Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Jesus said in the previous verse, v15, behold I come as a thief and Armageddon occurs at the end of the tribulation thus it must be at the end or after the tribulation when Christ comes to gather His church.

Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty and earthquake, and so great.

So great will this earthquake be that v19 says that the cities of the nations fell. This is a match to the earthquake described in Zech 14:4.

Zech 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

This scripture tells us what will happen when Christ returns to stand on the Mount of Olives where He was on the day He ascended. Here we have added that when His feet touch the Mount of Olives, it will split in half. This in turn will cause a great earthquake. The Mount of Olives is still whole thus this prophesied earthquake has not happened yet.

Zech 14:10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and [from] the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.

The distance between the towns known as Geba and Rimmon was 40 miles. This distance stradling Jerusalem on top of a mountain range. This is describing a major change in topography, with the Mt. of Olives splitting and 40 miles on the top of the mountains becoming a level plain.

There is a natural earthquake fault which runs 40,000 miles around the world. A description of this fault has appeared in the National Geographic Magazine from time to time. This fault runs down the west coast of North America, from Alaska down past California. It goes out across the Pacific Ocean, forming an upside down "Y" in the Indian Ocean, then goes up the Red Sea Valley, a leg of it goes down into Africa. A finger of it goes up into the Holy Land under Jerusalem and the Mt. of Olives.

Geologists are concerned about major earthquake activity on this fault line in two places. One of them is California and the other is the Holy Lands in the area of Jerusalem and Mt. of Olives.

Thus we find that the earthquake that will occur when the feet of Jesus Christ touches the Mt. of Olives; there will be an earthquake which will be felt all around the world. This in turn matches the one described in Ezekiel 38.

Ezek 38:19 For in my jealousy [and] in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

Not only does Ezekiel describe a great earthquake connected with Divine intervention in a battle in Israel, but he also describes the effects of it is such a way that we are told that it will be felt all around the world. The fist of the sea, birds of heaven, and all men on the face of the earth shall shake at His presence.

Ezek 38:20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that [are] upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

God is going to send an earthquake so mighty that not only will all life on the earth feel it, but the mountains shall be thrown down, steep places shall fall and every wall shall fall to the ground. This is the description of the end of our modern industrialized society. It will not be nuclear weapons that do this but rather the presence of God which will cause the mountains to be thrown down, steep places to fall, and every wall will fall to the ground.

Isa 2:10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.

Why are they being told to hide in the rocks and caves? Because the earthquake is going to topple the buildings that men would otherwise hide in.

Isa 2:17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

In that day, mankind will be humbled and only God will be made great in the eyes of all mankind.

Isa 2:18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

The various aspects of our technology is an idol to many people. the cities, the buildings, stock market, high paid jobs are all idols. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Ezek 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

Scripture does not reveal any opposing army attacking the invaders. Rather, it will be God Himself by supernatural actions that will destroy the army invading Israel.

Isa 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

This is the description of a world wide earthquake. As a result of this earthquake there will no longer be any buildings left to hide in.

Isa 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

The earthquake which will destroy most of the earth's surface and all of the man made structures like buildings and bridges will be a judgment from God over the entire face of the earth.

Isa 24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

This disaster will be climaxed by the second coming of Christ and the bringing in of His Kingdom of righteousness and peace.

Ezek 38:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

The earlier part of Ezek 38 contains more information about the battle which will occur when the Lord returns to fight as He fought in the day of battle. It also contains information about the nations which will be involved in the battle.

Ezek 38:2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

This prophecy concerns the latter days. (See v16) These titles must relate to modern nations but as the tiles were familiar to the prophet Ezekiel 2500 years ago. It is necessary to turn to the records of history to identify them. The Jewish historian Josephus in the first century wrote that Magog relates to the ancient Scythians.

Ezek 38:2 ... the land of Magog, ...

Arabian and Syrian writers called the Scythians or Tarters by the name Magog. The Magogites occupied the territory of Germany, or Central Europe, which can be identified as "the land of Magog."

Ezek 38:2 ... the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

The Hebrew work that is translated chief prince is Ros which is one of the oldest forms from which the word Russia comes from. Thus the chief prince of Rosh is indicating Russia. Rosh is the oldest name for Russia and dates back to 700 AD. Meshech is the oldest form of Muscovy, from which came Moscow. Tubal relates to the Tiberians, who gave their name to Tobolski, the capital of Siberia.

