THE MAGOG INVASION

THE MAGOG INVASION

                QUESTION: Is the Magog invasion spoken of by Ezekiel past or future?

                ANSWER: the answer is yes.

                We know that the Ottoman Empire was defeated and wiped out a hundred years or so back and it was considered to be a major fulfillment of Bible prophecy for those who were living at that time. It was one of the proofs that we were in the end of days back then. In fact there was a blood moon and a meteor shower (stars falling) and what they called a “Dark Day” Known now to be a total eclipse of the sun. This all happened in the mid- 1800s and these things along with other signs stirred up a lot of excitement about the soon coming of Jesus.

                The Jewish sages say that prophecy is pattern and these patterns repeat over and over again throughout history. The biblical teaching is that these patterns, like birth pangs repeat over and over again while increasing in frequency and intensity until the final end time fulfillment takes place. Another repeat of this pattern would be in 1967 at the 6 day war. A bunch of surrounding nations tried to wipe out Israel in its infancy, but God intervened and miraculously defeated the grossly outnumbered enemy not only driving them off, but actually gaining more territory and taking possession of Jerusalem.

                So has the Magog invasion been fulfilled? Yes, at least in part, but not in its final form for Ezekiel gives us many details that will be fulfilled only in the last days. If anything, the Magog invasion may well trigger or be an opening part of the great Battle of Armageddon.

                As an example of repeated fulfillments, Daniel’s prophecy of the abomination of desolation was fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes about 130 years before Christ and yet Yeshua gave it as a future event pertaining to the end of time in Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14 and Luke 21:20.

                Some say that this abomination prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and certainly Jerusalem was left desolate for nearly 2000 years, but the abomination of desolation is a specific act of a man entering the temple and declaring himself to be God thus committing blaspheme in the Holy of Holies. Such an event can only take place in a Jewish temple and therefore the temple has to be here in the last days to fulfill this and many other end time prophecies.

                As for the repeating of the Magog war, many do not realize it but President Erdogan of Turkey is presently forming a new Caliphate and he is seeking to restore the Ottoman Empire and at the same time he is calling for a 5 million man Muslim army to overrun Israel from the north, south, east and the west. This coming war can happen very quickly and the coalition of nations that Erdogan is putting together would fulfill all of the specifications for the final Magog war.

                A careful reading of Ezekiel’s prophecy in chapter 38 gives us some very specific clues that cannot be mistaken. First of all God says that He will put a hook in their jaw and bring them out of the remote north as a great army against Israel. And all of the nations mentioned in their ancient terms have their origins in Russia, Turkey, Persia (Iran) and Ethiopia and Put in Northern Africa and many others with them. Well, these are the very Islamic nations from which terrorism and hatred of Israel is coming right now.

                But listen carefully to the description of Israel at the time of this coming invasion in verses 8, 9:

1.        AFTER MANY DAYS you will be SUMMONED; IN THE LATTER YEARS (The last days)

2.       You will come into a land THAT HAS BEEN RESTORED FROM THE SWORD

3.       Whose inhabitants have been GATHERED FROM MANY NATIONS (Not from Babylon but from many nations.)

4.       TO THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL

5.       WHICH HAVE BEEN A CONTUNUAL WASTE (Having been laid waste for nearly 2000 years)

6.       BUT ITS PEOPLE WERE BROUGHT OUT FROM THE NATIONS (Not Babylon, but many nations)

7.       AND THEY ARE LIVING SECURELY ALL OF THEM. (In spite of all the threats, Israel is a very safe place to visit. They also now live in a land of un-walled villages. Vs. 11

8.       And you will go up like a storm

9.       You will be like a cloud to cover the land (think Erdogan’s 5 million man army)

10.   But God says that in His zeal and blazing wrath ON THAT DAY there will be a GREAT EARTHQUAKE in the land of Israel. (There are several earthquakes mentioned in the book of Revelation: One at the seventh seal. Rev. 8:5; One at the resurrection of the two witnesses. Rev. 11:13 One at the revealing of the Ark of the Covenant in heaven. Rev 11:19 and one final global earthquake in which every city and every wall fell at the destruction of Babylon. Rev. 16:18-21.

11.   It also says in verse 15 that Gog will come out of his place in the remote north. (some say Russia and some say Turkey. Both are north of Israel and either could fulfill this prophecy or maybe both of them together will fulfill it. Certainly all of the surrounding nations are desperate for oil     and willing to fight for it. We know for instance that Turkey was buying stolen oil from ISIS in Syria and that Russia, in order to maintain super power status must also have lots of oil. They too are fighting for oil in Syria right now. Israel’s newfound oil cache will undoubtedly become a plum to fight over in this coming Magog war.

                The prophecies of the Bible are absolute and they will happen even as they have happened in the past. We can depend upon God to fulfill His Word to the letter. But we should never be married to our interpretation of His Word. We should especially not be married to denominational interpretations of prophecy that were made before Israel came back into their land.

                When people scoff saying that this prophetic understanding or that one is new, what they are saying in many cases is that they already have their interpretation of prophecy and they are no longer willing to watch and pray and to see how these things unfold as Jesus instructed us to do. They are saying that they formed their opinions before Israel came back into their own land as God promised and therefore there can be no meaning to Israel’s existence in our day.

                Just as a hint to Adventists, Ellen White said that in the last days men of God, buy studying the books of Daniel and Revelation and the Minor Prophets would have major breakthroughs in their understanding. In other words she did not have the full picture then and she left the door open for further discovery to those who would follow after her. The problem with denominational institutions in general is that anyone who is hired by them dares not entertain any alternate ideas, or to expand beyond what is already taught. So, most keep silent to protect their tenure and the church languishes..

