Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83: Relationship and Timing

Ezekiel 38 & Psalm 83 by Phillip Goodman

Psalm 83 is a prophecy which best fits into the 2 great wars of the End Time—Magog (refers in this paper to Eze. 38 & 39) and Armageddon. These 2 wars (the first Magog, and the last Armageddon) are separated by at least 7 years. God’s direct defeat of the Magog-Islamic forces as they invade Israel ignites the global “nation against nation” (Mat. 24:9), essentially World War III—the whole process giving rise to the Antichrist and terminating with Armageddon...

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The Psalm 83 Prophecy
TIMING & RELATIONSHIP To MAGOG

(A prelude to, or, a part of, the Magog Invasion?)

Bible Prophecy as Written Ministries

The 2 Great Wars

Bible prophecy emphasizes Magog and Armageddon, but mentions “nation against nation,” “kings of the north & south,” and other wars. Chronologically, Magog begins the End Time 7-year period, and Armageddon climaxes it. The other “wars” link Magog and Armageddon into one long process—Magog gives rise to World War 3, including various Mideast wars, the Antichrist ascends to global power, & then heads to Armageddon.

However, a scenario for Psalm 83 (referred to in this paper as the Psalm 83 Theory) has been proposed in a number of books and on several websites that essentially goes like this:

MISSING NATIONS: The nations listed in Psalm 83 are not named among the nations in the Magog Invasion (Eze. 38:1-7). Therefore, they cannot be a part of that event, and must represent another event.
MISSING SECURITY: A prerequisite for the Magog Invasion is that Israel must be “living securely”. (Eze. 38:8) Since Israel is not dwelling in security today because of the Psalm 83 enemy nations which surround it, those nations must be removed as a barrier to Israel’s security before Magog can happen. Thus, Israel must defeat the Psalm 83 nations before the Magog-Islamic invasion of Israel can occur.
TIMING: Therefore, Israel will attack and defeat the Psalm 83 nations—a Pre-Magog event.
In the process Israel will capture and establish secure boundaries for themselves over all of the Arab lands promised to Israel by God in Genesis 15:18-21.
As a result of this conquest of the entire Middle East, the Israeli Defense Forces become the “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel 37:10.
Finally, Israel will become the target of the Magog-Islamic forces, which will covet the vast Arab oil fields Israel acquired as war-spoil from its defeat of the Psalm 83 nations—and only then will the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 be fulfilled.

Will this Psalm 83 theory fit the scrutiny of Scripture? We will take a Biblical look.

The Psalm 83 Event

God is implored in this prayerful Psalm to judge certain long standing enemies of Israel in the war-like manner by which He judged other ancient foes. The nations involved, with their modern place-names, are: Edom, Moab, Gebal & Ammon {Jordan}; Ishmaelites & Hagrites [Saudi Arabia]; Amalek [Egypt]; Philistia [Gaza, Palestine]; Tyre [Lebanon]; Assyria [Syria, Iraq]; Children of Lot [scattered thru Mideast]. The prayer is prophetic because it is embedded in an end -timeframe (many turn to the Lord, v. 16), & their defeat is “forever” (v. 17), and it is in a day when the Lord’s Name will be recognized by these nations as the Only One (v. 18). The implication is that the prayer will be answered in the future, a prophecy as yet unfulfilled. Psalm 83 is a Holy Spirit-inspired prayer. As such, it is a prayer that will be answered as requested. The certainty of the answer to this prayer makes the future answer a prophecy.

The Ezekiel 38-39 Magog-Islamic Invasion of Israel

A massive military coalition led by a leader titled “Gog” from “the land of Magog” will launch an end -time invasion of Israel supposedly to “capture spoil.” Russia is Magog (including Rosh, Mesheck & Tubal). Other named nations include Persia [Iran]; Ethiopia; Put [Libya]; Gomer & Beth-togarmah [Georgia-Turkey area]; “and many peoples” (many other nations). God will directly abort the invasion “on the mountains of Israel.” (39:1-5) The timing of this invasion is deter- mined by a Scripture-process of elimination. Five scriptures narrow the time of the Magog-Islamic Invasion of Israel to a Pre-Tribulation event. (see The Appendix)

Psalm 83's Relationship to Magog
The Issues

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The ISSUES Chart Above— According to the Psalm 83 Theory

The actual situation “on the ground” for Ezekiel 38 today is not that found in that scripture. Today the na- tions listed in Psalm 83 exists, whereas in the Ezekiel 38 of the future the Bible does not mention them— they are missing. The fact that they exist today as perpetual enemies of Israel is the reason the Missing Security in Israel today, according to the Psalm 83 Theory.
The actual situation “on the ground” for Ezekiel 38 in the future will be that pictured in the Magog prophecy. The Psalm 83 nations will be Missing Nations. That absence of Israel’s perpetual enemies provides the reason that Ezekiel 38 says Israel will be Living Securely when Magog attacks.
The Psalm 83 prophecy in fact says that God will use Israel (as with the armies of Gideon against the Midianites) to destroy the listed enemies of Israel. The Psalm 83 Theory then proposes that this must be the event which causes those listed nations to go missing in Ezekiel 38. Therefore, the Timing of the Psalm 83 War must precede the Magog War (Ezekiel 38 & 39) for that to happen.

These are the three pillars of the Psalm 83 Theory: We will consider them in this order:

The Timing of Psalm 83. The Bible shows that Psalm 83 is fulfilled at the End of the Tribulation.
The Missing Nations. The Bible does not say the Psalm 83 nations are missing in the Magog War.
The Missing Security. Both the Bible and history testify that Israel is Secure Today.

1. TIME of PSALM 83 WAR—Pre or Post Tribulation?

There are two passages which clearly place the Psalm 83 prophecy as a Post-Tribulation event. The first one is,

1. Isaiah 11:11-16—”Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand The remnant of His people...From the four corners of the earth. ... And [Israel] will swoop down on the slopes of the Philis- tines ...They will possess Edom and Moab; And the sons of Ammon ... And the LORD will utterly destroy The tongue of the Sea of Egypt...”

The timing of this passage is post-tribulation, at the Second Coming of Christ.[1] The nations listed are Psalm 83 nations. Both of these facts are affirmed by Walvoord [2], MacDonald [3], Fruchtenbaum [4], Pentecost [5].

2. Zechariah 12:6-8—"In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a ... flaming torch among sheaves, so [Israel] will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, ... the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them.” (Zechariah 12:6-8; The Psalm 83 Theory makes mention of the army of Jews in that passage as being “the exceeding great army” mentioned in Scripture. But actually, the “exceeding great army” is mentioned in Ezekiel 37:10, an event which occurs when Israel is saved at the Second Coming of Christ).

The timing of this passage (the entire chapter of Zechariah 12) is almost universally agreed by pre-tribulation, pre-millennial expositors to be at the Second Coming of Christ. Again, in this passage we see an unbroken chain of “in that day” linking all of Zechariah 12-14 to events which occur at the Second Coming of Christ. [6]

The phrase “all the surrounding peoples” applies to the immediate “nations round-about” (Greek phrase). [7] These “round-about” nations are the same as the current nations which surround Israel, the Psalm 83 nations. Another time indicator is found in Psalm 83:17-18, which says,

Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever; And let them be humiliated and perish, That they may know that Thou alone, whose name is the LORD, Art the Most High over all the earth. (Psalms 83:17-18

These nations are said to “perish” as enemies of Israel “forever,” in the day when “they may know that Thou alone, whose name is the LORD, Art the Most High over all the earth.” There is only one such day—the time of the Second Coming of Christ. Correlate the bold phrases above and below.

“And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.” Isaiah 2:11; 17 (The Second Coming of Christ)

“...the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.” Zechariah 14:9 (The Second Coming of Christ)

In summary, both of these passages are clear fulfillments of Psalm 83, and occur at the End of the Tribulation.

2. The “MISSING” NATIONS

Where are the Psalm 83 nations in the Russian-Islamic (Magog) Invasion of Israel?

The Psalm 83 theory was generated on the assumption that since the nations listed in Psalm 83 are not named among the nations in Ezekiel 38’s description of the latter-day Magog Invasion of Israel (Eze. 38:1-7), then Psalm 83 must represent an entirely different event. Theorists see a contradiction when the two prophecies —the Inner Ring nations of Psalm 83, and the Outer Ring nations of Ezekiel 38— are seen as the same event. Yet, we have seen Biblical evidence that places the timing Psalm 83 war at the End of the Tribulation. This does not preclude the Psalm 83 nations as participants in the Magog War. There is good Scriptural evidence that they are in fact included in the Magog War.

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To say that the Psalm 83 prophecy must be an entirely different event which must precede the Magog invasion be- cause the Ezekiel and Psalm passages have a different listing of nations ignores this fact: The Bible, when describing an event, sometimes lists only the LEADER nations, and sometimes list only the FOLLOWER nations.

THE INNER-RING NATIONS & THE WAR OF ARMAGEDDON

In passages clearly set contextually at the End Time, the time of Armageddon., we see;

Joel’s account of the War of Armageddon refers to “all the nations” in chapter 3, but there it makes specific reference only to these INNER RING nations—Tyre, Sidon, Philistia, Egypt, Edom.
Isaiah 11 lists only INNER RING nations Philistia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Egypt & Assyria.
Zechariah 14, while making reference to “all the nations,” specifically names only INNER RING “surrounding nations” & Egypt

These passages leave out the LEADER nations (as does Psalm 83). No mention is made of the Antichrist, the ten kings, or the “kings of the east.” (Revelation 17:12; 16:12) Yet the LEADER nations are clearly implied by the phrase “all the nations.”

Revelation 16, lists only LEADER (Outer Ring) nations—the “beast” (10 kings necessarily implied) and “kings of the East.” The “missing” FOLLOW ER nations are implied in the catch-all phrase “kings of the whole world.” (Rev. 16:12-16)
Most remarkably, Isaiah 34, a clear Day of the Lord-Tribulation passage 8, list only one nation—Edom, one of the Psalm 83 nations, and one of the Day of the Lord nations listed in Joel 3 and Isaiah 11. But why are the other Psalm 83 nations listed in those passages as being present at the time of the Second Coming of Christ not listed along with Edom in Isaiah 34?
Are they “Missing”? Does this make Isaiah 34 a different time-event than Joel 3, for example? Not at all. Just like Ezekiel 38 and the so-called MISSING NATIONS, Isaiah 34 has a subject-nation in focus, namely Edom. Likewise, Ezekiel 38 has the LEADER nations in focus, and the “many peoples” account for the so-called MISSING NATIONS.

Therefore, the “missing” FOLLOWER nations of Ezekiel’s Magog-listing are NOT MISSING AT ALL—they are implied by the phrase “many peoples [same exact words translated “many nations” in 38:8] with you.” (Eze. 38:6, 9, 15)

It is probable that the Psalm 83 nations are those “many people with thee” FOLLOW ER nations placed under the “guard” (Ezekiel 38:6-7) of the Magog-LEADER nations listed by Ezekiel.