While the name Russia does not appear in the Bible, this detailed description of the leader of the invasion of Israel clearly fits Russia. Thus the one for us to watch is Russia. She has had an apparent conversion to democracy, but as she returns to her former style of government, we can see one more sign of the nearness of the return of Christ. It is of especial interest that she is now trying to negotiate between Israel and the Palestinians which are positioning her to invade Israel later.

Ezek 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

Here Russia is being told that when the battle is engaged, she will not only be fighting with Israel, the apple of His eye, but also with God Himself.

Ezek 38:4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

In Ezekiel's day it was quite common to lead your captives about with hooks in their jaws. Thus the prophet is telling us that Russia will be responding to a call from God which is described as hard to ignore as having hooks in your jaw would be.

Ezek 38:4 ... all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

The weapons mentioned here were well known in Ezekiel's day but the weapons we are now familiar with would not have made any sense to those living when this prophecy was given. It still applies to now; just the weapons will be different.

Ezek 39:2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

While we have been told that God will bring the army of Russia forth, here we are told that 1/6 will be left at home to maintain control of her population and for protection of the home land.

Modern Russia maintains an armed force of close to six million. This means that she will leave about one million at home on that day. She will personally be bringing an armed force of about five million along with various weapons in her arsenal. There will be tanks, attack helicopters, jet fighters and bombers along with cruise missiles, navy ships and army ground forces. However there will also be other armies with her.

Ezek 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

Ethiopia and Libya are still known by the same name today. The nation Ezekiel knew as Persia is currently known as Iran and Iraq. All of these countries are very hostile towards Israel and will be willing to join with Russia in a battle there. Israel is the fourth greatest military power on the face of the earth today. There is no way the Arabs could defeat Israel by themselves. Sot hey will enter into an agreement with Russia, who will be more than willing to share military organization, know how and weapons with them.

Ezek 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; ...

Gomer is identified back in Gen 10:2-3. He is the ancestor of the ancient Galatians and Phrygians, from which came the Gauls and Celts in Northern Europe. In latter times they became known as the Germans, French, Welsh, Irish, Britians and various Anglo-Saxon races.

Thus we could expect to see Europe joining with Russia to do battle against Israel and Jerusalem. It is of interest that Russia is now allowed to participate in NATO. All that is necessary is for the USA to withdraw and she would be able to take over full control of it.

Ezek 38:6 ... the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee.

The house of Togarmah has been identified with Turkey just to the north of Israel. Moscow is on a Meridian due North of Jerusalem and you cannot get any further North than Russia.

Ezek 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

These points to Russia taking control of NATO, "Be a guard for them." This will be possible because of the size of Russia's armed forces and nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union currently seems to have collapsed and is no longer viewed as a threat. However Russia is currently in the process of returning to a dictatorship which will have a different name than it had before.

Ezek 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land [that is] brought back from the sword, [and is] gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

Here we read of the restoration that will occur in the latter years and that the Jewish people will be brought back from many nations. The modern state of Israel is composed of Jews who have returned from over 100 nations. We are now living in the latter years in Bible prophecy. They have fought four wars to win back the land they now occupy.

Ezek 38:8 ... against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: ...

Until the end of the nninetheenth century, the land of Israel was known as Palestine. It was a neglected portion of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The impoverished population huddled in decaying villages and was surrounded by barren countryside. There was a Turkish tax on tress which led to the systematic denuding of the land.

It was to this land of "continual waste" that succeeding waves of Jewish immigration came. They cleared the fields and established new cities. Since then more than fifty million trees have been planed to restore forests to the hills of Judea and Galilee.

Ezek 38:8 ... and they shall dwell safely all of them.

Israel now dwells in relative safety without bars or gates but she still needs to work out a peace treaty with the Arabs before she can truly be considered to be dwelling in safety.

The most pressing problem facing the modern state of Israel is the on going Arab demands for a separate, non-Jewish Palestinian state in the midst of the land of Israel. This issue has become increasingly more contentious since the six-day war in 1967. Since then for the first time in 19 centuries, the whole land of Israel has been united under Jewish control.

Ezek 38:9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

With Russia's armed forces being close to 5 million and all the other nations joining 3 to 5 million more in the invasion, they will seem like a cloud covering the land when they enter the relatively small in size country of Israel.

