The Aftermath of The Battle of Gog And Magog!

The reason behind Dr. Cooper's conclusion is found in Ezekiel 39, where the prophet states that it will take seven years to clear away the rubble and burnt out weaponry left behind by the invading armies. Verses 9 and 10 describes the process in these words- "and they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the hand staves, and the spears, and they shall make fires of them seven years; so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall make fires of the weapons; and they shall plunder those that plundered them, and rob those that robbed them, says the Lord Jehovah. "This seven-year period dovetails with the seven years biblically allotted to the tribulation, specifically noted in Daniel 9 and revelation 11. No similar seven-year period is mentioned anywhere else in the bible, including following the battle of Armageddon. Armageddon, which many people confuse with the battle of Gog and Magog, is a totally different war. Gog and Magog involve a limited number of nations in a confederacy to invade Israel, and God uses natural forces to destroy these invading armies. But even before the smoke and radiation clears, the world leader the bible calls the Antichrist will step forward to take and rob God of the credit for giving the victory to Israel. Surprisingly, not only will the rest of the world, including Israel, believe the Antichrist's boast and go along with his blatant theft of God's glory, this man of sin will even start believing his own story and self-promoting press‑clippings to see himself as a godlike personality. The European powers, from which the Antichrist comes and gets his power, will unify behind him so that he will be commissioned to step forward and forge a real peace treaty between Israel and her Arab neighbours. Where before, and even today, neither the Palestinians nor the other Arab and Moslem people are serious about resigning themselves to the reality of the Jewish homeland in their midst, in the aftermath of the deadly war and the hundreds of thousands of grieving families throughout their nations, they will at last be ready both emotionally and politically to sit down and sign some kind of interim peace accord with Israel.

The Period of The War of Gog And Magog!

Honestly speaking, there is controversy among scholars concerning the period of the battle of Gog and Magog. Some bible scholars and teachers even mistake this battle with the battle of Armageddon. The question now is- when can we expect this Mideast version of world war (3) to break out? As always, the bible holds the answer. A renowned bible scholar, the late dr. David l. Cooper, wrote knowledgeably about the war of Gog and Magog when he noted- "it is utterly impossible to locate the fulfillment of this prediction after the Millennial age. It cannot be placed at the beginning of the millennium, nor at the end of the tribulation. It must, therefore, be located prior to the tribulation, because there is no other logical place for it to occur since the three other dates are impossible. This war will certainly occur at a time between now and the beginning of the tribulation."

Israel's Humility And God's Exaltation!

Israel’s victory over the Arabs yet again was a reprieve to their existence. However, Israel will suffer losses and consequently be humbled but will not be vanquished. In fact, the losses suffered by Israel’s enemies will be so devastating, perhaps, it may lead to some of these Muslims and pagans to turn to Israel’s God, just as the Psalmist prayed in psalm 83- "those who said, "let us take for ourselves the pastures of God for a possession, O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind! As the fire burns the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with your tempest, and frighten them with your storm. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; yes, let them be put to shame and perish, that they may know that you, whose name alone is the Lord, are the most high over all the earth." The defeat of Israel’s arch-enemy was a confirmation of God’s protective shield over them.

Description of The Battle of Gog And Magog!

As the hordes of invading troops still threaten to overrun Israel, the Israelis will likely opt to exercise their military strategy known as the "Sampson option." This is a contingency plan drafted by Israel after their war of 1973, when a surprise attacked by Arab nations on the Day of Atonement nearly resulted on the unprepared, outnumbered Jews being overrun by much greater Arab armies. So Prime Minister Golda Meier and Her war Ministers, passed a desperate plan ordering that any future Israeli government that sees enemy armies overwhelming their soldiers by sheer numbers, that government must resolve to unleash Israel's considerable arsenal of nuclear weapons against the invading nation's major cities. They called this desperate tactic the "Sampson-option" named after their biblical strongman Sampson. As described in the book of Judges, Sampson was captured and blinded by his Philistine enemies. He was chained to the pillars of the great Philistine temple, and being mocked and tortured by a hostile gathering of notables, Sampson tore down the supporting pillars and caused the roof to crush everyone present, himself along all his enemies. In this case, when Israel is faced with inevitable destruction, they have vowed to use all their nuclear might against their enemies, even if they would be destroyed along with their attackers. The evidence is powerful that nuclear weapons will be unleashed in this bloody Gog and Magog conflict. Besides the fire he promised to rain down on the home country coastlands of the Invading Armies, Ezekiel 39:11-13 tells us this "and it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place for burial in Israel, the valley of them that pass through on the east of the sea; and it shall stop them that pass through: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it the valley of Hamon-Gog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them renowned in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord Jehovah." Ezekiel continues to describe the aftermath of this coming war with words that read as if they were taken from a modern manual on how to deal with the lingering radiation of an atomic war. Hear how he portrays this radioactive aftermath in chapter 39, verses 14-16 "and they shall set apart men of continual employment that shall pass through the land and, with them that pass through, those that bury them that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it. After the end of seven months shall they search and they that pass through the land shall pass through; and when any see a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-Gog. And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city. Thus shall they cleanse the land and there will be an incredible number of dead and maimed soldiers, along with civilians left behind as a result of this disastrous war. Two prophecies found in the writings of Isaiah and Jeremiah suggests that Damascus, the Syrian capital, will experience the brunt of the nuclear onslaught. In Isaiah 17:1-2, we find these words- "the burden against Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap".