Since the LEADER nations in the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel are ALL Muslim nations, except for Russia, it stands to reason that the “many nations” with them are none other than Israel’s perpetual enemies listed in Psalm 83—ALL of whom are Arab-Muslim nations today.

In the map below, Ezekiel list the key LEADER (Outer Ring) nations, and captures the Psalm 83 FOLLOWER (Inner Ring) nations in the phrase “and many peoples [nations] with you.” (Eze. 38:6)

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3. The “MISSING” SECURITY

Gog & Magog—The Primary Timing Question: Is Israel Living Securely Today?

The Bible says that "On that day when My people Israel are living securely,” the Russian -Islamic (Magog) forces will invade Israel. (Ezekiel 38:14-15) The prerequisite to the Magog invasion is that Israel will be “living securely.” When will that be? We don’t have to search outside of the Bible to find out. We find the answer in the Bible’s own inspired 4-part prophetic history of the Jews covering the time since their dispersion from the land in 70 AD to their future Millennial

Kingdom under Christ.

The first part, summarized in Deuteronomy 28:64-68, begins with the 70 AD expulsion of the Jews from their land and continues through centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocausts of World War II.

RADICAL UN-SECURITY (70 AD to 1948)

Deuteronomy 28 sums up part one of Jewish history since 70 AD. It is a graphic prophecy of the entire 70 AD—1945-48 span of Jewish persecution.

"And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other…And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart …” (Deuteronomy 28:64-68)

Nineteen centuries of Jewish suffering culminated in the Holocaust during the Second World W ar where 6 million Jews disappeared in the Nazi death camps;

“…neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest... thy life shall hang in doubt before thee... and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life,”

...all of which couldn’t be more graphic in describing Jewish RADICAL UN-SECURITY throughout that period.

The second part of Jewish history picks up with the return of the Jews to their land in 1948 until our current time.

GOD-given SECURITY (1948 through Magog)

Part two of post-AD 70 prophetic history saw God bring the Jews back to the land of Israel. Ezekiel 38, our Magog passage, prophesied of that miraculous event, which was fulfilled in 1948, describing Israel as,

“...the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. (Eze.38:8)

The important point at this stage is that when God Himself brought the Jews back to their land, He also gave them a nation, and He also gave them security—through four miraculous wars! (1948, ’56, ’67, ’73) This brought “confidence” (Hebrew, “batach”) But Israel still has not recognized her God (Messiah Jesus, John 5:23), or given Him glory.

Therefore, God will permit the Magog (Russian-Islamic) Invasion into Israel so that Israel will recognize that God IS their Security! (Eze. 39:7, 22)

The amazing survival of Israel through wars, desolations, terrorists, intifadas, etc., etc., does not testify to their extreme UN- security. Conversely, these events “on the ground” are PROOF of Israel’s extreme SECURITY under God’s protective Hand. God says clearly that “I, declares the Lord, will be a wall of fire around [Israel]. Israel is not secure from ATTACK—they are secure from DEFEAT. [9] There is a big difference, and this is what Ezekiel 38 is talking about.

The third part foretells of the ultimate Jewish holocaust yet to come called Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble and known as the Great Tribulation.

RADICALLY UNSECURE (The Great Tribulation)

Part three of Jewish prophetic history shows many Jews will wake up to their need for ’God-Security’ after Magog, but most won’t. Thus Israel will enter the RADICALLY UNSECURE Tribulation, by far the worst ever! (Jer. 30:7; Mat. 24:21)

Finally, the fourth part prophesies that Jewish history will culminate in the restoration of all Jews to their land under their everlasting King, Jesus Christ

SECURE FOREVERMORE (The Millennium into Eternity)

Part four of Jewish prophetic history says that when Jesus Christ returns, “...the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one...and there will be no more curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security. “ (Zec. 14:9-11)

—SECURITY NEVERENDING—

In part one and part three, the Jews are in a radically unsecure state. In part two and part four, they are living “securely.” But part four is the everlasting kingdom of security. Therefore, part two, with Israel living “securely” today, is Ezekiel’s reference (38:8,14-15) and must serve as the springboard for the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel.

Note especially the phrase, “they shall [be] dwell[ing] safely” [38:14, after Israel is re-gathered to their land, they will be “living securely”]. The evidence shows that time to be now. Here is why. Take another look at the four parts of Israel’s prophetic history above. First, 1900 years of pure fright—fright prompted by constant terror and “death camps.” It is all capped by the infamous Holocaust.

Next, look at part three of their history (yet future), the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” the Great Tribulation (Jer. 30:7; Mat. 24:21-22). Sandwiched in-between is part two of Jewish history—their return to the land in 1948—continuing up until today. Now, it is no stretch of one’s imagination to say that there is no comparison between the security of today’s Israel to either the Holocaust, or the Great Tribulation! By comparison, Israel today is absolutely secure.

Prophecy teachers’ even assure their tour groups that Israel is a safe place to visit!

Questions about Israel’s security today? Ask Your Tour-Leader!

Many claim Israel is not secure today. But ask any Christian tour leader to Israel what he tells his group about “tour safety in Israel” today. I’ve heard them, and I myself have said the same on a tour I led to Israel in 2004 —”Today the streets of Israel are safer than the streets of Chicago and New York!” And it’s true!

The same couldn’t be said about a “tour” to visit the Jews in the 1945 Nazi death camps, or at any time in the pre- ceding 1900 years! Nor could the same be said about a “tour” to Israel during the future Tribulation. But it can be said today! In fact, every Christian tour leader proclaims that today Israel is secure, terrorists and the 1948, ‘56, ‘67 and ‘73 wars notwithstanding. Those wars actually enhanced Israel’s security.

If Israel is not secure, neither is the tour group.

Interestingly, the word used by Ezekiel 38:8 for “safely” [“securely”], the Hebrew “betach,” is defined as “a place of refuge, security, safety.” (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary) That is exactly what the State of Israel is for Jews worldwide since its inception in 1948. Today, Israel is a secure land of “refuge” from the nightmare of the previous 1900 years of Jewish suffering.

History verifies the fulfillment that Israel is living “securely” today, using the very words noted above; “refuge” and “secure.”

History Recognizes Israel Today as a “Haven of Refuge”

“The world was shocked that such barbarism could take place in the 20th century” and so the world demanded a place of refuge for the surviving Jews— a national homeland— a return to the land of Israel. (G. & L. Klaperman, The Story Of The Jewish People, Behrman House, N. Y., 1958, p. 229)

The world’s response was that “a Jewish national homeland was finally brought into being by a horrified, conscience - stricken international community which viewed Israel as a necessary refuge for Jews throughout the world.” (From Time Immemorial, Joan Peters, ,1984, p. 80)

“Having their own country was …a practical answer to the problem of having a secure place to go to.” (G. & L. Klaperman, The Story Of The Jewish People, 1958, p. 241)

Max Dimont, the great historian of the Jews, acknowledges that “the State of Israel today is a citadel of Judaism, a haven of refuge.” (Jews, God And History, Max I. Dimont, 962, p. 418)

John Walvoord writes, “being scattered to the ends of the earth has persisted until the twentieth century, and with it has come untold sufferings to the people of Israel climaxing in the terrible scourge of Hitler who murdered some six mil- lion of the people of Israel.” (Israel In Prophecy, John F. Walvoord, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1962, p. 107)

Notice that Walvoord says that this first period of Jewish ‘unsecurity’ was climaxed by the Holocaust.

Today, Israel is a secure place of refuge for the Jews.

In light of both their previous history (Holocaust) and their future history (Tribulation), Israel today is far and away “secure.” Jews worldwide continue to migrate, right along with the tourist, to their “secure place.” Israel’s only other time of living “securely” will be in their eternal kingdom when ““...the LORD will be king over all the earth...and there will be no more curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security. “ (Zec. 14:9-11)

Summarizing the above, we find that after 70 AD, the Bible foretells TW O TIMES of security in Israel’s future, and Israel is in the first one NOW. And it is this time of Israel living “securely” that sets the stage for the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel. Therefore, the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel is an imminent event—it could happen any day!

Israel Trusts in Self-Security

That Israel trust in its own security is evident in this simple statement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the ever-present “peace” negotiations,

“We want peace, but not at the price of security” [10]

Netanyahu believes that “peace” and “security” are not one and the same. He is right. The Ezekiel 38 prediction of Israel’s condition at the time of the Russian-Islamic invasion is not one of peace, but one of security. This is true, but it is indicative of Israel’s trust in Self Security. God provides their security in-spite of their unbelief. Is Israel not secure when the Magog armies come upon them “like a cloud to cover the land.”? (Eze. 38:9) W as Israel not secure when the Egyp- tian armies with chariots and horses trapped them on the shores of the Red Sea.? (Exo. 14) Will the Jewish Remnant not be secure when the Antichrist armies pursue the “Woman” in Revelation chapter 12? And Israel, under the protection of God, not “from”, but “through,” wars, intifadas, terrorism, threats, etc., is Secure Today.

Israel’s perspective on living “securely” is the same one they had when they were driven out of the land 2000 years ago, which is summed up in Ezekiel 33:26:" Ye stand upon your sword…shall ye possess the land?” Israel’s security since 1948 has been provided by God. Yet Israel persists in trusting in Self-Security.

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The Horizontal View of Security

When we focus our attention on the “conditions on the ground,” we see threats, attacks, wars, etc.
Our Conclusion: Israel is NOT Secure Today.
Israel must be Secure BEFORE the Magog Invasion. (Eze. 38:8)
Since Israel is not secure today, Psalm 83 War must happen first to destroy Israel’s enemies.
This is the perspective of the Psalm 83 Theory, with its focus on “ground conditions.”

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The Vertical View of Security

The Biblical perspective is always “Vertical,” that is, “conditions in the sky,” from where God Acts.

#1—Depicts the view discussed above; The Psalm 83 Theory view, with its horizontal focus, that Israel is Unsecure.

#2—Looks heaven-word, & hears the Word of God.

#3—Sees the same facts “on the ground” that the horizontal view sees, but instead sees Divine Proofs of Security.

#4—Concludes that, as the Lord declares in Ezekiel 38:8, Israel is not Unsecure, but rather Secure.

#5—Recognizes God’s preservation of Israel through all of the wars, attacks, etc. Israel IS NOT A CANDIDATE FOR DEFEAT!

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The Hebrew Word for Security means “Confidence,” NOT “Peace”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also does not equate security with peace. And certainly Israel has not known peace for any stretch of time since its statehood in 1948.

But Israel has always been secure. Though they see themselves as Self-secure, the real reason is because “He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalms 121:4) Indeed, Israel’s wars are the Divine Proofs of Israel’s Security.

