THINGS ON THE NEAR HORIZON

THINGS ON THE NEAR HORIZON

                Even as we speak President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Pr. Erdogan of Turkey and Pr. Hasan Rahani of Iran are meeting to determine what will happen in Syria now that America is pulling out of the region. This coalition, along with Ethiopia, Put and Libya and others make up the group of nations spoken of in Ezekiel 38, 39 that will come against Israel in the last days. This war is known as the Gog of Magog war. It will be conducted at first by the surrounding nations of Israel but will eventually involve the entire world.

                The “Hook in the Jaw” spoken of in Ez. 38:4 may well be oil. As oil wells in Saudi Arabia dry up the nations are fighting over the oil in Syria, but now, as if just in time for last day events, one of the largest oil field in the world has been discovered in Israel. Hmmm.

                There are many opinions as to when the Gog Magog war must be fought. Some say it happened in the past, but that can’t be, because Ezekiel says that God will bring these nations against Israel in the last days when Israel is dwelling in security. This could be any time now, or it could be at a time when the antichrist as confirmed a covenant of peace with Israel for 7 years.

                Some say that it comes only at the end of the millennium, but that doesn’t seem likely either because the final war is the battle of Armageddon which Jesus will bring to an end at His second coming which occurs before the millennium. Many believe that the Magog war is either a part of Armageddon or will lead into it.

                Some deliberately misplace the Magog war because the situation in Israel at that time doesn’t match with their replacement theology.

                At the end of Ez. 39 God says that the people of the world will know that He is the God of Israel who sent them into exile among the nations and then gathered them back into their own land and he will never leave them again.

                These are things about which we should not be dogmatic, but we can watch events unfolding and as they unfold the scriptures will be unsealed. After all Jesus told us that He has given us these events in advance so that WHEN THEY COME TO PASS we will recognize them.

                When the disciples asked Jesus saying: “Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?” Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t worry about it. Just trust in Me and it will all work out.” Instead He started by saying: “See to it that no one misleads you.” And then He gave a long list of signs to watch for that would lead up to His coming.

                Of course our trust is in Him. That is number one. But Jesus has given us these signs of His coming so that we who live in the last days will understand and cooperate with Him in the harvest… as well as being ready to meet Him as a Bride adorned for her Husband.

                Bible prophecy is important because time has an arrow and that arrow points to the return of our Messiah. When we stop studying Bible prophecy we lose our sense of direction and become complacent and self-centered and living for the moment. We need the arrow of time so that we are always preparing to meet the Lord in the air.

                Often people will say to me, “I don’t need to study Bible prophecy, I’m just going to trust in Jesus and let the chips fall where they will. To me this shows a great deal of disrespect as to why Jesus gave us Bible prophecy in the first place. Is the Bible just full of empty words and promises? Are the prophecies there only for Bible games?

                If you gave someone directions to your home which they then threw in the waste basket saying they were just going to head out and believe that they would eventually make it there, would you have confidence that they would be there in time for lunch? How many hours would you wait as you watched the food get cold?

                The marriage supper of the Lamb is something like that. Some were ready and some were not and the consequences were severe.

                We may stumble and fall a few times, maybe even read the map wrong a time or two, but if we stick with it, we will learn more and more as the day draws near. And if we combine our study of the map with the oil of the Holy Spirit and faith in God, He will get us to the finish line, for He is able to keep us from falling and to present us before the throne, blameless and with great joy. Jude 24

                “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” 2 Tim. 1:12b

                “And so we have the prophetic word made more sure to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your heart.” 2 Pet. 1:19.

                NOTE: Bonnie and I will be leaving just a few days for our new home in Tennessee,  so I am cramming a lot of information in at the last minute. We will be off line for a few weeks as we travel and then make our new connections back there. If you would like access to all that I have written over the past 6 months or so, you can go to my blog at:

bibleprophecybyricklange.blogspot.com

                We love you all and pray for you as we hope you will pray for us. Remember that we live in a small envelope of time. It is rushing to an end and then we will be friends for eternity. God bless you all.

P.S. I forgot to mention that prophecy teachers are saying that the signing of the 7 year covenant with Israel, the arrival of the Antichrist and the building of the third temple also loom on the near horizon. Negotiations are in progress even now.