Revelation 11: 1 – 2
The Beginning Of The End
1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
I believe that a lot of you Prophecy buffs are probably thinking ‘now we are starting to get to the good stuff. We’re going to talk about the ‘Two Witnesses’.
Not so fast my fine friends. For we have some real meat to enjoy before getting into who the Two Witnesses are. Many teachers just breeze through verses one and two and miss out on all the gold our Precious Holy Spirit has given to us. I think after we go over this Scripture you will agree.
The first two verses talk about a Temple. Let take a look again at them.
1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
I am sure that many of you have heard the various positions of bible teachers as to the description of this Temple.
Here are the most popular views.
1. The Temple listed in Revelation 11 is the Millennium Temple
2. The Temple is spiritual. It refers to those who are Christians. In the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16 we learn from the apostle Paul, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
3. .The Temple is real and has been constructed before the Second Coming of The Lord Jesus Christ.
4. The Temple is referring to a Heavenly Temple
I believe position # 3 is the right one and let me explain why.
In position #1 we read that the Temple listed in Revelation is going to be desecrated. The Millennium Temple isn’t, plain and simple
Position #2 which speaks about the Temple being spiritual becomes null and void when you seriously view what is said by our Precious Holy Spirit. Please notice again this statement, ““Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship ‘there’. If the Temple is spiritual referring to individuals who make up the body of Christ, then how can you match up the term, ‘those who worship ‘there’?
Regarding position #4 we read the statement ‘Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it’ [ or there] explains what John is to measure. John is clearly on the earth, since the strong angel of chapter 10 descended from heaven and stood on the earth. The temple of God is a clear reference to the earthly tabernacle of God. One can be sure that there is no outer court that the nations trample in heaven.
"The temple (naos) of God" is referred to in Revelation 11:19 with the designation which is in heaven. This clearly sets it apart from the temple on earth. The term temple can translate two Greek words: naos or hieron. Naos normally only refers to the building that houses the holy of holies. Hieron refers to the complete temple area including the building that houses the holy of holies as well as the courts.
From the building that houses the holy of holies (naos), John is to proceed to measure the altar. Since the altar of incense is located in the holy place, which is part of the building that houses the holy of holies, this altar is more than likely the altar of burnt offerings. It (in the Herodian temple) was located in the court of the priests, which is the next area one sees when leaving the building that houses the holy of holies.
The third and final thing to be measured by John concerns "those who worship in (near) it (the altar located in court of the priests). "Those who worship" in this particular area are the priests. Naturally, John would not measure people the same way he would measure a building. Therefore, John is to count the priests who worship in the area of the altar of burnt offerings.
‘Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it’ is the second half of John’s instructions. John is told to exclude the outer court, which was the area designated for Gentiles. It is not to be measured.
‘For it has been given to the nations explains the reason the outer court is not to be measured. God has ordained by His sovereign choice to allow the outer court, reserved for Gentiles to honor Him, to be dishonored by Gentiles. "The nations" usually refer to Gentiles only.
‘And they will tread underfoot the holy city’ explains what the Gentiles will do. To tread under foot is a figure of speech. It means "to mistreat or abuse. "The holy city" is a clear and unmistakable reference to Jerusalem.
In content, one characteristic of "the times of the Gentiles (the nations)" is an abuse of Jerusalem by the Gentiles. Their abuse consists of their fundamental disregard for Jerusalem as the city of God upon the earth. Their willingness to worship other gods upon the very site the true God of heaven calls His home is a grave and abusive act. The final three and a half years of the Gentile dispensation will be the worst of all. It is during this period that the ultimate act of abuse of Jerusalem will occur. This event will be presented in detail in Revelation 12 and 13
The ‘outer court’, including the Holy City, is to be handed over to the unrepentant nations. The only part that earthly Israel can have at this stage if they are outside of Christ is with the nations. These are the times of the Gentiles. While the church of Christ proves to be over comers, the Holy City itself is given to the nations. This clearly stresses that it is the church which God considers to be important in the final days, not any idea of ‘Jerusalem’ as a chosen city. A new Holy City will come into its own in the new Heaven and the new earth which we see in Revelation chapter 21.