In view of the chart below, is Israel not secure in the Hands of the God who has miraculously delivered them through the Wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973... etc., Iron Dome, etc.?

How can they not be secure? It’s like asking, “Lord, have you not lived up to your job description, ‘I will be a Wall of Fire around her.’?

How is it that some say Israel is not living securely Today? The wars and intifadas demonstrate their security!

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The SECURITY-CHECKLIST for Israel is Miraculous

Mal Couch, noted prophecy scholar and author, writes “Against impossible odds, and following 5 wars of aggression against it, the nation survived. One has to call these wars, “miracle wars.” God spared His own!... Throughout it all, Israel survived and even prospered.

How can this not be the hand of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” (emphasis mine) [11]

Jewish expositor Zola Levitt says “The Arab’s drive to push the Jewish population into the sea has never succeeded--and it will not because God remains faithful to his promises to protect his chosen people

...He will defend and preserve the remnant of Israel...” (emphasis mine) [12]

IF THE DESCRIPTION BELOW IS NOT GOD’S SECURITY, WHAT IS IT?

On May 14, 1948, the Jewish state was proclaimed, and the Arabs launched an all-out war to destroy it. And war it has been ever since...

The Arab goal will never be achieved. The Bible says that once the Jews are re-established in the land, they will never be rooted up again (Amos 9:15).

... God promises that He will intervene and make the Arab lands a desolation (Ezekiel 35:15). (emphasis mine) [13]

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The Checklist of what God has done for Israel in Ezekiel 38:8 does not stop with the last affirmation “living securely” What God did from the top of the verse he did through all of the subsequent parts of the verse, including the last line “and they are living securely, all of them.”

Here’s how prophecy scholar Dr. Randall Price puts it,

The people and land of Israel, at the time of the invasion, are described as those who have been “gathered from many nations” to a land described as having previously “been a continual waste.” This land is “now inhabited,” was “restored from the sword [foreign domination],” and is now “living securely” (vv.11, 14) with enviable economic resources (vv. 12-13). All these conditions describe the present state of Israel since 1967 when it occupied the “mountains of Israel (vv. 8, 21; 39:2-3, 17-19). [14] (emphasis mine)

ISRAEL’S PROPHETIC HISTORY TODAY

The modern return of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel has been called the “Miracle on the Mediterranean.” Such a re- turn by a people group that had been scattered among the nations is unprecedented in history. Indeed, the Jewish People are the only exiled people to remain a distinct people despite being dispersed to more than 70 different countries for more than 20 centuries. The mighty empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome all ravaged their land, took their people captive, and scattered them throughout the earth. Even after this, they suffered persecution, pogrom, and Holocaust in the lands to which they were exiled. Yet, all of these ancient kingdoms have turned to dust and their former glories remain only as museum relics and many of the nations that opposed the Jews have suffered economic, political, or religious decline. But the Jewish people whom they enslaved and tried to eradicate live free and have again become a strong nation! (Randall Price) [15] (emphasis mine, words that can only equate to “living securely” today, Ezekiel 38:8)

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Psalm 83 SUMMED UP

Keeping in mind that all of us want to see the prophecy of Psalm 83 fulfilled, we must stick to the Bible as we sum up what Scripture says is the place of the Psalm 83 prophecy in the sequence of end time events. Psalm 83 will be, all are agreed. The basic question is not fulfillment, but timing. A theory has arisen that the Psalm 83 prophecy of Israel subduing all of its Arabic neighbors and ancient enemies, as enumerated in that passage, is the next event on the prophetic timetable. As we said, we all agree that God will fulfill that prophecy precisely, but the theory that it is the next great event is fatally flawed.

The actual prophecy of Psalm 83 states that the Jews, led by God (in the manner of Gideon), will conquer her ancient enemies, listed as the surrounding Arab nation--and that the conquest will be FOREVER (v. 17, at which time they "perish" as enemy nations to Israel)
These same nations are seen to be conquered by the Divinely-empowered Jews at the time of the Second Coming Of Christ when He gathers the Jews back to their land from ALL nations a "second time." (Isaiah 11:11-14)
Therefore, the once-and-for-all FOREVER conquest of the Psalm 83 nations occurs at the Second Coming Of Christ at the time of Armageddon. Another view of this same scene is found in Zechariah 12:6-8 when the supernaturally- empowered Jews "consume...all
LEFT— a chart putting all of the pieces together in graphic form.

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END NOTES

[1] “the regathering spoken of in this passage [Isaiah 11:11-16] is the one in faith in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom ...”

Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link In Systematic Theology, Ariel Ministries, 1996, p. 718.
SOME OTHERS WHO AGREE...
John F. Walvoord
William McDonald
Carl Amerding
John A. Martin
Grant R. Jeffrey
Randall Price
Mark Hitchcock

Note the unbroken chain linking the phrase "in that day" leading to the salvation of Israel, an event which occurs at the Second Coming of Christ. "...”in that day” (v. 10) ...”on that day” (v. 11) “...Then you will say on that day...God is my salvation...you will draw water from the springs of salvation." (Isaiah 11 & 12:1-3) This can only be the Second Advent.

[2] The restoration of Israel in the time when Christ reigns on earth will follow His second coming (vv. 10-16)...[The Jews] will bring into subjection their former enemies (v. 14, ...Philistia...People to the east...Edom...Moab, and the Ammonites... [i.e., Psalm 83 nations] ) John F. Walvoord, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook, Isa. chapter 11, p. 98.

[3] ...we are now carried forward to the Second Coming of Christ...Judah and Israel (Ephraim) will live together in peace, and will subdue their enemies--the Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites ... [i.e., Psalm 83 nations]. William McDonald, Believers Bible Commentary, Isaiah 11:1-16, p. 948-949

[4] [Isaiah 11:11-12] will be a second and final worldwide regathering for the messianic kingdom...[when] Israel and Judah will become united in battle against their opponents--the Philistines to the west, and Edom, Moab and Ammon to the east. [v. 14, i.e., Psalm 83 nations] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, “Isaiah, Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary, ed. LaHaye, Hindson; p. 129 [commenting on Psalm 83] While such a conspiracy of the Arab nations has been present since 1948, and was more so during and after the Six Day War, it is to have its full force in the Great Tribulation. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps Of The Messiah, p.498-499

[5] ...In Jeremiah 25:32-33 it is stated that the Lord will destroy all the wicked of the earth at His return [vv. 21-22, Philistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, i.e., Psalm 83 nations] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come, p.349.

[6] The Zechariah 12 & 13 unbroken chain of “in that day”, v. 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13.1, 2, connecting the entire passage to the time of the Second Coming of Christ.

[7] David Reagan says that, "all the surrounding peoples” equates with “the immediate neighbors of Israel” (Zec. 12:6) This, of course, would correctly make “all the surrounding peoples” the Psalm 83 nations, although Dr. Reagan removes this passage out of its Second Coming context and places it as a correlation to the Psalm 83 prophecy here. David Reagan, The Man Of Lawlessness, Lamb & Lion Ministries, 2012, p.83. Yet in other places, he puts the Zechariah 12 passage in its proper time context at the Second Coming of Christ (Wrath And Glory, New Leaf Press, 2001, p. 127)

[8] Some of those many who recognize Isaiah 34 as a Day of the Lord passage include:

Mark Hitchcock, The Complete Book Of Bible Prophecy, Tyndale, 1999, p. 74.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Isaiah, The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary, Tim LaHaye & Ed Hindson, eds., Harvest House, p. 142.
Thomas Ice, Armageddon, The Popular Encyclopedia Of Bible Prophecy, Tim LaHaye & Ed Hindson, eds., Harvest House, p. 39. Paul Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecy, Moody Press, 1995, p. 244.
Ed Hindson, Revelation, Unlocking the Future, Mal Couch & Ed Hindson, eds., AMG Publishers, 2002, p. 167.
David Reagan, Christ In Prophecy Study Guide, Lamb & Lion Ministries, 2001 2nd ed., p. 59.
Notice in Isaiah 34 all of the Psalm 83 nations except Edom are "missing." Yet in parallel passages, like Joel 3 and Zephaniah 2 many of the Psalm 83 nations are mentioned as being judged at the end of the Tribulation, the same Tribulation that Isaiah 34 is speaking of. Just because these nations are "missing" from Isaiah 34 does not in fact mean that they are not present. The same holds true for the so-called "missing nations" of Ezekiel 38.

[9] “...[Israel] is not safe from attack, but is safe from defeat.” (Ezekiel 38:8, 11) Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., New Illustrated Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999, p. 996.

[10] www.jpost.com; April 19, 2010.

[11] Mal Couch, Revelation Hoofbeats, Ron J. Bigalke, ed., Xulon Press, 2003, “Controversy Over Prophetic Fulfillment, p. 324.

[12] Zola Levitt (with Lawrence Ford), Israel At Ground Zero in Prophecy At Ground Zero, W. T. James, ed., Starburst Publisher s, 2002, p. 31, 40.

[13] David Reagan, God’s Plan For The Ages, Lamb & Lion Ministries, p.317. (When Dr. Reagan wrote this book, he believed that Israel lived in the security required by Ezekiel 38:8 & 11 for the Magog Invasion to occur.) “Ezekiel says the Russian invasion of Israel will occur at a time when the Jews are living in unwalled cities as is the case today.” (Ezekiel 38:11). David Reagan, God’s Plan For The Ages, Lamb & Lion Ministries, p.90. (However he has changed his view on this. He was right the first time.)

[14] Randall Price, Ezekiel 38-39, The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary, ed. LaHaye & Hindson, p. 193.

[15] Randall Price, as quoted in Mark Hitchcock, The End, Tyndale House, 2012, p. 112-113.

[16] John Phillips, Exploring The Future, Thomas Nelson, 1983, p. 266.

[17] David Reagan, The Jewish People: Rejected Or Beloved?, Lamb & Lion Ministries, pp. 90-91 & 114

APPENDIX 1

The Psalm 83 Prophecy

A prelude to, or, a part of, The Magog Invasion?