                Another clue is that the angel told Daniel that his prophecies would not be unsealed until the very last days when knowledge and travel had increased. Well, things have certainly changed since the 1800s. Knowledge and information is increasing faster than we can even keep up with it and we have the whole world at our fingertips through the internet and various forms of media…and as for travel? We can be anywhere in the world in one day. As opposed to the months or years that it took for news to travel by horseback and steamship in those days

                I want to add here that most of the prophecy teachers and even prophets of our time are humble men and women who don’t claim to have all the answers. They are watchmen who are sounding the alarm that the time is drawing near, but the closer we get the less likely they are to be dogmatic about every detail of their interpretations. We are on a path of discovery that must be matched by our love and passion for Yeshua and our intimate relationship with Him.

                 Good prophetic foundations have been laid in the past from which we all benefit today, but foundations are meant to be built upon, not camped on. The Revelations of God are progressive. It is sort of like the need to know in each generation. It would have done no earthly good for the early church to know that time would last for 2000 years. They lived in the great expectancy of seeing Jesus return in their own day and likewise it has been for every generation since then.

                Some may think this to be cruel of God to keep us expecting His return for 2000 years, but look at it this way: Time has always been short. We only have a lifespan of 70 or 80 years and certainly we can die much younger than that. What would be the condition of our souls if we did not live in expectation of seeing Him face to face? The church would have died hundreds or thousands of years ago. No missionaries would have been sent out and the Gospel of the Kingdom would not have been preached to the world.

                Just like generations past we look around and we see patterns forming that point to the last days, but we also see a situation forming in the world that shows a final maturing… an increase in intensity and frequency and scope that makes us believe that we have reached the time of the final birth.

                So when a tetrad of blood moons occurs all on God’s feast days,(Think Joel 2:28-32) and the star of Bethlehem shows up for the first time in 2000 years, and a total eclipse of the sun blazes a path across the world and the sign of the virgin giving birth as described perfectly in Revelation 12 appears in conjunction with a feast day... as we see the exact nations gathering on the borders of Israel… as we remember Jesus words that the generation that saw the fig tree (Israel) blossom will be the generation to sees His return… as we find ourselves at the 70^th year since Israel became a nation… as we see all of nature in upheaval and millions of animals on land and sea dying… as we see weather patterns changing and becoming more destructive…as we see a major increase in earthquakes and volcanoes… and sin once again reaching the point of Sodom and Gomorrah…As we see genetic manipulations taking place as in the days of Noah… as we see demonic activity and Satan worship and Idol worship taking center stage… as we watch the formation of the global government of the antichrist … as we see Protestant churches falling away and going back to Rome… as we see the religions of the world joining together as if all pathways are equal to salvation through Jesus Christ the Son of God…as we see the push for doing away with national sovereignty to join the global community…as we see the imminent approach of the cashless society that will facilitate the Mark of the Beast system... as we see them pushing to take our guns away, something our forefathers put in place to protect us from tyrannical governments…as we see a great falling away from the faith at the same time as there is also a great influx of new Christians coming to salvation… as we see angels doing the work that we should have done by giving visions and dreams to Muslims and Jews and Gentiles telling them that Jesus Christ is the One they have been looking for… As we see a blossoming interest in Bible Prophecy among those who are seeking for revival and reformation… as prophecy students begin to put together the missing pieces and to understand Israel’s role in last day prophetic events…Well, the list could go on and on; but the prophecy teachers are looking bug-eyed at the facts and they are now exclaiming…”This could be it folks! So we need to lift up our heads for indeed our redemption is drawing nigh.

                When major changes came to America in the 1960s and 70s, as the push started to drive God and His Word and His Law out of our land and laws were passed in defiance of God, it caused quite an apocalyptic stir and Bible prophecy came to life… but now that all of these changes have matured into national apostasy leading to national ruin, the church has become largely silent… gun shy… politically correct… unwilling to take a stand on prophetic issues any longer… many hide in their churches crying out for feel good sermons and a watered down gospel.

                Where are God’s Remnant people? Where are the watchmen? Where are those who are willing to make a stand for Jesus Christ and His Word? Do we have to wait for a future generation?

                God is calling us back to the fire of the first church…the first love… the passion of a risen and soon returning Savior… the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire that Jesus sent to us at that first day of Pentecost. He is calling forth His Remnant people who keep the commandments of God and who hold to the testimony of Jesus to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might… to put on the full armor of God so that we may be able to resist the evil day and having done everything to stand firm.” Eph. 6:10, 13.

                The first church was made up of Messianic Jews and a gentile church that was being grafted in. Later on Christianity was bastardized and combined with paganism and we have been on a sixteen hundred year march out of that Babylonian system. But here in the end, many are falling back to that from which they came… joining forces to welcome in the antichrist. Can we really be silent? Can we really be complacent? Can we really be casual about the Gospel of the Kingdom?

                We don’t come into the kingdom by conversion. We come in by death and resurrection… a new birth… a new spirit…citizens of a new kingdom,  we become temples of the Holy Spirit… ambassadors of Jesus Christ to a dark and dying world. It’s time to let our lights shine… to take a stand. We can no longer afford to argue about our theories as they are on paper. We are now in the middle of the real thing and the strategies of war look much different from the foxhole…from the battlefield.

                It is time to arise and shine for our light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us!