Ezek 38:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, [that] at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

Russia will not see the hook God places in her jaw. She will not see the hand of God. She will come because her economy is very weak. The rich oil reserves she has are located in remote areas and are hard to access. She also needs a warm water seaport to access the Mediterranean Sea. Currently she ships through the Black Sea. Then she goes through the narrow Bosporus, Sea of Marmora and the Aegean, then into the Mediterranean Sea.

Ezek 38:10 ... at the same time shall things come into thy mind, ...

Russia is already friendly with the Arab countries and helped them in all four wars that they have already fought with Israel. Russia has long desired the control of the Mid-East for its geographic location between three continents along with the oil supplies located there. When the Islamic nations which despise Israel, join with Russia, they will greatly benefit from the strength of Russia's armed forces, the Islamic nations have oil and cold, hard cash. This will benefit Russia's needs.

Ezek 38:10 ... and thou shalt think an evil thought:

Russia will say to the Islamic nations, "You want the temple mount and Jerusalem as a holy site. We want access to a year long warm water port. Let's join forces." Together they will make a treaty guaranteeing mutual support, merge resources and launch a military invasion of Israel. This will be patterned after the ones America launched against Iraq. There will be some major differences; America only wanted Iraq to retreat from Kuwait back to her own borders. In contrast Russia's battle plan will be the destruction of Israel.

Ezek 38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

It was unheard of in Ezekiel's day for a major city to be without walls, bars and gates. Today's weapons make them of no effect in protecting a city from attack. Even so the description is of dwelling in peace and safety. Once an agreement is worked out with the Arabs, Israel will be feeling that they are dwelling in safety. The Arabs on the other hand will still desire to destroy Israel and take over the whole land for themselves.

Ezek 38:12 to take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places [that are now] inhabited, and upon the people [that are] gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

The people of Israel have returned from many nations and have worked hard to turn the desert into a garden. They have also worked hard to make their country prosperous. Thus it is now a tempting prize for Russia.

Ezek 38:13 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?

Sheba and Dedan were located on what we now know as the Arab oil producing states. They will be nervous about the large army entering the area they will realize that part of the spoil could literally be their oil fields. For that reason even though they really do not like Israel, they too will have their representatives in the UN speak their protest and ask questions regarding the purpose of the invasion when it occurs.

Ezek 38:13 ... the merchants of Tarshish, ...

The merchants of Tarshish have long been viewed by Bible prophecy students as being Great Britain, who has long been a naval mercantile power much as Tarshish was in Ezekiel's day. The actual location of biblical Tarshish is uncertain. The few references to it is in the Hebrew bible indicate that it was an important maritime city. At the close of the nineteenth century, it was Great Britain who then ruled the high seas and freely exercised its will over its vast empire. Thus many view Tarshish as a latter day reference to England.

Ezek 38:13 ... with all the young lions thereof, ...

The lion is a symbol of the British Empire. The young lions refer to the colonies or former colonies of the British Empire. This would include the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Here we are being told that English speaking countries will not stop the invasion.

Ezek 38:13 ... 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?

Their challenge in the UN will be, "Have you come to take spoil?" There will be a challenge or complaint only about what they are doing but no direct threat or action to try to stop the invasion of Israel when it occurs.

Ezek 38:14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know [it]?

This is anther reference to Israel dwelling safely and when it happens, when Israel dwells safely, it will be a sign of the nearness of these events and the return of Christ. When Israel manages to get a signed peace treaty with the Arabs and breathes a sigh of relief, the end is near.

Ezek 38:15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

You will come out of your place in the far North. This is another identification of Russia. Moscow is on a meridian due north of Jerusalem and there is no other country farther north of it. Ezekiel says horses in his vision as that was what he was familiar with. The reference to riding refers to the modern armies that are mobile and no longer depend upon foot soldiers walking into battle.

Ezek 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

The battle will be similar to the Exodus from Egypt. Israel will face overwhelming odds, yet God will grant her victory. The defeat of Gog will glorify God before Israel and the world. God is going to supernaturally neutralize the enemies of Israel and destroy them that His name might be glorified. Through this miraculous deliverance the hearts of the Jewish people will once again turn back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Ezek 38:17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; [Art] thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days [many] years that I would bring thee against them?

This is telling us that this is not an isolated prophecy. It should be linked to other prophecies. We should look for this event to be spoken about in other prophecies about the end time or the end days or the day of the Lord.

Last modified on Friday, September 2, 2005

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