(all articles by Phillip Goodman)

Psalm 83 is a prophecy which best fits into the 2 great wars of the End Time—Magog and Armageddon. These 2 wars (the first Magog, and the last Armageddon) are separated by at least 7 years. God’s direct defeat of the Magog-Islamic forces as they invade Israel ignites the global “nation against nation” (Mat. 24:9), essentially World War III—the whole process giving rise to the Antichrist and terminating with Armageddon. (see NOTE 1 below)

However, a scenario for Psalm 83 has been proposed in a number of books and on several websites that essentially goes like this:

The nations listed in Psalm 83 are not named among the nations in the Magog Invasion (Eze. 38:1-7). Therefore, they cannot be a part of that event, and must represent another event.
A prerequisite for the Magog Invasion is that Israel must be “living securely”. (Eze. 38:8) Since Israel is not dwell- ing in security today because of the Psalm 83 enemy nations which surround it, those nations must be removed as a barrier to Israel’s security before Magog can happen. Thus, Israel must defeat the Psalm 83 nations before the Magog-Islamic invasion of Israel can occur.
Therefore, Israel will attack and defeat the Psalm 83 nations.
In the process Israel will capture and establish secure boundaries for themselves over all of the Arab lands prom- ised to Israel by God in Genesis 15:18-21.
As a result of this conquest of the entire Middle East, the Israeli Defense Forces become the “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel 37:10.
Finally, Israel will become the target of the Magog-Islamic forces, which will covet the vast Arab oil fields Israel ac- quired as war-spoil from its defeat of the Psalm 83 nations—and only then will the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 be fulfilled.

Will this Psalm 83 theory fit the scrutiny of Scripture?

Will Israel Secure Pre-millennial Millennial Borders?

Pre-millennial Millennial Borders sounds like an oxymoron, and it is. But that is exactly what the Psalm 83 theory proposes.

The Psalm 83 theory proposes that once Israel has captured the territories of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and the others listed in that passage, all the way over to Iraq, it is only then that the outer parameter of Ezekiel 38’s Magog-Persian led nations can come down upon Israel’s expanded territory.

The goal of these Russian-Islamic invaders is to “take a spoil.” (Eze. 38:12) Supposedly that is the oil fields spread throughout the Mid East but now, according to this scenario, under Israel’s control.

The instrument of this exceeding great conquest of the Mid East by Israel is the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), identified as the “exceeding great army” which emerges out of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:10.

The Israeli Defense Forces are then internationally glorified as the world’s premier military force. And Israel gains a pre-millennial version of its divinely-deeded Millennial Kingdom land (a Jewish “kingdom now” theology). The theory goes on to say that it is only then that Israel is in a truly secure state, and consequently it is only then that Ezekiel’s Magog invasion can occur.

But this theory has serious problems, as follows;

Israel doesn't need to capture the Arab oil fields to become a target of Russian-Islamic forces looking for “spoil and plunder.” Israel has its own wealth, and is rapidly gaining more. But even that is simply a diversion of the Magog invaders. The real goal is not supposed Israeli-confiscated Arab oil fields. The Russians and the Muslims want the same thing Satan wants: The Chosen People and The Promised Land. (see NOTE 2 below)
The “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel 37:10 is not today’s Israeli Defense Forces. It is the army of Jews saved and empowered by the Lord when He appears in the sky who subdue, once and for all, those same Psalm 83 nations at the time of Armageddon. (Zechariah 12:6-8)
(see NOTE 3 below)
The realization of Israel’s extended national boundaries, from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates (Gen. 15:18-21), doesn’t happen in a pre-millennial conquest of the Arab countries and their oil fields. The expanded boundaries of Israel will come after the return of Christ, at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. (Daniel 2:44; 7:26-17; Matthew 25:31- 34)
(see NOTE 4 & 5 below.)
The target of Ezekiel’s Magog invasion is not the supposed expanded territories of Israel comprised of the entire Mid East oil fields, but rather a very specific geographic identifier called “the mountains of Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:2-4) The “mountains of Israel” territory is not the entire Mid East, but rather the spine of Israel proper, the mountain range con- necting the whole country north to south.
(see NOTE 6 below)
Finally, Israel doesn’t have to capture the entire middle east to place itself in the secure position that is required before Magog can invade. Israel already perceives itself today as a people who are living “securely.” But beyond this “self security,” Israel has been Secure under the Hand of God since 1948 .(more below)

Where are the Psalm 83 nations in the Russian-Islamic (Magog) Invasion of Israel?

The Psalm 83 theory was generated on the assumption that since the nations listed in Psalm 83 are not named among the nations in Ezekiel 38’s description of the latter-day Magog Invasion of Israel (Eze. 38:1-7), then Psalm 83 must represent an entirely different event. Theorists see a contradiction when the two prophecies—the Inner Ring nations of Psalm 83, and the Outer Ring nations of Ezekiel 38— are seen as the same event. (see NOTE 7 & 8, & maps p.3-4) Yet, we will see Biblical evidence that makes a stand-alone Psalm 83 war untenable, and even unbiblical.

As mentioned, some have proposed that Israel will use its IDF military superiority to hammer all of the surrounding Arab nations, capturing their oil fields and vast petrol-wealth, and actually expanding Israel’s borders in the process to gain the territory promised to them in the Millennial Kingdom, from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates River. The prophetic basis claimed for this scenario is Psalm 83.

It is probable that the Psalm 83 nations are those “many people with thee” FOLLOWER nations placed under the “guard” (Ezekiel 38:6-7) of the Magog-LEADER nations listed by Ezekiel.

In the map on page 4, Ezekiel list the key LEADER (Outer Ring) nations, and captures the Psalm 83 FOLLOWER (Inner Ring) nations in the phrase “and many peoples [nations] with you.” (Eze. 38:6)

Gog & Magog—The Primary Timing Question: Is Israel Living Securely Today?

The Bible says that "On that day when My people Israel are living securely,” the Russian-Islamic (Magog) forces will invade Israel. (Ezekiel 38:14-15) The prerequisite to the Magog invasion is that Israel will be “living securely.” When will that be? We don’t have to search outside of the Bible to find out. We find the answer in the Bible’s own inspired 4-part prophetic history of the Jews covering the time since their dispersion from the land in 70 AD to their future Millennial Kingdom under Christ.

The first part, summarized in Deuteronomy 28:64-68, begins with the 70 AD expulsion of the Jews from their land and continues through centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocausts of World War II.
(see NOTE 10 below)
The second part of Jewish history picks up with the return of the Jews to their land in 1948 until our current time.
(see NOTE 11 below)
The third part foretells of the ultimate Jewish holocaust yet to come called Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble and known as the Great Tribulation.
(see NOTE 12 below)
Finally, the fourth part prophesies that Jewish history will culminate in the restoration of all Jews to their land under their everlasting King, Jesus Christ
(see NOTE 13 below).

Next, look at part three of their history (yet future), the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” the Great Tribulation (Jer. 30:7; Mat. 24:21-22). Sandwiched in-between is part two of Jewish history—their return to the land in 1948—continuing up until today. Now, it is no stretch of one’s imagination to say that there is no comparison between the security of to- day’s Israel to either the Holocaust, or the Great Tribulation! By comparison, Israel today is absolutely secure.

Prophecy teachers’ even assure their tour groups that Israel is a safe place to visit!
(see NOTE 14 below)

Interestingly, the word used by Ezekiel 38:8 for “safely” [“securely”], the Hebrew “betach,” is defined as “a place of ref- uge, security, safety.” _(Strong’s _Hebrew _Dictionary) That is exactly what the State of Israel is for Jews worldwide since its inception in 1948. Today, Israel is a secure land of “refuge” from the nightmare of the previous 1900 years of Jewish suffering.

History verifies the fulfillment that Israel is living “securely” today, using the very words noted above; “refuge” and “secure.” (see NOTE 15 below)

Summarizing the above, we find that after 70 AD, the Bible foretells TWO TIMES of security in Israel’s future, and Israel is in the first one NOW. And it is this time of Israel living “securely” that sets the stage for the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel. Therefore, the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel is an imminent event—it could happen any day!

A False Security

1. The perspective of Israel. (see NOTE 16 below)

2. That of their enemy Magog (Russia)— (see NOTE 17 below)

3. And that of the Lord. (see NOTE 18 below)

Obviously, in Ezekiel 38, Israel believes that they are living “securely.” But from Magog’s perspective, that security can be breached, or else they wouldn’t risk an attack. And from the Lord’s perspective, any security apart from trust in Him is a false security. Israel’s confidence in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) apart from the Lord is a false security, and no one, including Israel’s superb defense forces, will receive the glory that is due to God alone, for “my glory will I not give to another.” (Isaiah 42:8)

Israel’s trust in itself and its IDF gives rise to a false security that the nation is self-secure behind “walls” and “barred gates.” (see NOTE 19 below)

However, then “shall things come into thy mind,” and as a result the Russian-Islamic coalition will have a different perspective—Israel will be ripe for an invasion because Russia “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.” (Eze. 38:11) As to why Israel will find itself in this predicament, parallel phrases in the Bible (note below the bold print) about “safely,” “security,” “walled villages,” and “bars and gates” give us the answer.

Today Israel dwells ALONE among hateful neighbors in the Mid East. The Babylonians attacked a “secure” Arabian people precisely because they were isolated, alone without allies (no “gates nor bars,” Jer. 49:30-31). Israel did the same to the city of Laish in the days of the Judges because they also were living in an isolated false security, without allies to help them. (Jud. 18:7)
Today Israel is COMPLACENT about its security. Jeremiah’s indictment of the complacent, “at ease [safe and secure]” women of Jerusalem came as a warning about false security as Jerusalem faced Babylon.(Isa. 32:9)
Today Israel is PRIDEFUL and SELF-SUFFICIENT. God is not in the equation. Babylon trusted in its self- security in the same way. (Isa. 47:8; “dwells securely”) So did the 8th-century Assyrian super-city of Nineveh (Zep. 2:15)
Today Israel is ARROGANT about its own strength. With that same attitude (“who feel secure” and say “by our own strength”, Amos 6:1, 8, 13) in the eighth century BC, Israel fell to the Assyrians.
From our Ezekiel 38 passage on the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel, we find a remarkable similarity in the phrasing of the “security” conditions in the first four above.

“…but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely [are living securely] all of them… 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…” (Eze. 38:8, 11)

However, God will use the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel to raise up a remnant of believing Jews who "shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.“ (Eze. 39:22) These will be the 144000 Jewish “first fruits” of salvation (Rev. 7:1-8; 14:4) They will testify to the rest of Israel during much of the Tribulation period. After God miraculously destroys Magog, Israel will begin a transition to an everlasting trust in the Lord, and by the end of the Tribulation that follows, “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26) and Israel’s false walls of security will then be changed to this,

“Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls … 'For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” (Zec. 2:4-5)

NOTE 1

The 2 Great Wars

NOTE 2

The Real Goal—Not Spoil

Israel has the wealth. And it is growing

On Mar 29, 2013, Fox News reported, “Recent discoveries of massive offshore natural gas deposits [in Israel, off- shore].” ¹

On Jul 3, 2012 National Geographic reported, “New Natural Gas Wealth Means Historic Change for Israel.” ²

However, the “spoil and plunder” (Eze. 38:12) is not the real motive of the Magog-Islamic invasion of Israel, but is rather a pretext. The Magog-Islamic forces work for Satan. Satan’s plan has never been to get the goods. He already has them. Satan’s goal is to get the people and the land. And the text itself infers this. In the very context of the “spoil” pas- sage, we read this,

'Thus says 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… to turn thine hand upon the desolate places [the land] that are now inhabited, and upon the people”
(Ezekiel 38:10-12)

Then, to confirm that the real goal of the invasion is to wipe out God’s chosen people from their God-given land, God Himself makes it clear what the real target is,

“...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”
(Ezekiel 38:16)

As wealthy as Israel is, or will ever get, the real goal of the invading Russian-Islamic coalition is to wipe out the people and take the land.