However, the reason this detail appears at this point in the narrative of the Revelation is because while the Gentile dispensation of abuse of the Jews and Jerusalem runs its course, God has at the same time been taking a people for His Name from among the Gentiles. The Mystery of God (God’s special work in Jesus The Christ to bring Gentiles to glory) ends at the same time that "the times of the Gentiles" ends. They run concurrent and they culminate at the same time. While God has poured out grace on the Gentiles (the nations), they have returned his mercy with abuse of His people (the Jews) and His City (Jerusalem). The termination of the "delay" also means the termination of the Gentile abuse of God’s people and their city. The punishment of the abusers of God’s holy city is John’s first prophecy in fulfillment of his charge to prophesy against people, nations, tongues and kings.
‘And the Holy City they (the nations) will tread under foot for forty two months’. Only the sanctuary [or Temple], altar, and priests, are preserved by God, the remainder of the Holy City is handed over to the nations. This thought would horrify the soul of any Jew. The treading down of Jerusalem is always a sign that God is no longer dealing with Israel there We see this in the Gospel of Luke 21.24 - and how in Ezekiel God deserts the Temple prior to its destruction, which He guarantees.
‘For forty two months’. It should be noted that John gives the time in months when dealing with the enemies of God and in days when dealing with the people of God. Thus months are used in Revelation 9.5, 10; 11.2; 13.5 while days are used in 2.10; 11.3, 9, 11; 12.6. The forty two months are the same as the 1260 days, taking 30 days to the month, a regular approximation used in ancient days. ‘A time and times and half a time’ means a similar thing here (12.14). The reason for the difference in usage is to emphasize that God watches over His own day by day.
Three and a half years is looked on in Scripture as a period of trial and testing under the protection of God. Elijah the prophet prayed for God to withhold rain and this occurred for three years as we read in the book of 1 Kings 18.1 with 17.1 which, following the six months of dry weather preceding the drought (the Mediterranean summer) brought it to three years and six months. So, three and a half years had early come to signify a time of judgment, persecution and want. During this period Elijah was guided by God to places where he would be provided for.
If you look at the news today you can know that Israel is not a place you want to go. The terrorists have shielded this little nation and caused tourism to decrease to a trickle. Years ago I did have the pleasure of going there and checking out a lot of sites. One site of interest was the Jewish Temple museum in Jerusalem. We were blessed to have a group session with the Director of the museum. He showed us that they have all the items necessary to furnish a new Temple. They have found ancestors of the tribe of Levi to serve as priests. What we just saw the Director informed us that a new Temple could be up and running within a month. All that is needed is permission to start from the Jewish leaders.
I see the following scenario playing out. Today the nation of Israel stands alone. She does not have any allies, including the United States.
Our Precious Holy Spirit told us about this through the prophet Zachariah in chapter 12 of his book, “1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’ 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem. 7 “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
We are living in a time when all this is going to be played out by our Great Master.
If you look at the news you find all the terrorists bent on destroying the nation of Israel. Today, the nations have forced Israel to concede land for peace which is a joke. The nation of Israel pulled out of Gaza and gave this area with buildings for the Palestinians use. The terrorist group Hamas came in and has infiltrated this little area to dig tunnels and send missiles into Israel. In order to survive the nation went on the offensive and went into Gaza to clean out these terrorist groups and their military locations. These terrorists hide amongst the hospitals, schools and homes of innocent people. As a result the world is against Israel because innocent people are being killed because the terrorists are hiding among them.
I believe that Israel is fed up with the nations dictating to them what they can or cannot do. The entire world is against them.
Since the Jewish people have not accepted our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the Messiah, they still want to do things the old way. So, they are going to rebuild another Temple. They are not going to ask permission of anyone to do this. The nations have been pushing them around since our Lord brought them back in 1948 and enough is enough.
Well, you and I know that the Muslims are not going to sit around and allow this to go on so you are going to see the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39 come into play which I call the Islamic Invasion.
I believe that this attack by the Muslim nations will occur shortly. We will take a look shortly at the nations that will be involved in this attack. For a while there was one nation on the list that was still friendly with Israel. That nation was Turkey. If you look at the news today you see that Turkey now is against Israel so all the participants are ready. The nation of Iran is the current problem. They want to bring about this battle as soon as possible. Their leader believes that if he initiates a war with Israel and the West [ that’s us folks] that he will bring back their Messiah, the Mahdi. The bible says all the world will come against Israel. That includes us. In case you have not been too involved in current affairs, under our present leadership, we have also abandoned Israel.
Ezekiel 38-39 reveals a fascinating and detailed prophecy about a future war campaign against Israel. Scripture clearly teaches that this particular war will be a turning point for Israel, with regard to their relationship with God.
