BACKGROUND EVENTS
The city of Jerusalem had been conquered in 587 B.C. by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and the majority of it's population had been deported to far-off Babylon as prisoners, including Ezekiel, a common practice of the time. The purposes of such deportation served several ends, namely to depopulate the conquered city as a punishment, hold it's citizens hostage to prevent future rebellion, bring the skilled people of the city into the conquering country so they might enrich the conqueror's culture, and to populate the royal court with conquered nobles as advisors and courtiers. (Daniel became chief governor of Babylon, and second only to Nebuchadnezzar in power. )
Daniel 2:48
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him
ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of
Babylon.
Ezekiel's age is unknown when he began his prophecy in Babylon, but his prophetic ministry seems to have lasted about 27 years.
Ezekiel 29:17
17 And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of
the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
During this time he prophesied of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of the nations of Egypt; Moab; Ammon;
Edom; the Phoenician city-state of Tyre; the total annihilation of the nation of the Philistines; and the
final siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar at God's command after puppet king
Jehoiachin's rebellion.
It was during this time that Ezekiel made his famous end-time prophecy concerning World War III, in
which a tremendous coalition army from the north consisting of Russian troops and forces from
Islamic-ruled countries will sweep down against Israel, and will be destroyed by God. This prophecy
has never been fulfilled in history up to this point, so it is still a future event. But not a very distant
future........
Chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel lay out the entire attack strategy of the northern forces, and identifies the
key nations whom the Lord will use to bring this event to pass.
EZEKIEL 38: 1-2
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and
Tubal, and prophesy against him,
The name "Gog" refers to the prince or ruler of the land where Magog, Meshech and Tubal, sons of Japheth settled after the Flood.
Genesis 10:2
2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras,
From Ararat in present-day Turkey they moved north into what is now known as Russia and the Ukraine.
Some Bible scholars have equated "Meshech" and "Tubal" with the Russian cities of Moscow and Tobolsk, and while there are similarities in the names, there is no direct evidence to support this.
The descendants of the other sons of Japheth, namely Gomer, Madai and Javan also migrated away
from Ararat, with Gomer settling down in western Turkey, Madai moving into what is present-day Iran
(becoming the ancient Medes), and Javan migrating westward across the Bosporus Strait into the
Greek islands.
EZEKIEL 38: 3-7
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
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 armor, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee.
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.
This is a list of nations that will be allied with the Russians when they are drawn by God to attack Israel.
Persia (Iran); Ethiopia; Libya; Gomer (referred to as Cimmerians by Roman historian Herodotus -
people of eastern Turkey, inhabiting the Taurus mountain region); and Togarmah, equating to
present-day Armenia in northern and western Turkey.
Note that before it's collapse, the Soviet empire was always addressed as a single entity, with all of the
captive nations of the Iron Curtain collectively being known as the "Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics" or the USSR. Here, however, the Lord is addressing the leader of a single nation, namely
Russia (Magog).
By this very fact, the old USSR had to break apart into it's individual nations again for God to address
Russia as a single nation. A new federation is now forming however, with the former Soviet republics
now becoming linked and allied to Russia economically, fulfilling God's words of "many people with
thee".
Ezekiel 38:6
6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands:
[and] many people with thee.
And until recently, Russia had been a "guard" to them under the old Soviet empire, keeping them
captive and under it's protection.
EZEKIEL 38: 8
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.
The biggest indicators that this verse refers to a future time, are that God states that "in the latter years"
these events would happen. While some might try to say that the destruction of Judea by the Roman
general Titus in 70 A.D. might fit this prophecy, the fact that God speaks to Israel as a nation, rather
than Judah (Israel and Judah split after the death of king Solomon. Israel became the Northern
Kingdom, and was completely destroyed as a nation by Sargon II of Assyria in 722 B.C. and never
recovered) indicates otherwise. Also the fact that Israel was never invaded by the confederation of
nations listed in this prophecy also proves that this is an even yet to come.
The ancient northern empires of Assyria and Babylon were clearly known to Israel, and were never
defined as "Magog". The ancient northern city-state empires of Akkad, Ur, Sumer, Mari, Uruk and
Ebla had all risen and fallen before the Exodus, so therefore they also can also be ruled out as
possibilities.
