What in the World is Going On?

"The New Axis of Evil" (Part VIII)

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Dr. Barry D. Lovett

The prophecy Gog and Magog predicts a last days' invasion of Israel from every direction by a huge coalition of nations.

The following nations are part of that coalition.  

Gog - Is not the name of nation but the title of a ruler. It means “ruler,” or “the man on top.”

Magog - nations that were formerly a part of the Soviet Union.

Rosh - The invading force that will come from the “far north,” or “the remotest parts of the north.” The land that is most distantly north and remote to Israel is Russia.

Meshech and Tubal - Turkey.

Persia - Persia is the former name for Iran.

“Israel must be wiped off the map… with the help of Allah, there would soon be a world without Zionism.” Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. [Quoted in Time magazine, September 25, 2006.]

Cush/Ethiopia - The Cushites themselves were established in Africa.  Some translations of “Cush” are “Ethiopia.”   But if this name is to be associated with Ethiopia, it must be noted it is a territory much larger than modern Ethiopia.

Libya (Put) - Libya, which is referred to on ancient maps as Put

Gomer - Turkey or Germany.

Beth-Togarmah - Phrygia, a western kingdom in Asia Minor.  This is what we currently call Turkey.

There are many more nations that will be part of this coalition: ...many people are with you. Ezekiel 38:6.

When the Invasion Occurs - Ezekiel 38:8,14,16

This invasion of Israel by Russia and Iran and the coalition of nations mentioned earlier will take place some time in the future (latter days) sometime following the Rapture of the Church.

The Purpose of the Invasion - Ezekiel 38:11-13, 16

1. To Seize Israel’s Land - Ezekiel 38:12 

2. To Steal Israel’s Wealth - Ezekiel 38:12-13

Ezekiel 38:12-13 – “…to take plunder...to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder.”

Israel is now home to more than 6,600 millionaires... Of the 500 wealthiest people in the world, six are now Israeli and, all-told, Israel’s rich had assets in 2004 of more than 24 billion dollars...Israel’s GNP is almost double that of any other Middle Eastern country.” [Quoted by Joel Rosenberg in Epicenter]

3. To Slaughter Israel’s People - Ezekiel 38:11,12,16

The Intervention of God - Ezekiel 38:18-23, Ezekiel 39:1-20

 The Israelis will be so outnumbered that there will be no human way for them to win this war. Only an intervention by God will save them.

 God steps in and saves Israel by four simultaneous actions:

By the Convulsions of the Earth - Ezekiel 38:19-20

By the Confusion of the Troops - Ezekiel 38:21

By a Contagion of Disease - Ezekiel 38:22 a

He will infect the invading troops with some debilitating disease that will render them incapable of carrying out an effective attack.

By the Calamities from the Sky - Ezekiel 38:22 b

“Every force of nature is a servant of the Living God and in a moment can be made a soldier, armed to the teeth. Men are slowly discovering that God’s forces stored in nature are mightier then the brawn of the human arm.”  - The Pulpit Commentary

The Aftermath of the War - Ezekiel 39:9-12,14-16

There will be so many casualties from this war that it will take seven months to bury all of the bodies and seven years to destroy all the weapons. This is all part of what Ezekiel calls the “cleansing of the land.”

The Sovereignty of God: Ezekiel 38:4,16; Ezekiel 39:2

Throughout this entire series, we have been noticing that even in the most devastating of times, God is still in control.

The Simplicity of God’s Purpose Ezekiel 38:16&23; Ezekiel 39:6,7,21-22

God’s purpose is simply to bring glory to His name, Israel that He is their true God and prove to the rest of the world that He is God.

“God Almighty, whom the Russians defy and Islamics denounce, has brought this evil axis of power into Israel to bury it before the eyes of the world. The destruction of Russia and its Islamic allies is going to the most powerful object lesson the world has seen since Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the Red Sea.” - John Hagee, Jerusalem Countdown

God’s ultimate goal then is what it has always been, the salvation of people.