Ezekiel’s War
The first event we can expect to see unfold in the great saga of the End Times is an invasion into Israel. This invasion has very specific parameters to watch for.
The place to read about this prophetic event is Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39.
There, we read about a villain, named “Gog”, from a land called “Magog”. Now these names are not what we will actually call the man and the place. Here is a map, showing where Magog is (N. of Israel).
Once begun, this war will continue for about 7½ years. It spans the entire length of the Tribulation and then into the Return of Christ, with His saints and angel armies.
We might just call it World War III, early on into it.
This invasion begins the 7-year Tribulation and ends with the battle of Armageddon in Israel. (In addition to Ezekiel 38-39, see Daniel 7 and 11, and Revelation 19.)
Know the Facts
Here are some of the parameters that must be met, if we are to call an invasion into Israel the start of Ezekiel’s War:
- Peoples potentially invading include:
- Magog | Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and/or Turkey
- Gomer & Beth Togarmah | Turkey
- Persia | Modern day Iran
- Put | Libya, Algeria, Tunisia
- Cush | (area) Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan
2. Gog is Antichrist
There are several points of conversion between Ezekiel’s “Gog” and the antichrist. These include:
- God calls Gog “the one”. (38:17)
- After Gog’s invasion, God’s name will never again be profaned. (39:7)
- They are both invading Israel at the same time, in the same manner, from the same direction, (Dan. 11:21-45; Eze. 38:14-16)
- Both are killed by Jesus at His return. (Eze. 39:1-6; 2 Thess. 2:8)
When these exact invasion conditions are met, we might be in the Tribulation.
Chain of Events
Knowing that Gog is antichrist, we can then sew together the accounts of the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel (both alive during the exile to Babylon) to get a more complete tapestry of how these events will come about (roughly).
First, Israel is attacked from the North while they are living in peace. We are just about in this time. All that needs to take place is for Iran’s hateful regime to be taken down (so Jews can have peace).
This attack begins the Tribulation period. The countdown clock starts ticking when the leaders meet at a conference table during the invasion. (Dan. 11:27; 9:27)
Antichrist returns home, then comes back later to attack again, but is met by a powerful navy from the West and retreats home. (Dan. 11:29-30)
The Bible is silent on what happens next, but I think that the antichrist or his proxies and the USA will lock horns in a powerful conflict. If other nations are involved (China & Russia?), and this western country (USA?) is preoccupied with another conflict (WWIII?), this would allow antichrist to slip back into Israel without further harassment, since the ones that scared him off before are now either busy or out of the way. Plus, he’ll be plenty angry at the US for turning him around earlier.
This is when Israel and Jerusalem are overrun by enemies from many nations. The new temple is sacked and defiled publicly. (Dan. 9:27; 11:31-32)
We are now in the Great Tribulation, which is the last 3½ years of the Tribu-lation. This is when all hell breaks loose on Earth (quite literally).
After the Great Tribulation is over and Jesus is orbiting the globe, delivering justice with His angel armies, the final battle of Ezekiel’s War takes place.
It’s Armageddon, of course, and that is when the conflict, the horror, and the unbelievable violence finally come to an end. It ends with the enemies of Christ slain in the hills, valleys, and plains of Israel and every other place on Earth where people defied and opposed Him.
Satan and his hoard are thrown into the abyss and chained.
Ezekiel’s War is the culmination of mankind’s and Satan’s rebellion against God and His holy people (both believers and the Jews as a nation).
It ends with Jesus doing exactly what He told us He would do through His servants the prophets. This war will definitely be the war to end all wars—finally!
We will know when it begins, because the prophecies are so detailed. We will know when it ends, because Jesus will be here with His kingdom of saints and angels to rule the survivors of the apocalypse and start over. For a thousand years, anyway.
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