NOTE 3

Who Is the “exceeding great army”?

Ezekiel 37 gives a very clear sequence of the restoration to life of the “dry bones” & Israel’s “exceeding great army.”

First, there is the vision of Israel as a vast valley of “dry bones,” which is the graveyard of the nations into which Israel was dispersed for 1900 years. (37:1-2)

Next comes the reassembling of the bones into flesh covered bodies, physically alive (37:7-8), but still spiritually dead, and interpreted by the passage itself as “the whole house of Israel” returned to their homeland. (37:11-12)

Finally, the salvation of Israel occurs, when the “breath [of] my spirit” (37:9-14), is imparted to Israel by God. Only at that point—at the second coming of Christ (Rom. 11:26; Zec. 12:10) —does Israel become the “exceeding great army”

Two passages record
—what happens next—

Zechariah 12:6-10— "In that day ...[Israel] shall devour all the people round about [the final destruction of the Psalm 83 nations], on the right hand and on the left .... In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them [the “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel 37:10]
Isaiah 11:11-15—When the Lord gathers the Jews “from the four corners of the earth” at His Second Coming, “they [the “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel 37:10] will swoop down on the slopes of [Philistia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Egypt, Assyria, the Psalm 83 nations]. For the timing of Isaiah 11:11-15 .
(see NOTE 4)

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is not the “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel.

NOTE 4

When will Israel “swoop down” and capture the Psalm 83 nations?

In Isaiah 11:11-15 Israel “swoops down” and captures the Psalm 83 nations. The passage says that this occurs when the Jews return a “second time” to the land of Israel. Is this “second” return the one of 1948? If so, Israel could conquer the Mid East nations at any time, as the Psalm 83 theory proposes. But the passage is actually describing events when Jesus returns at the end of the Great Tribulation.

Quoting Fruchtenbaum, we read that “the regathering spoken of in this passage is the one in faith in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom. This regathering in faith is specifically stated to be a second international regathering...the first international regathering is the one which would be in preparation for judgment [1948 to the Tribulation]...The second regathering will be...in preparation for blessing.” ³

Therefore, the events of Isaiah 11, including the conquest of the Psalm 83 nations, take place at the time of the Second Coming of Christ in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom.

NOTE 5

When will Israel get the Psalm 83 lands?

In Genesis 15:18-21God promised that His Chosen People Israel would one day possess all of the land extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. This is the land which today encompasses the lands of the Psalm 83 nations.

The possession of this ‘Promised Land’ has a clear chronological fulfillment in Scripture, as Fruchtenbaum says, “Following the regeneration of Israel [at the Second Coming of Christ], God will fully carry out the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant concerning the Land...for the first time in Israel’s history, she will possess all of the Promised Land.” ⁴ No, Israel will not march out and conquer the Psalm 83 nations (Israel’s Promised Land) before the time pre- scribed in Biblical prophecy.

NOTE 6

Which ‘Israel’ Does Magog Attack?

The Psalm 83 theory says that Israel will conquer & occupy the entire Middle East BEFORE Magog invades Israel. (Eze. 38-39) If that were the case, Magog would have to attack an Israel whose boundaries span the Mediterranean Sea to Iraq. But Ezekiel says that these Russian-Islamic nations will attack “the mountains of Israel” (39:2,9,17). This term is used by Ezekiel 17 times as a specific geographic designator to identify the physical land of Israel as it exists today. The Ezekiel Magog attack knows nothing of Israel’s supposed occupation of Psalm 83 lands.

NOTE 7

The Psalm 83 Event

God is implored in this prayerful Psalm to judge certain long standing enemies of Israel in the war-like manner by which He judged other ancient foes. The nations involved, with their modern place-names, are: Edom, Moab, Gebal & Ammon {Jordan}; Ishmaelites & Hagrites [Saudi Arabia]; Amalek [Egypt]; Philistia [Gaza, Palestine]; Tyre [Lebanon]; Assyria [Syria, Iraq]; Children of Lot [scattered thru Mideast]. The prayer is prophetic because it is embedded in an end-timeframe (many turn to the Lord, v. 16), & their defeat is “forever” (v. 17), & the implication is that the prayer will be answered in the future, a prophecy as yet unfulfilled. But verse 18 is the clincher. Psalm 83 will have a specific outcome. It will be “That they [the listed nations, v. 6-8) may know that THOU ALONE, whose name is the LORD, Art the Most High over all the earth.” This is a clear reference to the ‘Day of the Lord’, at the Second Coming of Christ, when “the LORD ALONE will be exalted in that day,” and “the LORD will be the ONLY ONE, and His Name the ONLY ONE.” (Isaiah 2:11 and Zechariah 14:9) Psalm 83 occurs at the time of the Second Coming of Christ!

NOTE 8

The Ezekiel 38-39 Magog-Islamic Invasion of Israel

NOTE 9

THE INNER-RING NATIONS & THE WAR OF ARMAGEDDON

In passages clearly set contextually at the End Time, the time of Armageddon., we see;

Joel’s account of the War of Armageddon refers to “all the nations” in chapter 3, but there it makes specific reference only to these INNER RING nations—Tyre, Sidon, Philistia, Egypt, Edom.
Isaiah 11 (see NOTE 5) lists only INNER RING nations Philistia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Egypt & Assyria.
Zechariah 14, while making reference to “all the nations,” specifically names only INNER RING “surrounding nations” & Egypt

Likewise, the “missing” FOLLOWER nations of Ezekiel’s Magog-listing are not missing at all—they are also implied by the phrase “many peoples [same exact words translated “many nations” in 38:8] with you.” (Eze. 38:6)

NOTE 10

RADICAL UN-SECURITY
(70 AD to 1948)

Deuteronomy 28 sums up part one of Jewish history since 70 AD. It is a graphic prophecy of the entire 70 AD— 1945-48 span of Jewish persecution.

Nineteen centuries of Jewish suffering culminated in the Holocaust during the Second World War where 6 million Jews disappeared in the Nazi death camps;

“…neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest... thy life shall hang in doubt before thee... and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life,”

...all of which couldn’t be more graphic in describing Jewish RADICAL UN-SECURITY throughout that period.

NOTE 11 GOD-given SECURITY

(1948 through Magog)

Part two of post-AD 70 prophetic history saw God bring the Jews back to the land of Israel. Ezekiel 38, our Magog pas- sage, prophesied of that miraculous event, which was fulfilled in 1948, describing Israel as,

“...the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Is- rael which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. (Eze.38:8)

Therefore, God will permit the Magog (Russian-Islamic) Invasion into Israel so that Israel will recognize that God IS their Security! (Eze. 39:7, 22)

NOTE 12 RADICALLY UNSECURE

(The Great Tribulation)

Part three of Jewish prophetic history shows many Jews will wake up to their need for ’God-Security’ after Magog, but most won’t. Thus Israel will enter the RADICALLY UNSECURE Tribulation, by far the worst ever! (Jer. 30:7; Mat. 24:21)

NOTE 13

SECURE FOREVERMORE

(The Millennium into Eternity)

—SECURITY NEVERENDING—

NOTE 14 Questions about Israel’s

Security today? Ask Your Tour-Leader!

Many claim Israel is not secure today. But ask any Christian tour leader to Israel what he tells his group about “tour safety in Israel” today. I’ve heard them, and I myself have said the same on a tour I led to Israel in 2004—”Today the streets of Israel are safer than the streets of Chicago and New York!” And it’s true!

The same couldn’t be said about a “tour” to visit the Jews in the 1945 Nazi death camps, or at any time in the preceding 1900 years! Nor could the same be said about a “tour” to Israel during the future Tribulation. But it can be said to- day! In fact, every Christian tour leader proclaims that today Israel is secure, terrorists and the 1948, ‘56, ‘67 and ‘73 wars notwithstanding. Those wars actually enhanced Israel’s security. Thus the wars, intifadas, terror attacks, threats, etc., —rather than being evidence of UN-security—are PROOFS OF ISRAEL’S SECURITY.

If Israel is not secure, neither is the tour group.

NOTE 15 History Recognizes Israel Today as a “Haven of Refuge”

The world’s response was that “a Jewish national homeland was finally brought into being by a horrified, conscience- stricken international community which viewed Israel as a necessary refuge for Jews throughout the world.” ⁶

“Having their own country was …a practical answer to the problem of having a secure place to go to.” ⁷

Max Dimont, the great historian of the Jews, acknowledges that “the State of Israel today is a citadel of Judaism, a haven of refuge.” ⁸

Notice that Walvoord says that this first period of Jewish ‘unsecurity’ was climaxed by the Holocaust.

Today, Israel is a secure place of refuge for the Jews.

NOTE 16

Israel Trusts in Self-Security

That Israel trust in its own security is evident in this simple statement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the ever-present “peace” negotiations,

“We want peace, but not at the price of security” ¹⁰

Netanyahu obviously believes that Israel is presently secure by virtue of its military power. The source of that security? Netanyahu continued by making an admiring reference to a statement Israeli patriot Theodore Herzl said a century earlier. On June 11, 1901, Herzl said, “Do not rely on the help of foreigners nor on that of benefactors …A people that wants to stand upright must put all its trust in itself alone.” Israel’s perspective on living “securely” is the same one they had when they were driven out of the land 2000 years ago, which is summed up in Ezekiel 33:26:" Ye stand upon your sword…shall ye possess the land?” Israel’s security since 1948 has been provided by God. Yet Israel persists in trusting in Self-Security.

NOTE 17

Russia can breach Israel’s Self-Security—And Knows It!

The second perspective on Israel’s “security” is that of the Russian-Islamic arch enemy. They see Israel’s security- ”walls” wide open for a breach, for then “shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought, And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages…” (Eze. 38:10-11).

If the Russian-Islamic invaders really believed that the IDF was an impenetrable wall of defense, with unbreachable “gates” of security, then of course they wouldn’t attack in the first place! But the prophecy says that then “shall things come into thy mind” and they will view Israel as “dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates.” (for “walls & gates” see NOTE 19)

NOTE 18

God will use both the Magog and Armageddon Wars to lead Israel to True Security

The third perspective on Israel’s security is the Lord’s—the only one that matters. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Zec.4:6)

Regarding the belief that Israel (and many Christians) have that Israel is secure behind the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the Bible declares something else,

“There is no king saved by the multitude of an host [a mighty army]: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.” (Psa. 33:16)

“For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.” (Psa. 44:6)

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psa. 20:7)

Israel’s security since 1948 has been provided by God, as proven by Israel’s victories in the miraculous wars of 1948, ’56, ’67 & 73.

