Hi all,
In the midst of the world pandemic and US election news something has been taking place that lays the prophetic foundation for a world-changing war.
First the news
With barely a notice in the news over several months President Trump has quietly brought Arab nations, former enemies of Israel, into an alliance between themselves and with Israel, even the start of diplomatic ties between nations.
First was news in November 2017 the administration had brokered a military alliance between Gulf states, motivated by the aggression of Iran. The nations in this alliance include Saudi Arabia, Oman, and UAE. The agreement included a provision to allow commercial flights between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Then came treaties with Egypt. Then Jordan. In the recent news has been United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain formally recognizing Israel’s right to exist, joining a mutual defense agreement, and the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel.
A few weeks earlier Serbia and Kosovo (predominantly Muslim nation) signed a peace accord that included the provision Kosovo formally recognizes Israel as a nation and Serbia moving its embassy to Jerusalem. Iran and Turkey heavily criticized the agreements…
The motivation of these Gulf nations to join together militarily and recognize Israel’s right to exist is because of the threat of Iran, Turkey, and Russia in the region. But it also fulfills prophecy.
What does this have to do with the prophetic?
The news of these agreements lines up perfectly with the classic view of the Ezekiel 38 war, specifically the belief that it prophesies Israel will have Arab and western allies in a war against an invasion force that includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, and other nations. Let me set the stage.
The classic view
In chapters 36 and 37 Ezekiel prophesies of a time when the nation of Israel will be reborn and prosper in the land. At the time he saw the vision the nation was in captivity in Babylon in the 500’s BC. His was the time of Daniel and the lion’s den, and the “three Hebrew children” and the fiery furnace. Ezekiel too had been taken captive and lived in Babylon.
It was there he saw the visions revealing Israel in the last days that became our Ezekiel chapters 36 through 39. There in Babylon he sees visions in chapters 36 and 37 telling of Israel again as a sovereign nation dwelling in their land, though threatened on all sides.
He then sees chapters 38 and 39 which detail a war of several nations allied against Israel, with Israel and her allies defeating the aggressors.
That war is not Armageddon and we know this for several reasons. The first is that Israel has allies who along with Israel, defeat the invading armies. At Armageddon they are alone, requiring the return of Jesus to save the nation. Also, The Revelation says Armageddon’s armies will consists of a 200 million man army of ‘kings from the east’ that will march across Southern Asia to invade Israel by crossing the Tigris and Euphrates, while Ezekiel 38 describes the army coming directly from the north through Syria.
It also states Israel will require 7 months to bury the dead from the invading armies, and be left with a 7 year supply from the spoils of the war. That is not a description of the end of the age.
The classic understanding of Ezekiel 38 is of an Arab alliance with Israel and the west who will stand with Israel against the invading forces. It is that alliance of Gulf nations that fulfills prophecy. But there is more, much more…
On the one side we have these nations gathered…
And that is where we will pick it up next week…until then, blessings,
John Fenn