EZEKIEL 38: 9-12
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.
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:
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,
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 most noteworthy thing here, is that Israel will be at peace with it's neighbors, when the confederation forces decide to attack. They will be coming against a land of "unwalled villages" and "having neither bars nor gates". This fits in very well with a recent proposal by the United Nations to make Jerusalem an "international city of peace". The Vatican, seeking legitimacy as the head of Christianity and coveting a position of greater political and religious power, strongly backs this proposal and has been lobbying hard to be the administrator of this city, which would place it in the center of worship for three faiths. It would also take control of Jerusalem away from Israel to whom it rightfully belongs.
The fact the Israel will be at peace is surprising, considering that it has been in a virtual state of war ever
since it's declaration of nationhood in May of 1948. However, most of the nations surrounding Israel
(with the exception of Syria) have made peace with their ancient enemy, and even Syria is moving
slowly toward the peace table.
EZEKIEL 38: 13
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?
This verse indicates the targets of the attacking forces. Ancient Sheba (present day Yemen), Dedan (western Saudi Arabia, bordering the Red Sea) and Tarshish (Phoenician term for "smelters", probably referring to the ancient city of Ezion-geber at the northern end of the Red Sea, where Solomon had his smelters for the copper metal mined in the nearby mountains).
The ancient legendary gold beds of Ophir are also located midway down the western coast of Saudi Arabia.
I Kings 9:28
23 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents,
and brought it to king Solomon. (420 talents = 31,500 pounds or 15.75 tons of gold!)
Verses 11-13 indicate that Russia will be most interested in Saudi Arabia and Israel. Why? Saudi Arabia controls the richest oil fields in the world to date, while tiny Israel is mining the minerals of the Dead Sea, which is rich in potash, used mainly for fertilizers and explosives.
A successful Russian strike into the Middle East would bring the oil fields under their control, would give them unlimited access to the warm-water ports they covet (many of the Russian seaports are ice-locked for up to six months during the winter), and would give them access to the mineral wealth of the Dead Sea.
And shutting off the oil supply from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (with the
cooperation of Iran, Iraq and Libya) would have the rest of the industrialized world on it's knees in
weeks.
This also indicates why the Russians will send a heavily-armed conventional strike force against Israel
and Saudi Arabia as prophesied by Ezekiel. Nuclear strikes would leave the oil fields uninhabitable for
years, and would gain Russia nothing. But taking them with conventional forces while keeping the West
in check with the threat of nuclear attack would be an irresistible win-win situation.
EZEKIEL 38: 14-23
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]?
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:
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.
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?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, [that] my fury shall come up in my face.
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;
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.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that [are] with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
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.
The magnitude of the confederation of forces attacking Israel is given here when God says they will be "like a cloud to cover the land" (vs 16). And again He stresses that this attack will come in the "latter days" (vs 16) , and after "many years" (vs 17), to ensure that there is no mistake as to when this event will occur.
In vs 19, God states that there will be a strong earthquake in Israel, strong enough that all will feel it.
Steep mountainous places will collapse, walls will fall, and even the fish of the sea will feel it. God will
rain upon the attacking forces fire, torrential rain and great hailstones, to the effect that the
panic-stricken armies will kill each other.
How could this type of event occur? A geological map of the Middle East shows that there is a long
fault line, called the Anatolian Fault that starts from under the Red Sea, runs northward through the
Jordan Valley in Israel, through the El Bekaa valley in Lebanon and Syria, and then dives under Turkey,
continuing into central Russia. That there have been earthquakes in this area is well-recorded in the
Scriptures...
I Kings 19:11
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And behold, the lord
passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks
before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but
the LORD was not in the earthquake:
Amos 1:1
1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel
in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of
Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Matthew 27:54
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake,
and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Matthew 28:2
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from
heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
Acts 16:26
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
...and continues even to this day.
It is noteworthy that a number of the nations bordering the fault are major oil-producers. They have
been pumping oil from deep underground for over 50 years now, and they have put nothing back in
to replace it! Rock strata bordering the fault line that has been supported by oil beds since the Flood
no longer has that support and must be under tremendous strain by now.
