“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say; ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech 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 38:3-6)

From time to time Scripture gives us brief glimpses of the supernatural powers behind Earthly thrones.  Isaiah 14:3, Ezekiel 28:12, Daniel 10:13, 20 and Daniel 12:1 are examples of this. When these supernatural powers are referred to as the king of a particular country, as is the case in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 it tells us God has Satan in view.  When the power behind the throne is called a prince, it’s one of Satan’s underlings.

Some years ago, I came to the conclusion that Gog is one of these supernatural powers, perhaps Satan’s counterpart to the Archangel Michael, who is also called a chief prince (Daniel 10:13) and who  is responsible for the defense of Israel (Daniel 12:1).  A review of Genesis 10 shows that Gog’s name does not appear in the human genealogies there, nor can he be found among their descendants by any other means, but he appears to be well known to God.

On the other hand, Magog  does appear in Genesis 10 as the 2nd son of Japeth and brother of Meshech and Tubal.  Most scholars believe Magog represents modern day Russia, while Meshech and Tubal likely settled nearby in eastern Turkey, and there’s universal agreement that Persia is now known as Iran.  In the past we’ve pinned down the modern equivalents of the other nations involved in the Ezekiel 38 scenario, so for the purpose of this article I want to focus on the growing relationship between two of the key national participants, Magog (Russia) and Persia (Iran).

Some scholars observe that when the Lord lists groups of nations, He often does so in priority order, with the most important ones first.  If so, then placing Persia first in the order of nations that will be joining Magog and his brothers in the coming attack against Israel is a sign of Persia’s importance to the group’s objectives.

The Sleeping Bear Has Awakened
As Russia has moved to re-assert itself as a player on the world stage, one of the first steps has involved the Middle East.  This began with the agreement to help Iran build nuclear reactors, supposedly for peaceful purposes.  After numerous delays caused primarily by Western objections, the Bushier reactor has finally come on line. It’s the first of what was originally announced as an agreement to build 10 such power plants. Through out all this Russia has been steadfastly opposed to any military efforts aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program.

Then there was Russia’s decision to relocate portions of its Black Sea naval fleet to the Eastern Mediterranean, revamping its Soviet era support base in Tartus on the coast of Syria to accommodate its presence there.

Most recently has been Russia’s support of the Syrian government in it’s efforts to put down the internal strife that has engulfed that country. On two separate occasions, the Russian delegate to the UN has used his Security Council veto to defeat motions that were perceived to be against Syrian government interests.  Since Iran also supports the Syrian government, the three countries have been drawn into a tighter partnership to withstand world wide pressure for a “regime change” in Syria and an end to the violence there.

As I write this, Debkafile has reported that Kofi Annan, the former UN head and now its mediator on the Syrian crisis has offered a plan that would put Russia and Iran at the head of a “contact group” empowered to put an end to the problem through a negotiated settlement with Syrian Pres. Assad.      The settlement would include an assurance of safety for him, his family and his entourage in return for stepping aside.  (There are unconfirmed reports that Assad has already transferred $6 million of his personal fortune to Moscow, probable site of his exile, if it comes to that.)  According to Debkafile this plan was  approved in advance by the Obama Administration in the hope that  it would cause Iran to show a little more flexibility in the upcoming negotiations on its nuclear program, although Iran had given no indication that it would do so.

The rationale behind this plan is that having supported Syria through out, only Russia and Iran have the influence necessary to convince Assad to step down.  Any other attempt would require military force, something everyone’s desperate to avoid.  So far Iran has refused to be influenced by this unprecedented offer.  In fact, after Hillary Clinton warned Iran to come to the next negotiating session prepared to offer something concrete,  Iran threatened to cancel the next round altogether.

A Fine Mess You Got Us Into This Time
Students of prophecy can see that this is an important departure from the past.  It marks the first time the US has ever considered allowing a government hostile to its objectives to take the lead in an issue involving Middle East security.  The US has always maintained its leadership position in order to protect Israel’s interests.  If this plan goes through, Russia and Iran would have a powerful, even controlling voice in determining Syria’s future, since the “contact group” would in effect become the interim head of Syria’s new government.  No thinking person would ever expect Russia and Iran to replace the Assad regime with one more tolerant toward Israel.

In fact the opposite would be much more likely,  and as a practical matter Russia and Iran would also have direct control of the Syrian military, in which both are already heavily involved.  Israel’s northern border  would quickly become even less secure than it is now.  Debkafile has also reported that Turkey has abandoned its support of the Syrian rebels and is lining up behind Moscow in the hope of being part of the “contact group.”  That would put the third major Ezekiel 38 player on the field.

Conventional wisdom has always held that the Magog invasion cannot take place until there’s absolute certainty that the US would neither intervene nor retaliate.  Speculations on how that might come about have included some sort of terrorist blackmail, such as the threat of a nuclear attack, or the crippling effect the rapture of the Church would have on the US.

But even though the US is now noticeably weaker than in the past without either of these things happening, I’ve never heard anyone suggest that we might voluntarily step aside and allow Israel’s enemies to gain such an advantage.   Whether Kofi Annan’s proposal  ultimately gets  accepted or not the door has now been opened to this possibility as well. I wonder how Israel feels about that.

We should all watch to see how this plays out in the UN because even though Iran has rejected the offer, the deal is probably far from dead.  People with experience in these matters know that the first step in any negotiation is to reject the other party’s offer.  They also know that the one who appears most willing to hold firm will usually wind up with the better end of the deal.  So far it seems to me that Iran is the one holding firm.  The US talks about leaving all the options on the table, but we act like we’ll do just about anything to avoid a military solution. To approve an offer like this in advance of any concessions from the other side, and without even a clue that concessions could result conveys that idea pretty clearly.