Israel Victory Against Arab Confederacy Foretold!

From our previous studies, we see some of the same nations in Ezekiel 38: Libya, Ethiopia, and Northern people of Gog and Magog. So it is apparent that there has been some sort of mutual defense pact between Israel and the nations behind the Antichrist. However, given the seemingly natural events of warfare, God Himself intervenes on Israel's behalf in a mighty way. Without doubt, God will cause these vastly numerical Arab Armies to turn their weapons against each other. We read about this in Ezekiel 39: 1-6 "and you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 'thus says the Lord God: "behold, I am against You, o Gog, the prince of Rosh (Russia), Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn You around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, You and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken, "says the Lord God. And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord". Perhaps, God will cause disagreement among the confederacy, where one ethnic group will turn against others in this alliance- as ancient animosities and rivalries rise to the level of revenge. Israel on her part, faced with such an overwhelming invading force, may well decide with the consent of Antichrist, who already has military presence in the land, to employ battlefield nuclear weapons. These when detonated on a field of battle will heavily radiate all flesh and kill millions within a limited period.

The Battle of Gog And Magog: Israel's Affinity With The Antichrist!

When the invading armies move across Israel's borders "to take a spoil," what will the rest of the world do to stop the slaughter? According to Ezekiel chapter 38:13, they will not even lift a finger beyond shouting empty words. Here is how the prophet describes it- "Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, (representing the new nations) shall say unto thee, art thou come to take the spoil? Hast thou assembled thy company to take the prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil? No doubt, this spirited outcry will be heard in the debating section of the United Nations General Assembly without effect. But Israel will have one ally- no less than the antichrist! According to Daniel 11, the assault against Israel will be launched by Egypt, known biblically as the "King of the South," against the Antichrist. Let us look at those scriptures in Daniel now- "and the King (Antichrist) shall do according to his will; and He shall exalt Himself, and magnify Himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the god of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the gods of his Fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for He shall magnify himself above all. "And at the time of the end shall the King of the South contend with Him; and the King of the North shall come against Him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and He shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through. He shall enter also into the glorious land (Israel), and many [countries] shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon (Jordan). He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps." Waxing in the euphoria of his victory against these nations, the Antichrist close affinity with the Jews will not last. At the end, He breaks the covenant with the Jews and demands worship from them. Their refusal will lead the Antichrist to oppress and seek to destroy the Jews once and for all.

The War of Gog And Magog: A Confederacy Against Israel!

It is clear from many books of the scriptures especially the Old Testament that, the war of Gog and Magog has been predicted by Prophets of old. One of such book of scripture was Psalm 83. This chapter speaks about the conspiracy against God's covenant people, the Jews, and his nation Israel. Verses 2 to 4 describe this evil plot- "for behold, your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate you have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against your people, and consulted together against your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more. For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against you" This prophetic psalm was written by Asaph several thousand years ago, but has yet to be fulfilled to this day. Bible scholars tells us there is absolutely no evidence that such a massive regional conspiracy to destroy Israel ever occurred in ancient times. Though Israel's enemies will enjoy massive numerical superiority, the bible clearly tells us that by the power of God, tiny Israel "the apple of his eye" will utterly devastate the invading armies and her allies in this war, a war that historians of the day may likely call world war 3.