Next, it is a known fact that shortly after a nuclear blast there is usually a heavy rain storm, because the
blast compresses and violently disturbs the upper air layers of the atmosphere. The shock wave causes
immediate condensation of atmospheric moisture into droplets which fall as rain. Some of the rain
pushed into the upper atmosphere by violent updrafts from the blast could subsequently freeze and
come down as hail.
Finally, the eastward-blowing winds from the Mediterranean drop most of their moisture on the western
side of the Lebanese mountains, leaving the El Bekaa valley to the east fairly arid. A nuclear blast in the
valley would create an updraft that would draw these winds high over the valley before they had a
chance to drop their moisture. This would result in a violent rain storm in the valley and as the blast
pushed the moisture high into the upper atmosphere, would create a heavy hail storm. Thus God
describes what could be the results of a nuclear detonation upon or just above the attacking forces.
And what better way to set off a fault, than to drop a nuclear weapon on it?
We need to consider a few things at this point. Israel will be attacked by a massive Russian-led confederation of forces bent on taking the whole Middle East. What of the United States? Is this country mentioned in prophecy anywhere concerning this event?
Actually it is the absence of the United States in prophecy that is significant. Far too many people try to twist Scripture to indicate that the United States is mentioned in prophecy, when it is not mentioned at all. Why? Mainly for the reason that only nations that have directly affected Israel as a nation in one way or another have mention in Scripture.
Rome, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Moab, Philistia (the Philistines), Syria, Egypt, Ammon, Persia, Greece, Edom, Amalek, and Hatti (the Hittites) have all affected Israel, usually for the worse. Why aren't Germany, Poland, Ukraine, or other later nations which have slaughtered whole Jewish communities wholesale in the past been mentioned? Because Israel was not a nation during that time.
The above-named civilizations directly affected Israel as a nation, and when Israel was destroyed by
the Romans in 70 A.D., Scripture became silent as to the nations that have persecuted the Jews for
1,878 years until Israel was once again resurrected as a nation.
Now, back to the issue of the United States. Granted, Israel is again a nation but we have had really
little effect on them as a whole. However, when the prophesied Russian-led forces come against Israel,
we cannot allow them to accomplish their goal. The next chapter will bring this issue into greater focus.
EZEKIEL 39: 1-6
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
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:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that [is] with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and [to] the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.
6 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.
Here is the crux of the entire prophecy, and the role of the United States. First, God states that he will
bring 5/6 of the Russian army against Israel, and will proceed to destroy them all at once. And verse 6
says that God will send fire on Magog (Russia), and on them that dwell carelessly in the isles.
Russia will be making a go-for-broke power play in this prophecy. Ostensibly it seems like they cannot lose, for they will be conquering the entire Middle East, and keeping the West in check with the threat of nuclear war. However, God intervenes and destroys the Russian forces.
The role of the United States is to be destroyed as a nation, along with Russia. And here is where the
list of countries that will be attacking with the Russians becomes significant.
When war between the United States and Russia breaks out, the United States Naval Third Fleet will
be assigned to engage Russian naval and air force units moving out of the Black Sea into the
Mediterranean Sea. Note that Turkey controls both sides of the Straits of the Dardanelles, which is the
only outlet for the Black Sea fleet to pass. Thus it is vital that Turkey be allied with Russia during the
war as prophesied by Ezekiel. The Seventh Fleet will be tasked with engaging Russian naval and air
forces in the Pacific Ocean, and the rest of our naval and air force units will be used for designated
strikes and coastal defense.
When the Russian coalition forces are destroyed, Russia, rather than face the humiliation of having to
surrender to the United States, or perhaps blaming the destruction of their forces on the United States,
will launch a nuclear strike at our country. We will retaliate, and the resulting nuclear exchange will
destroy both nations.
During the 'cold war', Russia and the United States kept each other in check by the concept of MAD,
or Mutual Assured Destruction. In other words, no one would win if a nuclear exchange occurred.