Still, Israel & the world, books and web-sites continue to give the glory to the IDF. But Israel’s persistent trust in self-security will come to an end only after God leads them through the 2 great wars of the last days—Magog and Armageddon.

APPENDIX 19 WALLS & GATES

Ezekiel 38:11 says that when the Magog (Russian-Islamic) Invasion occurs, Israel will be “dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates.” Though often used literally, this expression is figurative here, meaning “vulnerable” because verse 20 says that when Magog attacks, “every wall shall fall to the ground.” For a wall to “fall to the ground,” it has to be a literal wall. Yet, to be “without walls,” at the same place at the same time, is not possible unless the expression “without walls” is figurative.

Magog will attack Israel’s “unwalled” Self-Security, unaware of Israel’s God-Security!

END NOTES TO APPENDIX 2

1. www.foxnews.com/.../with-natural-gas-discoveries-Israel

- - - -

3. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link In Systematic Theology, Ariel Ministries, 1996, p. 718.

4. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps Of The Messiah, Ariel Ministries, 2003, p. 431, 438..

5. G. & L. Klaperman, The Story Of The Jewish People, Behrman House, N. Y., 1958, p. 229.

6. From Time Immemorial, Joan Peters, ,1984, p. 80.

7. G. & L. Klaperman, The Story Of The Jewish People, 1958, p. 241.

8. Jews, God And History, Max I. Dimont, 962, p. 418.

9. Israel In Prophecy, John F. Walvoord, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1962, p. 107

10. www.jpost.com; April 19, 2010.

APPENDIX 2

Have you asked Jesus Christ into your life to be your personal Savior? Right now is the time. For the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel is imminent, and the time is short. The Bible predicts in Ezekiel 38-39 that a massive Russian and Muslim force will invade Israel in the last days. There is strong Biblical support that the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel is the stage-setting event for the end time Tribulation. And there is Scriptural evidence that the invasion is in fact—imminent! Ezekiel writes,

Thus saith the Lord GOD; “Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army,. . . 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 . . . 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. . . . And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel.. . . it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land . . 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.” (Ezekiel 38:3–9, 16, 22)

Ours is the first generation ever to be in prime position to see the prophecy of “Gog, of the land of Ma- gog” launch forth from the pages of the Bible and from the northern-most regions of the earth. Jesus said that when these things “begin,” He is near. Are you ready to meet Jesus?

A Probable Scenario

Ezekiel’s prophecy offers the prospect of an amazing scenario involving a series of events that frame the climax of human history for this current age. What makes this scenario credible is that it will answer one of prophecy’s most perplexing questions, one that has puzzled prophecy watchers for years: How will it be possible for the Jews to rebuild the third temple on the site now occupied by the third most holy shrine in the Muslim world, the Mosque of Omar, also called the Dome of the Rock?

Here is a probable event schedule of how the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel will set the stage for the end of the age and the Tribulation period leading to the Return of Jesus Christ:

Russia and the Middle Eastern Islamic nations will realize that the security of Israel, believed to be impenetrable by the Israelis, can be breached.
Russia will then lead a massive coalition of multinational forces to invade Israel in the wake of the “peace” agreement. In defense of Israel, God will miraculously destroy the Russian-Islamic allied forces.
The reaction in Israel by many Jews will be a new faith in Messiah Jesus. And there will be a recognition from the nations that Israel’s God has acted and resides in their midst.
Most in the nations will “know that [God is] the Lord,” (Ezekiel 38:23) but without true faith (Romans 1:21). The Antichrist will be one of those. He will muster the world’s support and demand that peace be made for Israel and that her temple be rebuilt on its original site. The decimation of the Muslim nations as a result of their participation in the Russian invasion will negate any opposition they raise to the rebuilding of the tem- ple on the site now occupied by the Dome of the Rock.
The Antichrist will then rise to his moment of destiny and proclaim the divine right of the Jews to re- build the third temple. He will strike a seven-year “peace” covenant and order the rebuilding of the temple. And the Tribulation will begin at that point in time.

The Land of Magog, and Many Nations With You

Who are the people and nations who invade Israel? How do we know that the leading nation is actually Russia? Some Bible scholars have used the linguistic science of etymology to tie the terms “Rosh” (Ezekiel 38:2 NAS and NKJV) with Russia, and “Meshech” and “Tubal” with Moscow and Tobolsk, two of the principal cities of modern-day Russia. But the strongest evidence is to be found in the phrase “the land of Magog.”

The first century Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote that Magog (Noah’s grandson through Japheth) was the forefather of the Scythians. “Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians…” 1
The Scythians settled in Russia in the lands surrounding the Black and Caspian Seas and constituted one of the tribal ancestors of today’s Russians. [The Scythians] remained lords of the Russian steppe from the seventh to the third century B.C. 2
Modern Russians sometimes call themselves Scythians… No doubt some of the old Scythian stock was absorbed… 3
…during the sixth century B.C., the Scythians actually dominated the land that was later to become Russia. 4
Therefore, one can accurately read Ezekiel 38:2 as Gog of “the land of Magog, which is the land of Scythia, which is the land of Russia.”

From the Remote Parts of the North

There is more evidence that Russian is the lead nation for we read that “thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts” (Ezekiel 38:15; i.e., “far, extreme, uttermost north”)

In Biblical geography, Jerusalem is directionally at the center of the nations. All nations radiate outward from Jerusalem in various directions like spokes on a wheel. Thus says the Lord GOD, “This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst [center] of the nations and countries that are round about her.” (Ezekiel 5:5) Israel is “the people that are gathered out of the nations… that dwell in the midst of the land.” (Ezekiel 38:12; Luke 24:47)

The land of Magog is said in Ezekiel 38:15 to be situated “out of the north parts” [remote parts of the north]. Russia is caught squarely on the needle of the compass here—the hard facts of the global grid locate Moscow directly to the far north of Jerusalem.

Furthermore, the timeframe for the rise of the Russian state to superpower status has paralleled the birth of the State of Israel. This cannot be a historical ’coincidence.’ Russia is the lead-nation in Ezekiel’s vision of the latter-day invasion of Israel.

Being out of the remote north, the Russians will of course follow a path south to Israel. And today that path is being charted, secured and prepared. Russia has already acquired two ports in Syria, the country immediately north of Israel. Syria is a Muslim nation. So is Turkey, which is the next country just north of Syria. And today Turkey’s semi-friendly relations with Israel are deteriorating. But the only other country between Syria-Turkey and Russia is Georgia. And Russian invaded and took parts of Georgia in 2008.

One of Russia's strategic goals includes increasing control of energy pipelines to Turkey, which has Turkish territory attached to it. With a Russian path carved through Georgia, Turkey and Syria, the next stop is Israel!

And Many Peoples With You

What is the identity of the other nations named in Ezekiel’s Magog prophecy? “Libya” and “Ethiopia” are clearly identified and have their modern counterparts in Libya and Ethiopia-Sudan respectively. The other names have been thoroughly research by Mark Hitchcock in his classic work, based on his doctoral dissertation, called After The Empire. The following information is gleaned from that work,

Rosh— The ancient Sarmatians, who were known as Rashu, Rasapu, Ros, and Rus, are the people Ezekiel called Rosh in Ezekiel 38:2. The Sarmatians originally inhabited the land around the Caspian Sea, which is territory inhabited by eight of the former Soviet republics— Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan ...six of these former republics are Muslim nations. 5

Meshech and Tubal— at every point in the history of Meshech and Tubal, these two nations occupied territory in the modern nation of Turkey. To ascribe any other location to them is totally inconsistent with the clear facts of ancient history. 6

Gomer— Josephus [the ancient Jewish historian] identified the people of Galatia with Gomer. He says that the people the Greeks called the Galatians were the Gomerites. The Galatians, of course, lived in an area that today is in the west-central part of Turkey. 7

Beth-togarmah— always associated with a city or district within the boundaries of the modern nation of Turkey. 8

Persia— the modern nation of Iran is ancient Persia. The name Persia, which was written all over the pages of ancient history, was changed to Iran in foreign usage in March 1935. 9

In view of Hitchcock’s study above, it is apparent that nearly all of the nations which join with Russia are Muslim countries—thus the integrity of the term “Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel” which is used throughout this chapter, with Ezekiel’s terms “Gog and Magog,” or simply “Magog” being used as inter- changeable terms.

In the Latter Days—But When?

When will the Gog-Magog (Russian-Islamic) invasion of Israel occur? Will it occur at the end of the Millennium, or at the start? Or will it occur at the end of the Tribulation (Armageddon), in the middle, or at the start, or even sometime before the Tribulation? Using Biblical timing clues to guide us in a process of elimination, we find that the stage is being set and the LORD IS NEAR!

AT THE END OF MILLENNIUM— Will the Magog invasion occur at the end of the Millennium? Is the Ezekiel 38 Gog-Magog the same as the Gog-Magog of Revelation 20:8-9 that comes at the end of a thou- sand years of the reign of Christ on the earth? No, because the Ezekiel Magog invasion causes the Jews to awaken spiritually. "So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:7) Yet, throughout the 1000 years of the Millennium the Jews are in fact already wide-awake spiritually. "And they shall teach no more …’Know the LORD’: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them ...as the waters cover the sea.” (Jeremiah 31:34; Isaiah 11:9)

Why, then, is the Millennial revolt in Revelation 20 also referred to as Gog-Magog? The answer is that the godless memory of the Ezekiel invasion is applied to the Millennial Gog-Magog, just as the godless memory of Egypt and Sodom are applied to a degenerate Jerusalem in Revelation 11:8. But the different timing of the two events is required by the fact that Ezekiel’s Magog causes Israel to “know the Lord,” but when Revelation’s Magog comes at the end of the Millennium Israel has already known the Lord for a thousand years.

AT THE START OF MILLENNIUM— Some have proposed that the Magog invasion happens at the start of the Millennium. However, this can’t be the case because the Magog invasion is an attack by unbelievers, and by warring nations “...and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army... all of them clothed with all sorts of armour... all of them handling swords...“ (Ezekiel 38:4). Yet, for one, no unbelievers are permitted to enter the Millennial Kingdom, for “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Secondly, no warring nations can arise during the Millennium, for war is not an option since “nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more [during the Millennium].” (Micah 4:3) Why, then, do we see the uprising of “Gog and Magog” in Revelation 20 during the Millennium? The reason is that the “Gog and Magog” event of Revelation chapter 20 is not a war— it is a doomed insurrection. God instantly judges the Satan-led revolt and prevents a war.

