Hi all,
Wow, can the headlines spell out what Ezekiel 38-39 prophesied any clearer? Let me take you through chapter 38 which reveals the God’s perspective on what is happening.
Verse 7 tells Gog, the ruler of the land of Magog, which is considered to be Russia as Magog occupied that area furthest and directly north from Israel in Ezekiel’s time, to prepare and be a guard for an allegiance of nations that include (Persia) Iran/Iraq, and (Togarmah) Turkey, among other nations. Verse 9 says that alliance will come ‘like a storm, as a cloud to cover the land, and many people with you’. This indicates air power AND ground troops.
Remember I said that before this alliance could feel comfortable invading Israel they would first have to have a series of small successful incursions, building up a presence in the middle east while suffering only political objections, in order to believe they could attack Israel and only suffer the same political and/or economic objections.
Verse 12 says they will say to themselves they will take spoil, and taking spoil is easy, so they will think attacking Israel will be easy due to their sheer numbers and previous successes, which will make them over confident. Verses 15&16 reveal they will come from the north as a great army, and again it says also ‘as a cloud’ to cover the land.
But verses 19-22 tell us when they come in from the north the Lord will cause a great earthquake and subsequent communications failure so that the armies made up of different nations will destroy one another, and along with the earthquake great rain and hail (which in moderns terms, would be a mess for the ground army and inhibit air attacks.
What we see playing out before us is the stage being set for all this. Look for the nations to voice objections over Russia’s troops and planes helping Syria, but they won’t do anything about it, or do little. Look for increased alliances between Iraq/Iran and Russia.
Three times in visitations the Lord told me to watch Turkey. Right now Turkey is a US ally, allowing our planes to fly from there, and objecting to Russia’s overflights of their land. Watch for Turkey to turn towards Russia sometime in the future. Look for nations like Sudan and Libya to align themselves with Russia as per Ezekiel 38. That part of the alliance of Ezekiel 38 has not fully happened yet…so don’t panic, don’t fear…watch Turkey. Turkey has the largest army in the region, and when they align themselves with Russia they will feel it is a tipping point that will make the allegiance unstoppable. And pray for Israel!
People ask me about the timing of the rapture and why…
Why I believe the catching away of the church is near the time of the Ezekiel war. The explanation is layered, so let me peel back some layers.
The first layer is to understand the last 2,000 years of Gentiles coming into covenant with the God of Israel was a secret God kept until the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Paul called it “…the mystery which was kept secret and hidden from ages and from generations, but is now revealed to the saints. To them God wanted to make known the mystery…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:26-27
He also said “…how by revelation He made known to me the mystery which was kept secret from ages and generations, but is now revealed to the apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ…” Ephesians 3:3-10
And closing Romans he said, “…according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the beginning of the world, but is now revealed and by the prophetic scriptures revealed to all nations…for obedience to the faith…through Jesus Christ…” 16:24-27
These reveal the last 2,000 years of Gentiles coming to the God of Israel, that is to say non-Jewish people, was a secret not revealed to mankind before Pentecost.
My favorite example is when Jesus spoke in Luke 4:16-21 and He stopped mid-sentence when reading Isaiah 61:1-2: “…and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God.” He stopped mid verse at ‘to preach the acceptable year of the Lord’ and sat down.
But Jesus stopped mid-sentence at ‘the acceptable year of the Lord’. Why? Because the acceptable year of the Lord was His first coming and the day of vengeance is a reference to His second coming. God wasn’t revealing there was a roughly 2,000 year gap between ‘the acceptable year of the Lord’ and ‘the day of vengeance of our God’. That is why Jesus stopped mid-sentence.
First layer part b:
That means every prophet of the Old Testament was kept in the dark about the church age. Other than the occasional reference to Gentiles, there was no revelation about the “time of the Gentiles” which started at Pentecost all the way to our day and time, these last 2,000 years.
So when reading Ezekiel for instance, and we see chapters 36 & 37 prophesying Israel being re-born by coming into their land and becoming a nation once again, and then it goes right to a war involving modern Russia against Israel in 38 & 39, and then chapter 40 through 48 is about the Millennial reign of Messiah, it tells us the close of the time of the Gentiles and start of the rule of Christ on earth is somewhere in between Israel becoming a nation in chapter 37 and the Millennium in chapter 40. That leaves somewhere around the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39.
Second layer:
The timing of the rapture is a similar secret kept with the Father. Paul said to the world Jesus coming for His people would be like a thief in the night*. A thief breaks in to steal away that which does not belong to him. To the world, that is what Paul is saying it will be like – Jesus will be like a thief in the night stealing (people) who to them, don’t belong to Him.
But Paul said in the next verses, “But you brothers and sisters are not in darkness that the day should come upon you as a thief…for God has not appointed us to wrath…” That means though the exact time is a secret, we will know the season. So when you see mounting evidence the time is close, it should lead us to an increasingly more serious walk with the Lord. *I Thessalonians 5:1-11
Third layer: What other signs might there be?
Jesus said in Luke 21:24 Jerusalem would be ‘trodden down by Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.’ They were dispersed with the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70, and took control of Jerusalem in the 1967 war. So that means we are at the end of the time of the Gentiles. Furthermore, Paul said in Romans 11:25 that partial blindness is on Israel (about Jesus being Messiah) ‘until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.’
So when you see Jerusalem once again controlled by Israel, and you see more and more Jews seeing that Jesus is Messiah, know the time of the Gentiles is near completion, which is exactly our days. Most figure the blindness started to lift in the early to mid 1960’s, and has gained momentum since as more and more Jewish people have come to see and believe in Jesus as the Messiah.
Third layer, part b
Like I’ve been saying about the spread of the gospel to the nations: When it is preached in all the nations with a witness*, then Jesus said, the end would come. “Preached in all nations” means to the Gentiles, so the more it is preached in the world the more ‘fullness’ of the time of the Gentiles. When the fullness of the Gentiles has come in as a result of the gospel being preached in the nations, the time of the Gentiles – the body of Christ, the bride of Christ – will be done and taken out. *Matthew 24:14
The fact Ezekiel says the war of 38 & 39 leaves Israel with a 7 year supply of fuel and other spoil, and that it will take 7 months to bury the enemy dead, tells us this war has some time in between other prophetic events.
Fourth layer: Rosh haShanah
The feast of Rosh haShanah prophesies the catching away of believers at the blowing of that feast’s Last Trump, a specific shofar and mentioned by Paul* used during that feast to awaken the righteous dead and change the righteous living so all can be hidden in Messiah for a week long (7 years prophetically) wedding feast. All this and more has been in the practice of Rosh haShanah by Judaism for centuries. (And I have a series on it for more detail if desired) It isn’t a new doctrine, it isn’t dispensationalism, it is Judaism. *I Corinthians 15:52
So…what exciting times! God is moving so mightily among the nations, but the fullness isn’t quite yet!
Other news:
This has been an extremely busy last 3 months, and I am looking forward to taking some days to rest in the last part of the month, able to pace myself once again instead of back to back travels. I’m just tired…thanks for your prayers.
There is so much happening all over the world in healthy family based churches meeting in homes. More and more people are realizing they can do this, and they are!
Your prayers and financial support allow us to be a blessing to thousands in several dozen nations. I don’t share much about the miracles or the supernatural touches from the Lord people experience in our meetings as it really is all about the Lord and most of those are not for me to share as what folks receive is personal.
But know when you give to CWOWI you are as Paul told the Corinthians in II Corinthians 8:4, 9:12-13, taking upon yourselves the ministry of the saints, and only eternity will reveal all the good you’re responsible for – thank you!
Blessings,
John & Barb
