General Articles

Ezekiel: The Hook :: By Zachary Everett

Published on: by RR7

 

As watchmen on the wall, it is our job to warn those who do not believe in the end times that lay before us. For it is written: “If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 3:18). For many, it is not easy to speak to someone about their sins or where this world is heading. But the warning signs increasing before us tell us that Jesus Christ’s return is even more imminent than we imagine. It has been put in my heart by the Lord Jesus to share something that is forming right before our eyes, and that is the “The Gog and Magog War.”

Sometime in the future, an alliance of nations will attack and seek to plunder Israel and the Lord’s people (Ezekiel 38:12). This alliance of nations is chiefly made up of Russia, Turkey, and Iran, along with a few other nations such as Libya and Sudan. We know this from the prophet Ezekiel:

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you” (Ezekiel 38:1-6).

If you are not familiar with the names of these ancient nations and their location compared to their modern brethren, here is a quick list:

Rosh is Russia.
Magog is the “Stans” like Afghanistan, Tajikistan’s, etc.
Meshech and Tubal is Turkey.
Persia is Iran.
Cush is Sudan.
Put is Libya

What must be noted is how Ezekiel mentions these nations in order. Russia and Turkey are mentioned first as the primary lead nations to invade, with Russia being the chief leader of the alliance, especially of Turkey and Iran. What is most astonishing about these three nations today is that they all face severe economic problems that have only gotten worse.

Meshek and Tubal (Turkey): is in severe inflation, and the currency, Lira, is falling.

Persia (Iran): is strangled by severe sanctions because of its nuclear program.

Rosh (Russia): is facing devastating sanctions in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, which seems more likely by the day.

Ezekiel makes it very clear as to why these nations will launch an invasion of Israel, and that is the plunder that they will greatly desire:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, ‘I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.’ Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?'” (Ezekiel 38:10-13).

The hooks are almost in place. Iran is being strangled, Turkey’s Lira is falling more each day, and Russia is ever closer to being torn away from the global economy because of its actions against Ukraine. The hooks of plunder and riches are now ever closer to thought than imagined. Those who rule these nations are not men of democracy but dictatorship, and if they cannot feed their population and keep their currencies alive, they will surely fall.

The Lord Jesus says: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28)

We are closer to the edge than ever. If you fear sharing the word, worry not; Jesus Christ is with you. Do a little bit here and a little bit there. Even handing out a small card to people passing by on a sidewalk with steps about the ABCs of salvation can work wonders in ways you cannot imagine.

God bless you all,

Zachary Everett

Placating Putin :: By Terry James

Published on: by RR7

 

Many Bible prophecy students of the pre-trib sort have carefully watched Vladimir Putin over the past years. The Russian president’s demeanor, many believe, demonstrates that this man of relatively short stature exhibits and presents a much larger image, in possible prophetic terms.

I’m referring, of course, to the belief by many that the dictator, a former KGB operative, could be the Gog of Ezekiel 38-39. That is, Mr. Putin could be the leader who will be possessed by the Gog spirit or demon who will think the evil thought described by the prophet Ezekiel. –That Putin might be the leader who will lead the Gog-Magog coalition of nations prophesied to invade toward Israel.

While I find this an interesting, even fascinating prospect, I’m not prepared to totally commit to a definite postulation in that regard.

However, thinking on these strange and troubling times during which we are traversing – times of fortified prophetic progression – a term my partner in raptureready.com, Todd Strandberg, has coined, the possibility of Putin filling that prophetic role is certainly worthy of consideration.

The lateness of these closing days of the age, while Russia threatens to invade Ukraine, brings into focus such prophecies by Jesus Himself as the following.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matt 24: 6).

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Lk 21:25).

With Putin bringing more than one hundred thousand troops and military equipment to the borders of Ukraine and his apparently wanting to invade to bring that former Soviet bloc nation again into Russia’s orb, the rumors of war are rampant. This is perhaps the greatest threat of regional and even worldwide war since the fall of the Soviet Union and the close of the cold war.

With the worldwide protests across Europe and the Canadian/American truckers’ massive protests, and with despot-like leaders facing them and not knowing how to handle it all, the nations are in perplexity, and the people are likened to seas and waves roaring.

So, it is more than understandable why many Bible prophecy observers of the times might strongly point to Putin as the Gog-possessed leader of that invading force predicted by Ezekiel. All stage-setting seems almost complete for these things to begin to come to pass.

This American presidential administration has demonstrated weakness in practically every endeavor in terms of dealing with international problems. They have dealt in evil harshness and dogged determination in confronting American patriots – the prime example being the January 6 peaceful protesters who were seduced into a march on the Capitol, etc., and set up by the FBI and others as terrorists, in my humble opinion. But in facing off with Russia and China – the truly great threats against America — this president has been, as the overused word indicates, feckless.

While in SkyWatch TV studios last week doing a number of programs for Pete Garcia’s and my book The Disappearing: Future Events That Will Rock the World, I was asked the question: Do you think Putin will invade Ukraine?

My answer at that time, just this past week, was, “I really don’t think Putin really wants to invade. He has things going his way without invasion.”

My opinion has changed in that short period of time. His bringing more troops and military assets to Ukraine’s borders isn’t the movement of one who is bluffing. The fact that he won’t talk with American officials and barely will talk with this president is indication enough to know that he intends to fully act out the role of the Russian bear. I would now be surprised if he doesn’t invade. This is due to placating him at every turn and threatening only sanctions of the economic sort.

If Putin were to deliberately attack a NATO nation, then there would be confrontation from the western alliance. But Mr. Biden observably hasn’t the nerve—or whatsoever it takes— to unilaterally face down this voracious dictator.

There is increasing talk among some observers that Gog is not Putin or a Russian leader but very possibly the Turkish leader Erdogan (the most likely) or a future Turkish leader and that Magog is Turkey, not Russia.

While we must never rule out possibilities so far as details are concerned, I can’t, after years of studying the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog-Magog matters, conclude that the head of the coalition against Israel will be other than Russia. It looks very much like Vladimir Putin might well be the man who could lead such a coalition. His appetite for conquest is building, and a time might come soon when Israel and its vast oil and gas reserves, a threat to Putin’s desire to be the lone supplier of Europe and other regions, might give him that evil thought that puts hooks in the jaws of Gog.

By placating this ruthless Russian leader, Biden and company just might be fueling the fires of Putin’s appetite for such conquest as Ezekiel ascribes to the one who will be Gog.