who destroyed this army.

In our world today, we see for the first time in history a pact between these major nations – Russia, Iran, and Turkey. It is, however, not a peaceful pact, as each of these countries has a definite personal gain it wishes to achieve. It is easy to see how these armies will fight against each other when survival will be in question (verse 21).

Why would God destroy an army in this way? He will do so to show the entire world that He is God and He protects His people. He will also demonstrate His power over what will be one of the greatest armies to ever be united against Israel. He wants people to know there are consequences when they turn away from Him. His judgment of sin, by the death of Jesus on the cross, is the only way to escape His curse for sin. Anyone who does not accept Jesus’ payment must face God’s judgment for themselves.

We can see in our world today how these nations are already in place, and since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent war, they are uniting even more in their hatred for Israel. As the world has seen in the last few months, the tides of war can sweep suddenly. This should never be a cause for fear for anyone who trusts in Jesus, because He will care for every one of His own. Our responsibility today is to make sure we are one of His, and then to tell as many others about Him as we can.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, if we did not know Your love, we would shake in great fear for what is coming. But we trust You to keep every promise You have made, and You have promised to bring us to Your side when our life here on earth is done. Thank You for Your great faithfulness. We love You Jesus. In Your name we pray, Amen. 

From Global Media Outreach

For further reading on this topic go to https://comfortoneanother.com/2019/05/07/why-would-russia-turkey-and-iran-invade-israel/ 

Israel Born in a Day!

  

In Ezekiel 37 we read the prophecy of a valley filled with dry bones which are scattered, but God brings them back together, restores muscle and skin, and then breathes life back into these people to make them live again. Anyone who has seen pictures of the Jewish people who were rescued from Hitler’s death camps during World War II can clearly see in these people the images of this valley of dry bones.

God has always loved the Jewish people, even in those times when it has seemed as if He has forgotten them. This prophecy, in verse 14, tells of Israel’s return to their land – and was fulfilled in the years following the close of World War II. 

Isaiah 66:8 says: "Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children." This was exactly fulfilled when, on one day...May 14, 1948...the country of Israel was established. 

They are truly, as also prophesied in Ezekiel 37:15-22, a united nation of all twelve tribes as they had not been in thousands of years since after Solomon was their king.  ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. 

Part of verse 22, There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms, has not yet been fulfilled – that they will have one king over them again. This will be fulfilled when Jesus physically returns to this earth in the near future. There is still a time of judgment coming, which Jesus called the time of Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:21. This day when Jesus will return is also the time, stated in Romans 11:26, when all Israel will be saved.

Israel still has a powerful enemy, Satan. And Satan still stirs up other nations in this world to try to destroy Israel. But God is protecting, and will continue to protect Israel with His hand – just as He also protects us, His Church, from things which are not in His plan. His protection does not mean we cannot die at the hand of someone who hates us, or that we will succeed in everything we set out to do in this life on earth. After all, His plan for us is not that we are successful in this earthly kingdom – His plan for us is for our far greater success in His heavenly kingdom.

There is also, still in the future, a great judgment coming for the nations which have oppressed Israel through the centuries. As the hatred for Israel grows in our world today, so God’s judgment for those who hate Israel will also be great – see the promise/prophecy in Genesis 12:3 - "And I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse [that is, subject to My wrath and judgment] the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you. And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed.”. While this promise can be seen demonstrated in many incidents throughout history, it will be brought into full completion during this time of Great Tribulation.

Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, help us to see clearly how the events of our world today are a warning from You that this judgment on the nations which have hated Your people is coming just as You have given prophecy and promise over thousands of years. Help us who are Your people, whether Church or Israel, to be faithful to You and Your kingdom in these days – faithful without fear. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. 

From Global Media Outreach 

Prophecies of Israel

 

We move into prophecies now which have been fulfilled in the lifetimes of people who are still alive today. First, we need to understand something about prophecies. While God has a plan for all our lives, He chose one nation, one people, to be His for the purpose of bringing salvation to all the world. This nation is Israel. And though God knows – has already planned – what will happen to all the other nations and peoples of this earth, the Bible gives us prophecies only as they concern the nation Israel because it was, and continues to be, Israel through which He will accomplish everything else He has planned for all the world.

Many years ago a famous queen of England asked one of her advisors how he knew God existed. He answered, Israel. Surprised, she asked why he said this. He said that if Israel still existed after all the attempts the rest of the world had made to erase it from existence, it could only be because God was/is protecting her.

In Ezekiel 36 we can read a prophecy of God’s protection and restoration of the people. Throughout history there have been other nations which have determined to kill all these people, to wipe them from the face of the earth. We could name Hitler and Stalin and most recently Iran and Hamas, as examples of this. And we see this same hatred gaining ground once more in our world in many other countries, including the United States.

In Ezekiel 36:8, God speaking to the mountains of Israel to begin producing vegetation again in preparation for the return of the people. "But you, mountains of Israel, you will sprout your branches and bear your fruit for my people Israel, who will soon return." For many hundreds of years the land had been barren. Rome destroyed everything they could of civilization in 70 AD, and in the 1100s, during the times of the Crusades, the land itself was destroyed as trees were used for fire and weapons. Then God prophesied the land would again become lush and green as the people of Israel would return to it.

God had prophesied against Israel thousands of years earlier that He would disperse them among the nations if they continued to reject Him. This happened several times, and yet God brought them back again so they had the opportunity again to be faithful. After the nation demanded the death of Jesus, Messiah and Son of God, the Lord dispersed them again until the time would come for the end of what He had called the time of the Gentiles (see Romans 11:25 and Luke 21:24). This time essentially began when Israel was taken captive to Babylon. Then God gave Daniel at least two prophecies about this time – the golden statue and the Seventy Weeks prophecy from Daniel 9:24-27. 

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the mysteries of the prophecies You have given to us – mysteries we can unlock and understand only as we see Your purpose for all people and hear Your explanations through Your Word. Teach us Your Truth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. 

From Global Media Outreach