Wars and Rumors of Wars

"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end…but all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:6, 8). Shortly before He was crucified, Jesus told His disciples that as the End of the Age approached, the world would experience an increase of various signs (see Matthew 24), one of which was wars and rumors of wars. We know that He meant an increase as he compared these things to birth pangs. Current events in our world, in the Middle East, and Israel in particular, show just how true Bible prophecy has become. We are definitely seeing an increase in both number and severity of events in the Middle East. These events are moving at a rapid pace. However, as mentioned in a previous article, although it is impossible and foolish to try and interpret prophecy to fit every headline, it is not impossible to see these events as trends that are setting the stage for what the Bible describes as the final act of history. Notice again what Jesus said: “for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.” In other words, these things “must take place,” in order to set the stage for what the Bible describes as God’s final dealings with Israel and the world, leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Not since the Six-Day War of 1967 have so many different nations been talking about and preparing for war. Amazingly, a majority of these nations are located in the Middle East and nearly all of them have one common thread that ties them all together—hatred of Israel. Rarely does a day go by without some major news story out of the Middle East. Furthermore, one nation in particular has been forthright about its hatred for and desire for the destruction of Israel. That nation is Iran. They are feverishly pursuing nuclear weapons. Additionally, they are acquiring weapons and making military pacts with other likeminded nations. All of this might seem irrelevant were it not for a 2500 year old prophecy found in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. This prophecy is absolutely amazing. What makes it so amazing is it has always seemed like an utter impossibility—until now. Ezekiel was able to look down the corridors of time and see nations not yet in existence, and alliances not yet formed. In doing so, he foretold the rise of a Russian military alliance with Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to annihilate Israel during the end-times. This prophecy is known by most Bible scholars as the War of Gog and Magog. Gog is a term meaning prince or leader whereas Magog is the area known as modern day Russia and republics of the former Soviet Union. Gog is described as a dictator who will hatch an “evil plan” (see Ezek. 38:10). Through the prophet Ezekiel, God says to this dictator: “Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword (Israel)…to the mountains of Israel…” (Ezek. 38:7-8). At the top of the list of countries Ezekiel says will be a part of this coalition of nations is Persia, which is modern day Iran.

In light of Ezekiel’s amazing prophecy the evening news starts to make a little more sense. And it should be no surprise that now, after a lengthy delay, Russian President Putin has decided to deliver nuclear fuel rods to Iran to power up the Bushier reactor. It should also not be surprising to learn that part of that “deal” required Iran to contract and pay for $765 million more in Russian arms for Syria. These “wars and rumors of wars” are putting the finishing touches on setting the stage for the War of Gog and Magog that Ezekiel prophesied over 2500 years ago. And when the time is right, a Moslem coalition led by Iran and armed by Russia, including countries from Central Asia, North Africa and Eastern Europe, will storm into Israel from the north over the Golan Heights (Ezek. 38:5-6, 8). And the Bible says God will use this event to reveal Himself to the world as Israel’s protector by utterly destroying the attackers (Ezek. 39:2-4). How close are we to this event? Only God knows. But current events seem to indicate this battle is on the horizon. What does all this mean? It means that God’s Word is true. Furthermore, it means Jesus is coming soon for His Church. Are you ready to meet the Lord in the air? If not, your time is running out.