Given the amount of nuclear weapons that both nations still possess, this concept is still valid. Thus God
will rain fire on Magog (Russia) and on them that dwell carelessly in the isles (the United States), as
prophesied in verse 6.
How do we know that we are the ones described as "dwelling carelessly in the isles"? Simple. We have
no enemies anywhere on our continent. Our very isolation as a continent causes us to live without worry
of attack from our neighbors. Thus we "dwell carelessly in the isles", and there is no other nation on
earth at present with the power to bring the kind of destruction described by Ezekiel to the Russian
forces and homeland. And they in turn, have the same capability of wreaking havoc on our country.
What about Europe and NATO? Unfortunately Europe will declare neutrality when the war starts. The
books of Daniel and Revelation state that Europe will be the power base of the Empire of the
Antichrist. Three of the 10 nations of the Common Market will resist him and he will be take them by
force. I suspect these three nations will try to support the United States at the beginning of the war, but
will have their governmental leaders overthrown by the forces of the Antichrist and puppet rulers will be
set up in their places. Note carefully what I am saying here. The Antichrist will be in power or in a
position to take power when WW III begins. (For more information on this concept, please see the
rest of the End Times studies in this Web site.)
EZEKIEL 39: 7-10
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not [let them] pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this [is] the day whereof I have spoken.
9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down [any] out of the forests;
for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob
those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.
God will use the war to glorify Himself, to show that military might is nothing to His mighty power. And
on that day, all Israel and the surrounding nations will know that this has been God's judgement on the
United States and Russia. And the resulting radiation and diseases generated by this horrifying war will
generate many of the plagues described in the book of Revelation.
How will Israel be able to burn the weapons for seven years? Scholars have puzzled over this one for a
long time. But apparently a Dutch scientist defected to the Soviet Union shortly after WW II, taking
with him the secret of compressing wood to the consistency of stone. Known as 'lignostone' this wood
has the consistency of stone, and burns hotter and longer than anthracite coal. This substance would be
wonderful as personal body-armor, and would be lighter, less expensive, and more resilient than steel
as a armor for vehicles. And in an interesting conjecture, if a neutron nuclear weapon were dropped on
the advancing Russian forces, it would kill virtually all of the men, but leave the weapons intact.
EZEKIEL 39: 11-16
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the [noses] of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call [it] The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury [them]; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers [that] pass through the land, when [any] seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16 And also the name of the city [shall be] Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
The 'valley of the passengers, east of the sea' apparently refers to either the northern Jordan valley, or
the El Bekaa valley in southern Lebanon. In other words, the attackers will be buried where they fall, in
a valley east of the Mediterranean Sea. And the number of the fallen will be so great that it will take
seven months for Israel to bury them! And until the dead are buried there will be a stench in the land
until the land is cleansed.
EZEKIEL 39: 17-20
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, [even] a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all
men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
As a final humiliation of the attacking forces, God will allow all the birds in the area to feast on the dead
bodies. This may also help in the cleansing of the land.
EZEKIEL 39: 21-29
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I [am] the LORD their God from that day and forward.
23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made [them] afraid.
27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
28 Then shall they know that I [am] the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the
house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
This event is not as far away as we'd like to think. In 1997 the Lord told me, "Ten years are given for
your country, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."
Those of you who know your Bible will recognize the reference to the Amorites as being the quote that
God gave to Abraham concerning the residents of Canaan. God has compared this country to the
Canaanites whom the children of Israel destroyed because of their abominations.
He also said, "I will destroy this country with a destruction so great that all who hear of it will tremble."
The abominations of this country have reached the point of where God will destroy us as an example to
others who turn away from Him.
He said, "This was once a nation founded on righteousness, but now is full of iniquity. And I will destroy
the righteous with the wicked in it."
Why will God destroy the righteous with the wicked? The righteous deplore what is happening in this
country, but do little to try to change it. Our churches are asleep for the most part, religious leaders are
more interested in soliciting money than preaching the gospel; ministers soft-soap the Scriptures,
avoiding controversial issues such as Hell and judgement for fear of offending their members, to name a
few reasons why this will happen.