The sobering, yet exciting aspect of this study is that for the first time since Ezekiel penned these prophecies, the countries that will gather against Israel have built an alliance in recent years. The prophetic puzzle pieces are now in place. It is just a matter of time, that is, God's timing before these prophecies find fulfillment.
1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.
We first need to recognize those who are going to invade Israel. The first one to be mentioned is Gog. So who or what is Gog? What does scripture ravel about his identity? They have been identified as the people who traditionally inhabited the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. "Gog and Magog are two groups of Turks, descended from Yafith (Japheth), the father of the Turks, one of the sons of Noah."
Gog is the leader of the horde and prince of Meshech, and Tubal. Solid historical accounts point to Magog being Russia. This makes sense in light of Gog coming from the "far north." Russia is the furthest country directly north of Israel. In the Hebrew, "the prince of Rosh" is literally "the chief prince"; not the prince of a place called Rosh, as some scholars suggest.
There is some disagreement among scholars on the locations of Meshech and Tubal, though most believe they represent the former southern Soviet states. Historic reference identifies these people as descendents of the Syncthians. They were fierce tribes that lived in the north. Currently, the former Soviet states are still independent from Russia, since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, in 2008, Russia invaded the country of Georgia. This act of aggression by Russia, trying to take the area of South Ossetia from Georgia, may hint that Russia under its leader Putin desires to rebuild the Soviet Union again. Indeed, Ezekiel's prophecy shows us that Russia will govern over these former Soviet states at the time of the war. In other words, before this prophecy takes place, Russia will either re-conquer these territories, or they will submit to Russian rule again. The governments of Russia and some of the former Soviet states are predominately atheistic. The common denominator in the other countries that join Russia is they are all Muslim nations. This is interesting, because the more fundamental sects of Islam believe that Israel does not have a right to exist. Many Muslims believe Allah has called them to destroy the Jews and re-take the Holy Land.
We will go into much more detail on Gog later, but for now it is important to know that Gog is not the name of a person, rather it is a title for a leader. Gog appears as supernatural being elsewhere in Scripture, yet he is also killed and buried which is revealed in chapter 39 of Ezekiel: I take this to mean that Gog will be a human leader, likely controlled by a demonic spirit, or a fallen angel.
4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords
Putting hooks, or a bit into the jaw of an animal is a way of making the animal, such as a horse, move in the direction the rider desires:
This means that Gog will reluctantly be persuaded to lead this conflict by God Himself. In other words, circumstances will be such that Gog will have no choice but to follow God's will. For example, Russia may get pulled into the war to retaliate for an offense done by Israel to one of their allies. I will mention how this will possibly happen shortly. In addition, in light of modern warfare, it is interesting that Ezekiel tells us that there will be horses involved in the war. Surely Ezekiel used familiar terms to try to describe modern-day weapons and means of transportation he saw in his vision, like tanks and fighter jets. However, that doesn't explain the use of horses. Interestingly, Russia still maintains a horse cavalry. Every war in Russia's history has included this horse cavalry. If you have ever visited a circus you find that the horse riding acts have people from this part of the world. They are skilled horsemen even today.
5 Persia, Ethiopia [or Cush], and Libya [or Put] are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of [Beth] Togarmah from the far north and all its troops - many people are with you.
Look at who else is involved, . 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.. Now who are these countries? A good question you may be thinking is, how come we have all these strange names? Why doesn’t God just tell us plainly who they are? We humans cause the problem. We change names a lot. For example in Russia we had the city of Petrograd. It was changed to Saint Petersburg. Then it was changed to Leongrad. Now it has been changed back again to Saint Petersburg. One thing we do not change is our Ancestor’s recorded names as the book of Genesis chapter 10, the Table of Nations list.
The first three are somewhat easy to identify. Persia is Iran. Ethiopia is principally the Sudan, and Libya still maintains it’s same name. Some people have identified Gomer as Germany. I do not believe that this is so. In Genesis chapter 10 we find his name, 2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.” Gomer and Togarmah were sons of Japheth. These people settled in the area of Turkey, Georgia, and around the Black Sea area.
If you look at the news today you can see that all the players in this real chess match are forming. Currently the terrorist group Hamas has infiltrated in Gaza. They have attacked Israel with over 3000 missiles. Israel is now counter attacking these crazy people.
Even though Israel is defending itself, the entire world is against them. Israel is ignoring the calls for just Israel to stop fighting. In the end our Holy God will help Israel be victorious and things will simmer down for a little while.