Like so many before it, this plan could all blow away like fallen leaves before the autumn winds, but if it comes to fruition a more decisive step toward the Magog invasion could hardly be imagined. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”

But I said, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, the prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”

Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds (Jeremiah 14:11-14).

I’ve been avoiding this topic for some time, but it won’t go away.  It was brought back to mind this week after I read that a man bought copies of a currently popular book that compares ancient Israel with the USA and sent one to every member of his state’s government. I’m sure he was well intentioned, but from the article it appeared that he was using the book to call their attention to the promise God made to Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a remedy for their state.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

As you know, I have problems with Christians claiming that promise for the USA.  People who live in the United States are not automatically God’s people, no version of our official name contains the name of God, and God’s people in the USA who are called by God’s name are part of the Christian Church which has no homeland in the USA or any other country on Earth.  On the contrary, the Church has been called to reject the things of this world and be ready to re-locate to our real home in Heaven.  That’s where our citizenship is (Phil. 3:20).

But those who try to invoke the promise of 2 Chron. 7:14 as the remedy for the US ignore this.   They also ignore the fact that 2 Chron. 7:14 was first spoken by the Lord to King Solomon long before the destruction that came at the hands of the Assyrians, as noted in the book.  Are we to believe there were no Israelites alive at the time who knew about this promise from God?  Did no one think to remind Him of it?  Because the Northern Kingdom was surely not spared the judgment.

But let’s say it is possible that no one remembered 2 Chron. 7:14and that’s why the Northern Kingdom was destroyed.  What about the Southern Kingdom?  It was part of Israel when the promise was given.  Wasn’t it also defeated?  Consider what God had Jeremiah tell the people there who were praying for His protection as the Babylonians took up their positions outside the city walls.

Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”(Jeremiah 14:11-12)

These were God’s people, their national name did contain the Name of God, and He had given them a land on Earth.  2 Chronicles 7:14advocates say it would only take a sincere effort by the faithful to repent and pray our country out of judgment, but as Jeremiah 14reveals, at least some of God’s people were repenting and praying. Why didn’t that save them?

Did God break His promise to them? Of course not.  What happened was they officially broke the terms of their covenant and abandoned Him.  And once they had done that, nothing else they did could prevent their destruction. They no longer had a right to His help.

Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. (Jeremiah 11:9-11)

But even though He’s not obligated to do so, at the appointed time God will keep His promise to Israel.  He will forgive their sins and heal their land.  And when He does, it won’t happen because of anything they’ve done.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.   I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:22-23).

The United States has never had an official covenant with God, but we’ve broken all His laws just the same.  And we’ve done so with ever increasing audacity in spite of overwhelming blessing, as if daring Him to do something about it.  If our leaders speak for us, as the book suggests, then Franklin Graham’s recent comment that our president “shook his fist in the face of God” was a warning for all of us  to prepare for God’s response.  Can anything prevent our judgment?

This means that for the United States the popular use of 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a cure for our problems is nothing more than a fulfillment of Paul’s “itching ears” prophecy.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim 4:3)

Whether they realize it or not those who advocate 2 Chronicles 7:14as a remedy for the United States are just saying what our itching ears want to hear. It’s a false teaching that gives false hope to the Biblically uninformed, a repeat of the false promises of Jeremiah’s time.

On some level everybody knows things are not OK in the world, and our nature is to want to know things will get better.  Having exhausted our human options, we’re finally thinking about turning to God, but claiming the promise of  2 Chronicles 7:14  is going about it  the wrong way and it won’t work.

God has always intended to give us hope, but He has never promised to heal the United States, whose national heart is incurably wicked, because He doesn’t have a covenant with the United States. Nor has He promised the United States a future like He does for Israel.  But He has promised to rescue the Church by taking us out of the way before He gives the go ahead for the End Times judgments, because He does have a covenant with the Church.  And that covenant is not conditional upon our behavior, it’s based on our belief.

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.(John 14:2-3)

Notice He didn’t promise to come here to be with us where we are. He promised to come back to take us there to be with him where He is, in His Father’s house.

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth (Rev. 3:10)

The Greek word translated “from” in this verse means “out of the place, time, or cause” of the hour of trial.  Like 1 Thes. 1:10 it’s a promise to rescue us from the wrath to come.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thes. 4:16-17).

Again, this is not a promise to come to Earth to be with us here.  Its a promise to draw us up into the sky and take us to be with Him forever.

If you want to have hope, you don’t have to dig through the Old Testament to misappropriate a conditional promise made to another people for another time, one that even those to whom it was given could not claim.  You only have to look in the New Testament and receive an unconditional promise made to the Church for our time that all of us can claim.

As Christians we need to stop confusing our country with our religion.  No matter how good our life is on Earth, God has a much better future in store for us in Heaven.  On its very best day, no country could ever begin to compare with it.  No amount of peace or prosperity could ever be a reasonable substitute.

The only reason we cling to our past is that we know so little about our future.  So take a moment and think about it.  Heavenly royalty. Mansions in the sky on streets of gold. Unbridled joy.  No more death or mourning or crying or pain.  The aging process reversed, our health restored, our abilities magnified, all our cares and concerns gone. Each day more exciting and fulfilling than the previous one.  Where can you find  that here? Where has anyone ever found that here?

Psalm 45 is a wedding song for the Messiah and His bride. When he wrote it, the Psalmist spoke these prophetic words to the Church of today.

Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear. Forget your people and your father’s house.  The King is enthralled by your beauty.  Honor Him for He is your Lord. (Psalm 45:10-11)

Forget about futile attempts to restore past glories.  You’ve got a future ahead of you that’s beyond imagining.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in His wonderful face.  And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.