AT THE END OF TRIBULATION— Will Magog invade Israel at the end of the Tribulation? No, be- cause the Magog invasion occurs when Israel is at peace. "After many days… thou [Gog-Magog] shalt come into...Israel... they shall [be] dwell[ing] safely…” (Ezekiel 38:8) Yet at the end of the Tribulation Israel is anything but “dwelling safely.” Throughout the second half of the Tribulation Israel is the direct target of history’s worst nightmare, the Great Tribulation (Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:21) The prerequisite that Israel is in a se- cure state when Magog attacks is not the case at the end of the Tribulation, for Israel is in the crosshairs of the nations at Armageddon.

AT THE MIDDLE OF TRIBULATION— Will the Magog invasion come in the middle of the Tribulation? No, because Ezekiel’s Magog invasion is the prophecy of an unsuccessful invasion into the Holy Land, for we read that “all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed [the destruction of Magog], and my hand that I have laid upon them.” (Ezekiel 39:21) Yet in the middle of the Tribulation Scripture records a successful invasion into the Holy Land by the Antichrist, when the Jews are forced to flee. Our Lord said when the Antichrist appears for the Jews to “flee into the mountains...” (Matthew 24:15-16). Thus, at the middle of the Tribulation, the Jews flee a successful invader (Antichrist). But the Magog invasion portrays the Jews protected from an unsuccessful invader (Magog).

AT OR NEAR THE BEGINNING OF TRIBULATION— By the process of elimination we arrive at the beginning or just before the Tribulation. Will Magog invade at that point? Yes, because the Magog invasion happens when Israel is "dwelling safely [securely].” (Ezekiel 38:8) There are two possibilities here. The Bible records a time of “security” for Israel in the false peace covenant confirmed by the Antichrist at the very outset of the 7-year Tribulation. "And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant [of peace] with many [Israel] for one week [7 years]...“ (Daniel 9:27). This false peace covenant clearly qualifies as the prerequisite that Israel be “living securely” when Magog attacks.

But there is another time period that also finds Israel “living securely,” and that time is now. Israel is living securely now. Here is the evidence for that assertion, first from the Bible, and then as confirmed by history.

When My People are Living Securely

The Bible says that "On that day when My people Israel are living securely,” the Russian-Islamic (Magog) forces will invade Israel. (Ezekiel 38:14) The prerequisite to the Magog invasion is that Israel will be “living securely.” When will that be? We find the answer in the Bible’s 4-part capsule history of the Jews since their dispersion from the land in 70 AD.

The first part, summarized in Deuteronomy 28:64-68, begins with the 70 AD expulsion of the Jews from their land and continues through centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocausts of World War II. The second part of Jewish history picks up with the return of the Jews to their land in 1948 until our current time. (Ezekiel 38:8) The third part foretells of the ultimate Jewish holocaust yet to come called Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble and known as the Great Tribulation. (Jeremiah 30:5-7; Matthew 24:21-22) Finally, the fourth part prophesies that Jewish history will culminate in the restoration of all Jews to their land under their everlasting King, Jesus Christ (Zechariah 14:9-11).

In part one and part three, the Jews are in a radically unsecure state. In part two and part four, they are living “securely.” But part four is the everlasting kingdom of security. Therefore, part two, with Israel living “securely” today, is Ezekiel’s reference and must serve as the springboard for the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel.

Deuteronomy 28 sums up part one of Jewish history since 70 AD. It is a graphic prophecy of the entire 70 AD—1945 span of Jewish persecution.

"And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other… And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart …” (Deuteronomy 28:64-68)

Nineteen centuries of Jewish suffering culminated in the Holocaust during the Second World War where 6 million Jews disappeared in the Nazi death camps; “…neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest... thy life shall hang in doubt before thee... and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life,” all of which couldn’t be more graphic in describing Jewish ‘unsecurity’ throughout that period.

Part two of post-AD 70 prophetic history saw the Jews return to the land of Israel. Ezekiel 38, our Magog passage, prophesied of that miraculous event, which was fulfilled in 1948.

" … 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.” (Ezekiel 38:8)

Note especially this phrase, “they shall [be] dwell[ing] safely” [after Israel is re-gathered to their land, they will be “living securely”]. The evidence shows that time to be now. Here is why. Take another look at the four parts of Israel’s prophetic history above. First, 1900 years of pure fright, fright prompted by constant ter- ror and “death camps.” It is all capped by the infamous Holocaust.

Next, look at part three of their history (yet future), the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” the Great Tribulation (Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:21-22). Sandwiched in-between is part two of Jewish history—their return to the land in 1948—continuing up until today. Now, it is no stretch of one’s imagination to say that there is no comparison between the security of today’s Israel and, on the one hand, the Holocaust, and on the other hand, the Great Tribulation. By comparison, Israel today is absolutely secure.

Here is a sure test of this assertion. Ask any Christian tour leader to Israel what he tells his group about “tour safety in Israel” today. I’ve heard them, and I myself have said the same on a tour I led to Israel in 2004—”Today the streets of Israel are safer than the streets of Chicago and New York!” And it is the truth. The same couldn’t be said about a visit the Jews in the 1945 Nazi death camps, or at any time in preceding 1900 years! Nor could the same be said about a “tour” to Israel during the Tribulation. Every Christian tour leader proclaims that today, Israel is secure, terrorists and the 1948, ‘54, ‘67 and ‘73 wars notwithstanding. Those wars actually enhanced Israel’s security.

In 1948 Israel came out of nineteen centuries of extreme ‘unsecurity’! During the coming Tribulation they will return for a short time to an even more intense period of ‘unsecurity.’ But today Israel is sandwiched into a brief period— by comparison— of super-security! Interestingly, when we observe the use of the word used by Ezekiel 38:8 for “safely” [“securely”], the Hebrew “betach,” we find it defined as “properly, a place of refuge, security, safety.” 10 That is exactly what the State of Israel represents for Jews worldwide since its inception in 1948. Today, then, Israel is a secure land of “refuge” from the nightmare of the previous 1900 years of Jewish suffering.

Now, let’s look at what history says about the fulfillment of these prophecies, keeping in mind Ezekiel’s prophecy that when Magog invades, Israel will be living “securely.”

Prophetic historian John Walvoord writes,

The sad condition of being scattered to the ends of the earth has persisted until the twentieth century, and with it has come untold sufferings to the people of Israel climaxing in the terrible scourge of Hitler who murdered some six million of the people of Israel. 11

Notice that Walvoord says that this first period of Jewish ‘unsecurity’ was climaxed by the Holocaust. It came to an end with the founding of Israel in 1948. “The world was shocked that such barbarism could take place in the 20th century” and so world demanded a place of refuge for the surviving Jews— a national home- land— a return to the land of Israel.. 12 The world’s response was that “a Jewish national homeland was fi- nally brought into being by a horrified, conscience-stricken international community which viewed Israel as a necessary refuge for Jews throughout the world.” 13

In light of both their previous history (Holocaust) and their future history (Tribulation), Israel today is far and away “secure.” Jews worldwide continue to migrate, right along with the tourist, to their “secure place.” “Having their own country was …a practical answer to the problem of having a secure place to go to.” 14 Max Dimont, the great historian of the Jews, acknowledges that “the State of Israel today is a citadel of Judaism, a haven of refuge.” 15

Israel’s only other time of living “securely” will be in their eternal kingdom when “the LORD shall be king over all the earth… and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. (Zechariah 14:9-11)

Summarizing the above, we find that after 70 AD, the Bible tells of TWO TIMES of security in Israel’s future, and Israel is in the first one NOW. And it is this time of Israel living “securely” that sets the stage for the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel. Therefore, the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel is an imminent event—it could happen any day!

A False Security

This raises the question, why would Magog attack Israel if they are actually secure in their armed forces? The answer we glean from Scripture is that there are three perspectives on what it means to be secure— the perspective of Israel, that of their enemy Gog-Magog (Russia), and that of the Lord. Obviously, in Ezekiel 38, Israel believes that they are living “securely.” But from Magog’s perspective, that security can be breached, or else they wouldn’t risk an attack. And from the Lord’s perspective, any security apart from trust in Him is a false security. Israel’s confidence in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) apart from the Lord is a false security, and no one, including Israel’s superb defense forces, will receive the glory that is due to God alone, for “my glory will I not give to another.” (Isaiah 42:8)

That Israel trust in its own security is evident in this simple statement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the ever-present “peace” negotiations,

“We want peace, but not at the price of security” 16

Netanyahu believes that “peace” and “security” are not one and the same. He is right. The Ezekiel 38 prediction of Israel’s condition at the time of the Russian-Islamic invasion is not one of peace, but one of security. Netanyahu obviously believes that Israel is presently secure by virtue of its military power. The source of that security? Netanyahu continued by making an admiring reference to a statement Israeli patriot Theodore Herzl said a century earlier. On June 11, 1901, Herzl said, “Do not rely on the help of foreigners nor on that of benefactors …A people that wants to stand upright must put all its trust in itself alone.” Israel’s perspective on living “securely” is the same one they had when they were driven out of the land 2000 years ago, which is summed up in Ezekiel 33:26:" Ye stand upon your sword…shall ye possess the land?”

Then there is the perspective of the Russian-Islamic arch enemy. They see Israel’s security-”walls” wide open for a breach, for then “shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought, And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages…” (Ezekiel 38:10-11). If the Russian-Islamic invaders really believed that the IDF was an impenetrable wall of defense, with unbreachable “gates” of security, then of course they wouldn’t attack in the first place! But the prophecy says that then “shall things come into thy mind” and they will view Israel as “living dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates.” (Ezekiel 38:11)

The third perspective on Israel’s security is the Lord’s—the only one that matters. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

Regarding the belief that Israel (and many Christians) have that Israel is secure behind the Israeli Defense Forces, the Bible declares something else,

“There is no king saved by the multitude of an host [a mighty army]: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.” (Psalms 33:16)

“For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.” (Psalms 44:6)

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalms 20:7)

Israel’s trust in itself and its IDF gives rise to a false security that the nation is self-secure behind “walls” and “barred gates.” However, then “shall things come into thy mind,” and as a result the Russian- Islamic coalition will have a different perspective—Israel will be ripe for an invasion because Russia “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.” (Ezekiel 38:11) As to why Israel will find itself in this predicament, parallel phrases (note the bold print) in the Bible about “safely,” “security,” “walled villages,” and “bars and gates” give us the answer.

1. Israel dwells ALONE among hateful neighbors in the Mid East. The Babylonians attacked a “secure” Arabian people precisely because they were isolated, alone without allies. Israel did the same to the city of Laish in the days of the Judges because they also were living in an isolated false security, without allies to help them.

"... Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you And devised a scheme against you. "Arise Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation (Arabia-dwellers) that dwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.. (Jeremiah 49:30-31)

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure… and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man [dwelt alone]. (Judges 18:7)

2. Israel is “complacent” about its security. Jeremiah’s indictment of the complacent (“careless”) women of Jerusalem came as a warning about false security before Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon.