Corruption in politics, increasing obscene language and blatant sex in movies and television shows,
obscene lyrics in music, an overloaded and increasing legalistic justice system all are indicators of the
decaying moral health of this country. As with the recent White House scandal concerning President
Clinton, we seem to need lawyers to define what constitutes "sex". Is it any wonder that God is
disgusted with this country?
Abortion is so commonplace that we hardly notice it now. Do you think that God is going to withhold
His righteous judgement on this country when the blood of millions of innocent babies that He created
and we murdered cries out to Him for vengeance?
God told me a long time ago that a nation begins it's fall from greatness when it starts debasing it's currency. We started putting copper in our silver coins in 1965, and went from the gold standard as a unit of currency to a system based on economic output in that same year.
And today we are the greatest debtor nation in the world, and now even our pennies are made of zinc with a thin coating of copper on them.
He also told me that the beginning of the end of a nation happens when the justice system begins to break down. Our justice system is collapsing under the load of frivolous lawsuits in which people are suing each other for the slightest of reasons, lawyers have thrown away common sense for money, and defendants are using verdicts as springboards for political issues.
Judgement is about to strike this nation as God prepares to pour out His fury upon us in full measure.
We have become an abominable nation in His sight, and his patience with us is about to end. We have
come to trust in our own power as a nation instead of putting our trust in God as the founding fathers
did.
I love this country as much as anyone, and I am saddened by what I see on the news each night. And it
saddens me even further to realize that God feels that this nation cannot be saved, and must be
destroyed as a consequence of our actions. But as you will see in End Times studies II, III, and IV this
must happen for the Scriptures to be fulfilled.
We have until 2007 to prepare for what is to come. By 2004 we should start to see events that will lend credence to what I have shown in this Bible study. And I pray that God will confirm what I have written here in your hearts that you may know the truth of these things.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any [man] deceive you:
6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and shall deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for [such things] must needs be; but the end [shall] not [be] yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these [are] the beginnings of sorrows.
9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when they shall lead [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against [their] parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
13 And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter [therein], to take any thing out of his house:
16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
19 For [in] those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here [is] Christ; or, lo, [he is] there; believe [him] not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, [even] at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
32 But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
In verse 32, Jesus states that even He doesn't know when He is returning, and people understandably claim that He would not give a date for things such as World War III for that very reason.
What Jesus was referring to in that passage, was the date and time for His return in glory to Earth, not to events leading up to that date. Granted, none of us will truly know when He is due to return until the Antichrist signs a 7-year peace treaty with Israel, at which time the prophetic clock begins it's final countdown, as I have denoted in the other End Times studies in this Web site.
He has also referred to His return as a bridegroom coming to take His bride, the Church, to be with Him.
During Jesus' time, when a marriage was made, the groom was given a feast, while the bride waited at her father's house for her husband to come and take her to her new home. She had no idea when her husband would come for her.
Also, the groom had no idea when he could go and get his bride, for he had to wait for the father of the bride to give his permission to go get her.
The same with Jesus. He is the bridegroom, His church is the bride. He cannot come for His church until His Father gives Him permission, and just as the groom in a wedding had no idea when he could get his bride, Jesus has no idea when he can come for His bride either.
BUT, in both cases, indications are made. The groom has his feast, and knows that the time is near. Jesus gave us signs to watch for also, so He knows the time is near. But in both cases, neither knows the exact time.
And setting a date for World War III in no way violates His Word, for WW III is one of the
signs we are to watch for. We have no idea how long after WW III that the Antichrist will
forge the seven year peace treaty with Israel which will start the final countdown.
He also showed me that from the time that David captured Jerusalem until Solomon began building the Temple was 40 years, or one generation. In other words, one generation captured the city, and the next generation built the Temple.
The Jews have long had a saying that when Jerusalem is again captured, the next generation will build the Temple.
We also know that when WW III strikes, God will cause a great earthquake in the land of Israel, which
will very likely level the Dome of the Rock.
EZEKIEL 38:18-20
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, [that] my fury shall come up in my face.
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;
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.
And with the destruction of the Dome of the Rock, there will be nothing to stop Israel from rebuilding
the Temple.