The Battle of Gog and Magog (3)

The Bible description of the war of Gog and Magog gives a distinctive insight on the nations that will involve in the battle- this insight has a historical view. Proponents of this view based their findings on the fact that, the nations mentioned in previous studies have old ancient names during Bible days. Presently, these nations bear new names which was listed in the last study already. However, some scholars still believe that the references to "Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" in Ezekiel 38 refers to Russia, Moscow and Tobolsk, two of Russia's major cities. Respected sources like Dwight Pentecost and John Walvoord believe that Russia will lead this invasion of Moslem nations. There is a certain degree of geo-political logic to bolster their view. Russia has for many years coveted a warm water port in the Middle East, and if she can take over the oil wells of the Arabian Peninsula, at one stroke the bear can regain her status as a world superpower to which the western world must plead on bended knees for the energy needs so vital to modern industrialized economies. But there is contrary evidence that limits the invading nations to a strictly Moslem confederacy. Research has found that in bible times, the terms "Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" described tribes that occupied the land mass just north of the Caucusus mountain range. Also, the Schaff-Herzog encyclopedia of religious knowledge, citing ancient Assyrian writings, places the location of Magog in the land mass between ancient Armenia and Media- in short, the republics south of Russia and north of Israel, which comprised of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Turkestan, Chechnya, Turkey, Iran and Dagestan- significantly all of them Moslem nations. Whether or not Russian troops will be taking part in this invasion, one thing is very clear. Russian weapons and advisers will certainly be involved, since Russia is heavily committed to arming and training the armed forces of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Ethiopia and Libya.

The Battle of Gog And Magog (2)

It is apparent to know that most of Bible many prophecies have already been fulfilled. These prophecies are in confirmation of the many dispersions and early gatherings of Israel back into their promised land; the many details of the Messiah's first appearance as the lamb of God; the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem; the almost 2000 years scattering of the Jews to all parts of the world, and finally, their coming back in the 19th and 20th century climaxed by the nation's resurrection as modern Israel in 1948- these are all undisputable facts of the historical records. But there are two prophecies of major importance to these last days that still have yet to happen. I speak now of the two great major wars that will serve to glorify God; the two wars the Bible tells us will precede the return of Jesus Christ to planet earth when he will set up his 1,000-year rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. One of these wars has been written about so much and so often, and has been the focus of so many books and motion pictures, which has made it become a universal symbol of mass destruction and catastrophe. Its name is Armageddon and it will involve hundreds of millions of soldiers who will come into the Middle East to destroy Israel at the end of the great tribulation period. But the second of these two wars has received much less attention. Yet, in its own way, it is almost as decisive in the scenario of these last days as its better known counterpart. The bible calls this war the "battle of Gog and Magog," Using the names given in Ezekiel 38 v 1-9 of the nations that will involve in this battle, they include: Russia (Gog), Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey and the Moslem republics known as Magog. These will form a confederation to invade Israel and the Middle East, for the specific purpose of conquering the Jews and destroying their country. Theirs will be a religious crusade, what in Islam is called Jihad, with the sole motive of proving that the prophet Mohammed and his god Allah are superior to Moses and his God Jehovah.

The Battle of Gog And Magog!

Ezekiel prophecy gave a distinct description of the battle of Gog and Magog- a battle that was originally aimed at the total and complete destruction and annihilation of the Jewish nation and state; but turned out to be God proven ground for the Jewish people. Israel during this period, will be surrounded by Russia and his allied in an attempt to seize their sovereignty and to capture Jerusalem. However, God immediate intervention delivered and saved them just like He did during the six day war between Israel and the Arabs in 1967. As Ezekiel proclaimed that the allied soldiers carcases and their chariots are scattered all over the mountains of Israel. Without doubt, the defeat of Russia and its allied proves that the Almighty God rules in the affairs of men.

Disparity Between The Rapture And Christ Second Coming!

Many Christians and Bible readers don't really know the difference between the “rapture of the Church” and “Christ second coming”. They actually see these events as the same, but on the contrary, they are actually different. Some of the differences between these events are highlighted below: • The rapture was a mystery hidden from the foundation of the world; the second coming was not hidden but revealed to the prophets of old. • The rapture will occur before the great tribulation, while the second coming occurs after the great tribulation. • During the rapture, the dead in Christ and those alive in Christ, will be taken to heaven for the lamb marriage supper, on the other hand, the second coming sees the resurrection of the dead to shame and everlasting contempt. • During the rapture, Christ is seen by the raptured saints only, while during the second coming, Christ appears literally in the sky and is seen by the entire world. • The rapture marks the end of the Church and Gentiles age, while in the second coming God resumes his plan for the Jews.

The Second Coming of Christ!

The coming of Jesus marks the end for the Anti-Christ, the Beast and his false prophets. Jesus will appear immediately after the great tribulation, to save Israel and to deliver the tribulation saints. His eventual return marks the end of a long wait which has spanned over two millennia. Besides, His coming will be glorious to many, but to others- everlasting shame and contempt. Jesus appearance has been predicted by the prophets of old: Enoch, Moses, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Paul, John etc. After the Anti-Christ has been destroyed, Jesus sets up a millennial kingdom that will last for one thousand years, while the raptured saints become rulers and governors with Him. Israel under Christ Kingdom will do valiantly and prosper.