Our Great Holy Spirit pointed out that He will cause a ‘hook’ to bring all these Muslim countries against Israel. Russia and her team might be pulled into this war, as the result of Israel making an offense against one of their allies. It is interesting that the second country listed after Russia and its territories is Persia, or modern-day Iran. Currently, Iran seems hell-bent on developing nuclear technology, presumably to make weapons. Their Islamic ideology suggests that these nuclear weapons would be used to destroy Israel and possibly any nation that sides with Israel.
Israel knows and feels the threat that a weapons development is imminent; they will go in and strike Iran's nuclear facilities, as they did to Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007. Due to the close ties that Russia has with Iran, it is possible Russia will begrudgingly lead the retaliation, if Israel takes out the Iranian nuclear sites that they helped build. The other nations, being Muslim, will be "chomping at the bit" to destroy Israel, which has been their plan since Israel became a nation.
7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”
Several times Ezekiel tells us that Israel will be "dwelling safely." The word in the original Hebrew for dwelling safely, "betach," can have a meaning of feeling safe, but not necessarily being safe. I doubt Jews in Israel feel completely safe because the countries that neighbor them are enemies that want to annihilate them. That being said, everyday life in most parts of Israel appears to go on normally and peacefully, despite the threat looming nearby.
10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.
For all practical purposes, Israel is presently a land of "un-walled villages." However, because of Palestinian terrorist attacks, construction of a security fence began several years ago. Portions of the fence surround Jerusalem, but it is not complete. The construction has slowed due to resistance from the Palestinians and the legal battles over it.
13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’
"Tarshish was a son of Javan, who settled the area of Southern Greece. Some see his name as a reference to ancient Tartessus, a seaport in southern Spain, near Gibraltar. Others recall the sea-going navies of the Phoenicians who sailed "the Ships of Tarshish" out of nearby Cadiz as far north as England for tin, a metal used in the making of bronze and other alloys, which they mined in Cornwall.
Some believe that the name Britannia is actually derived from a Phoenician word meaning "source of tin." If so, since the ships of Tarshish brought tin to the ancient world, this reference could be to Great Britain making the "lions" or "villages" of Tarshish Great Britain's colonies, of which the US is the most prominent today. The fact that the Lion is a symbol of the British Empire lends support to this view."
We find in Genesis 10, that Cush had grandsons named Sheba and Dedan. Later in Genesis 25, Abraham also had grandsons named Sheba and Dedan. We don't know exactly which grandsons are in view in Ezekiel. Most prophecy teachers believe that they were the grandsons of Abraham. Based on Genesis 25:6, Abraham's grandsons, Sheba and Dedan migrated east of Israel, which today is Saudi Arabia.
It appears that one of the few, more prominent Islamic nations that do not align with Russia is Saudi Arabia. If Sheba and Dedan represent Saudi Arabia, they will side with the western world to protest the actions of Russia and the other nations. This makes sense, because Saudi Arabia typically aligns with the western world today.
An important note to make is that Israel is all alone in this conflict. The U.S. apparently, is among the young lions watching from the sidelines, but not coming to Israel's aid. At some point before this war, Israel will have lost all her allies; only God will come to her rescue.
We have already discussed the possible motives for attacking and dragging Russia into the conflict with Israel. God will force Russia to enter the conflict by a "hook in the jaw," but they will see a silver lining in the spoils of war. In addition to the prerequisite of Israel feeling safe, it will be a wealthy nation at the time of the war. Ezekiel describes Israel as having "great plunder."
There are a few reasons listed as to why this will all happen. For one thing it has to happen because our Lord prophesied that it would happen as verse 10 indicates, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD’. There are also personal reasons. As I mentioned previously they are led by the archenemy of our Holy Father. Satan. hates everything God loves. He has inspired the Muslim nations to hate the Jews. He has influenced them to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth. Of course he tempts them with the riches of the world. Look at what they are thinking in verse 12, “12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.” They are going to take material and financial gain from the nation of Israel. So they think.
Satan has also influenced these people to believe that the destruction of the Jews will be a pushover. Look at what verse 11 says, “11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’ The evil one will convince the Muslims that the Jewish opposition is weak, that the Jews have been lulled into a false sense of security. We know that the Israelites have built walls around Palestinian areas to keep the terrorists out. What we see here is that the Israelites believe that they can go it alone and that they can handle any situation thrown at them
Indeed, Israel is much more prosperous than her neighbors. However, Israel could greatly increase her wealth by discovering oil. In recent years, Israel has said to have found a massive reserve of natural gas off the coast of Haifa. This is already drawing conflict with Israel's neighbor Lebanon. Israel having major oil reserves could add "icing on the cake," being plunder and great spoils for Russia to take, in return for helping out their allies.
