Probably the most near-term prophecy scheduled for fulfillment besides the Isaiah 17 predicted destruction of Damascus is the Gog-Magog assault on Israel.
The Rapture of the church, of course, continues to be in the mix of all the prophetic stage-setting on the horizon of these last days. It has always been an event that is without a specific prophetic signal that precedes its occurrence. However, the Rapture is not without signs that it could happen at any moment.
Despite some seminary declarations that Luke 21:28 is not a Rapture signal, I disagree.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
To any student of Bible prophecy from the pre-Trib view, the evidence is overwhelming. We see all the signs for the Tribulation beginning to come to pass. And God’s Word says that when we see this very thing happening–all these things beginning to come to pass—we are to look up, for Jesus is coming to save us out of that terrible time to come (read Revelation 3: 10).
We see the wickedness in the world that makes this generation like that of the days of Lot. We have violence and evil like in the days of Noah. Evil men and seducers are growing worse and worse. There is a globalist onslaught that is setting the stage for Antichrist and his regime of terror. There is apostasy, even in the formerly conservative, evangelical churches, with the leadership of those bodies embracing things we would never have thought they would accept.
To sum it up: In every direction we look, all is set for the next phase of Christ’s Second Coming and the Tribulation that will precede that magnificent event.
Israel is front and center, and is hated by the vast majority of the world’s countries, as witnessed by UN votes involving God’s chosen nation.
So with all this as a prologue, we can now look at a specific prophecy that is in view, based upon accumulating evidence. That is the coming Gog-Magog assault on Israel.
The stage is being set for that catastrophic attack. It’s catastrophic not for God’s chosen nation, but for the attackers—and for the rest of the world.
God, through Ezekiel the prophet, tells of the coalition that will invade Israel to take “great spoil.” We have determined after much study by prophecy scholars that the chief nations that will coalesce to attack Israel—by today’s names—will be Russia, Iran, Turkey, and others. But, God, according to the prophecy in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, will hold the world in general responsible as well. At least He will seemingly punish other nations as well as the one he will almost totally decimate when they attack.
Thou salt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 39:5–6)
So what evidence is there that this most profound prophecy is in view for fulfillment, perhaps in the very near future? It involves the term “great spoil” in the Ezekiel prophecy.
When the attack takes place, the leaders of the nations watching apparently will only send a weak diplomatic note of protest. It sounds very much like the weakness we see now in the American government and in that of the EU and others.
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38: 13)
At the moment, because of the Biden administration going into green insanity by shutting down America’s oil-producing industry, Russia has gained greatly in the producing and selling of petroleum and natural gas. Nations of Europe, in particular, are in a critical juncture regarding having natural gas to fuel its needs. Russia is providing the natural gas needed to supply needs in the UK and other nations.
But now, the little Jewish state, Israel, doesn’t look so diminutive in terms of nation-states. They have found and harnessed massive gas reserves and petroleum reserves. The following story gives some details.
Today, Israel’s gas reserves are so rich that they can supply not only Israel, but Europe as well. And that’s precisely what happened on Wednesday when Israel, and the European Union signed a natural gas agreement. The agreement was forged in Cairo as Egypt as the gas will flow via Egypt’s pipelines. Signing this trilateral agreement is Europe’s solution for replacing the Russian gas imports it has relied on for decades.
Western Europe is trying to distance itself from Russia including economic boycotts. This phenomenon provided Israel with a rare opportunity to provide natural gas once provided by the Kremlin.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission said in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem on Tuesday: “With the beginning of this war and the attempt of Russia to blackmail us through energy, by deliberately cutting off the energy supplies, we decided to cut off and to get rid of the dependency on Russian fossil fuels, and to move away from Russia and diversify to trustworthy suppliers,” adding that “It is an outstanding step bringing our energy cooperation to the next level.” (“Israel to supply natural gas to Europe and its connection to a blessing from Deuteronomy,” by David Sidman, Israel 365news 2021 June 16, 2022)
God’s Word says He will put hooks in the jaws of the leader of the attacking coalition. It is more than proper, I think, to wonder if Israel’s great oil and gas reserves might be the bait the Lord will use in hooking this evil leader in, bringing Gog’s forces down to be all but totally destroyed on the mountains of Israel.
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