Incidentally, in the 2014 conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia threatened to turn off the natural gas supply to Europe through Ukraine, which makes up about a third of Europe's supply, if they back sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Due to this threat and the possible economic ramifications, Europe may look elsewhere for their natural gas to reduce their dependence on Russian oil. Potentially, Israel could replace Russia for exporting natural gas to Europe. Russia's loss of income could be motive to attack Israel and take their natural gas as spoil.
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”
We see the emphasis again, on Gog coming from the "far north," which undoubtedly is Russia. God also reiterates that Israel will be dwelling in safety and Gog will know it. Gog "knowing" that Israel is dwelling safely seems to support something more concrete than just a feeling. As stated before, the "feeling of safety" could come from some powerful leader of a nation who confirms a covenant of peace and safety with them.
This passage discloses the purpose that God has for bringing Gog and these armies against Israel. God will not only be revealing Himself to the world, but He will be calling Israel His people again In other words, during the war, God will turn back to Israel, as He promised He would again.
Hosea 1: 10, “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.”
17 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?
I mentioned the fact about the use of horses. Are you ready for a whopper of a statement? I believe that Israel will experience an EMP attack – Electro Magnetic Pulse.
Iran has been practicing this procedure. They have been doing drills to launch a missile off a cargo ship. They will shoot this into the atmosphere which will shut off all electrical things. If Israel takes out their nuclear plants then Iran will definitely put this plan into action. All they need is one bomb from their good friends in Russia. Today one thing that prevents these radicals from attacking Israel is the fear of Israel’s nuclear arsenal. If these terrorists think that they can knock out the potential of the nation of Israel launching a counter attack using nuclear weapons, then this would be their plan. This will knock out all electric that will kill all computers, batteries, planes, truck, and vehicles. The nations will use the old means of transportation along with their modern forms because they were outside the range of the EMP bomb. These nations will roll in for the kill. The nation of Israel will be defenseless to do anything on their own. Hence, it is time for their true Hero and Protector to come to their rescue. And you can be sure when this happens everyone will notice Who Is In Charge.
We also see a providential reason as to why the Lord is going to bring this attack to pass, “16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” Today it seems as though God is dead. He does not appear to mankind as being real. You and I both see and know that He Is alive and active in all phases of our daily lives. When this mess hits the fan, then the world will not wonder but they will know that God has supernaturally defended His people. They will know He Is alive and well. Praise our Holy Lord God!
18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face.
As mentioned at the beginning of this study, Gog will be a human leader likely controlled by a demonic spirit or fallen angel. If you look back to the book of Daniel we come across a unique incident in chapter 10 where our Holy Ruler sent His angel by the name of Gabriel to speak with Daniel. Please notice the chief fallen angels [prince] Gabriel has to deal with, “10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” 15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sonsfn of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.” 18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.
These were not real people but the strong demonic angels who are in charge of Persia [Iran] and Greece. We read in Ezekiel chapter 38 of Magog being the ‘prince’ of Mesach.
19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ 21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”’
God will be revealing Himself to the world in this war through judgment. Why will all the nations of the world know that God Is the One Who Is doing this rescue? God will use His sword against those who would do this action against His people. The Muslims can’t get along with each other now. When this attack occurs our Lord Is going to cause these people to turn on each other like He has done numerous times in the past.
Major tectonic and atmospheric forces will be the tools of God's judgment in this war. A major earthquake in the region will flatten the mountains. This could awaken dormant volcanoes near the enemy line, and rain down fire and brimstone on them. This will not just be a normal earthquake. Everyone on the earth is going to take notice when this attack occurs, not just watching it happen on TV. The whole world with great fear will know that God has rescued His people.
God will also bring a mighty thunderstorm on the army. In addition, God will bring confusion to the attackers and they will kill each other, just like the enemies of Gideon and his men did in Judges chapter 7. Truly this will be the most horrific event in human history since the flood, and will have consequences that will shake the rest of the world.
There is an interesting prophecy in the book of Haggai. Some believe this passage is a possible parallel of God's judgment on the Gog and Magog armies:
Haggai 2:20-22 - And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: 'I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Everyone by the sword of his brother.'"
In our next study which covers the rest of chapter 11 in the book of Revelation we will also see reference to the earthquake but let me remind you that it is not the ‘big one’.