Rise up, ye women that are at ease [safe and secure]; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. (Isaiah 32:9)

3. Israel is prideful of being self-sufficient. God is not in the equation. Babylon trusted in its self- security in the same way. So did the Assyrian super-city of Nineveh two centuries earlier.

Therefore hear now this [Babylon], thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly [securely], that sayest in thine heart, “I am, and none else beside me [self sufficient]; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children.” (Isaiah 47:8)

This is the rejoicing city [Nineveh] that dwelt carelessly [securely], that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me… (Zephaniah 2:15)

4. Israel is arrogant about its own strength. With that same attitude in the eighth century BC, Israel fell to the Assyrians.

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust [feel secure] in the mountain of Samaria... The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself … I abhor the excellency of Jacob [arrogance of Jacob]... therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein... Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? (Amos 6:1, 8, 13)

5. From our Ezekiel 38 passage on the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel, we find a remarkable similarity in the phrasing of the “security” conditions in the first four above.

“…but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely [are living securely] all of them… 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…” (Ezekiel 38:8, 11)

However, God will use the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel to raise up a remnant of believing Jews who "shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.“ (Ezekiel 39:22) These will be the 144000 Jewish “firstfruits” of salvation (Revelation 7:1-8; 14:4) They will testify to the rest of Israel during much of the Tribulation period. After God miraculously destroys Magog, Israel will begin a transition to an everlasting trust in the Lord, and by the end of the Tribulation that follows, “all Israel shall be saved” and Israel’s false walls of security will then be changed to this,

“Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls … 'For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” (Zechariah 2:4-5)

“Security” in a Pre-millennial Millennial Kingdom?

Some have proposed that Israel will use its IDF military superiority to hammer all of the surrounding Arab nations, capturing their oil fields and vast petrol-wealth, and actually expanding Israel’s borders in the process to gain the territory promised to them in the Millennial Kingdom, from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates River. The prophetic basis claimed for this scenario is Psalm 83. In that passage, Israel defeats a host of surrounding nations which have been perpetual enemies of God’s chosen people. These peoples, which include Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, the tongue of Egypt, etc., are the Arab groups which immediately surround Israel. It is assumed that since they are not specifically mentioned in the list of Ezekiel’s invading Magog nations, nations that form a more distant circle of countries surrounding Israel, then the Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 prophecies must be two difference wars.

The theory proposes that once Israel has captured the territories of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and the others of Psalm 83, all the way over to Iraq, it is only then that the outer parameter of Ezekiel’s Magog-Persian led nations can come down upon Israel’s expanded territory. The goal of the Russian-Islamic invaders is to “take a spoil.” (Ezekiel 38:12) Supposedly that is the oil fields spread throughout the Mid East but now, according to this scenario, under Israel’s control. The instrument of this exceeding great conquest of the Mid East by Israel is the IDF, identified as the “exceeding great army” which emerges out of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:10.

The Israeli Defense Forces are then internationally glorified as the world’s premier military force. And Israel gains a pre-millennial version of its divinely-deeded Millennial Kingdom. The theory goes on to say that it is only then that Israel is in a truly secure state, and consequently it is only then that Ezekiel’s Magog invasion can occur.

But this theory has serious problems, as follows;

1. The realization of Israel’s extended kingdom boundaries is to come after the return of Christ. (Daniel 2:44; 7:26-17; Matthew 25:31-34)

2. The target of Ezekiel’s Magog invasion is not the supposed expanded territories of Israel comprised of the entire Mid East oil fields, but rather a very specific geographic identifier called “the mountains of Israel.” (Ezekiel 39:2-4) The “mountains of Israel” territory is not the expanded Mid East, but rather the spine of Israel proper, the mountain range connecting the entire country north and south. More about “the mountains of Israel” shortly.

Also it seems that in the Ezekiel invasion the “spoil and plunder” is not the motive of the invasion, but is rather a pretext. Satan’s plan has never been to get the goods, but rather the people and the land. And the text itself infers this. In the very context of the “spoil” passage, we read this,

Then, to confirm that the real goal of the invasion is to wipe out God’s chosen people from their God- given land, God Himself makes it clear what the real target is,

“...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” (Ezekiel 38:16)

3. The “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel 37:10 is not today’s Israeli Defense Forces, but rather the army of Jews raised up by the Lord to join with Him at His second coming in the war against the nations at Armageddon. Ezekiel 37 gives a very careful and clear sequence of the restoration to life of the “dry bones” of Israel. First, there is the vision of Israel as a vast valley of “dry bones,” which is the graveyard of the nations into which Israel was dispersed for 1900 years. (37:1-2) Next comes the reassembling of the bones into flesh covered bodies, physically alive (37:7-8), but still spiritually dead, and interpreted by the passage itself as “the whole house of Israel” returned to their homeland. (37:11-12) It is only in the final phase of events that the salvation of Israel is occurs, when the “breath” (37:8-9), which is “my spirit” (37:9, 14), is imparted to Israel by God. At that point—the time of Israel’s salvation is at the time of the second coming of Christ (Romans 11:26; Zechariah 12:10)— Israel becomes the “exceeding great army” in Ezekiel 37:10. In Zechariah 12:6-10 we see the true mission and correct sequence of the “exceeding great army” when at the return of Christ, empowered by “my spirit,” it is said of Israel,

“"In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left .... In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them… And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications... (Zechariah 12:6-10)

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is not the “exceeding great army” of Ezekiel chapter 37.

4. To say that the Psalm 83 prophecy must be an entirely different event which must precede the Magog invasion because the Ezekiel and Psalm passages have a different listing of nations ignores the fact that the Bible, when describing an event, sometimes lists only the leader nations, and sometimes list only the follower nations. Joel’s account of the War of Armageddon in chapter 3 lists only the follower nations (Tyre, Sidon, Philitia, Egypt, Edom, etc.), and Isaiah 11 adds to that list Moab and Ammon. Both passages are clearly set at the time of Armageddon. Both passages leave out the leader nations (as does Psalm 83) including no mention of the Antichrist, the ten kings, or the “kings of the east.” (Revelation 17:12; 16:12) It is probable that the Psalm 83 nations are those “many people with thee” and “all thy company that are assembled unto thee” follower nations under the “guard” (Ezekiel 38:6-7) of the Magog-leader nations listed by Ezekiel.

5. Finally, Israel doesn’t have to capture the entire middle east to place itself in the secure position that is required before Magog can invade. Israel already perceives itself today as a people who “dwell safely,” who are living “securely.” We have made that case at length earlier. Furthermore, though Israel today is certainly not at peace with its Islamic neighbors, Israel is secure. Not to confuse peace with security, remember our ear- lier quote from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who very aptly made the point when he said, “We want peace, but not at the price of security” 17

Against The Mountains Of Israel

Finally, for further confirmation that the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel is an imminent, any-moment event, we read this,

“…And I will turn thee back… and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel ... 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.” (Ezekiel 39:2-4)

It is against “the mountains of Israel” that the Russian-Islamic forces will come, and it is upon “the mountains of Israel” that the Russian-Islamic forces will fall. Magog is not invading the expanded greater Mid East lands of an enlarged Israel. Nor does Magog fall on the sands somewhere in the Iraqi desert. The target is the “people” and the “land”, and the people are identified as Israelis who live on a land called “the mountains of Israel”. So the question becomes very important: How does Ezekiel use this term, “the mountains of Israel”?

Invariably, Ezekiel means literal mountains when he uses the term “mountains of Israel.” In Ezekiel’s prophetic section foretelling of the restoration of Israel (chapters 33-48) he couples “mountains of Israel” with other physical characteristic such as “land,” “pasture,” etc. (33:28; 34:14; 36:4; 36:6; 37:22). It is upon “the mountains of Israel” that Russian-Islamic invaders will in the future fall in a great slaughter (39:2-4; 17).

Here is the timing issue with “the mountains of Israel.” When Israel returned to the land in 1948, not all of the original homeland came under Jewish control. That only happened in phases through a series of Israeli- Arab wars over the next twenty years. Two geographic criteria are required by Ezekiel 38 and 39 before the Russian-Islamic invasion can occur. The first one, that Israel must be returned to the land (38:8), happened in 1948. But the second one, that Israel must possess “the mountains of Israel,” was not possible then, for “the mountains of Israel” were in fact under the territory of Jordan. However, in the 1967 War, Israel took East Jerusalem and “the mountains of Israel” that constitutes much of what is today known as the West Bank (of the Jordan River). It is only since 1967, then, that the geographic criteria for Ezekiel’s Magog invasion has been met. Israel now occupies “the mountains of Israel.” And since Israel is living “securely” in those mountains, then the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel could happen at any time. The fulfillment of Ezekiel’s Magog prophecy is imminent! For more on the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel, go to our web site at www.prophecywatch.com.

We began this chapter by asking you a question. Have you asked Jesus Christ into your life to be your personal Savior? As you can see, the time is short, and the time is imminent. He said, “when ye shall see all these things, know that it [the end of the age and the coming of Jesus Christ] is near, even at the doors.” (Matthew 24:33)

As you conclude your reading of the Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel, with that event right at the door- step of our generation, if you haven’t already, ask Jesus into your life now. If you have already done so, make a new commitment to live for Him at this epoch time in world history, reach out in love to your family and those around you, and tell them of Jesus the Savior!

END NOTES TO APPENDIX 2

1. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, VI-1

2. Rene Grousset, ―The Empire Of The Steppes, Rutgers University Press, 1970, page 7.

3. John Lawrence, A History of Russia, 7th ed., New York, Meridian-Penguin Group, 1993, pp. 18-28.

4. The New Columbia Encyclopedia, p. 2377.

5. After The Empire, Mark Hitchcock, 1994, Tyndale House, p. 37.

6. Ibid, p. 59.p>

7. Ibid, p. 62.

8. Ibid, p. 64.

9.9. Ibid, p. 72.

10. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary (0983), Eze. 38:8; 39;26, “Securely—– Betach.”

11. Israel In Prophecy, John F. Walvoord, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1962, p. 107.

12. G. & L. Klaperman, The Story Of The Jewish People, Behrman House, N. Y., 1958, p. 229.

13. From Time Immemorial, Joan Peters, ,1984, p. 80.

14. G. & L. Klaperman, The Story Of The Jewish People, 1958, p. 241.

15. Jews, God And History, Max I. Dimont, 962, p. 418.

16. www.jpost.com; April 19, 2010.

17. Ibid.

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The Psalm 83 Prophecy TIMING & RELATIONSHIP To MAGOG

(A prelude to, or, a part of, the Magog Invasion?)

The 2 Great Wars

The Psalm 83 Event

The Ezekiel 38-39 Magog-Islamic Invasion of Israel

1. TIME of PSALM 83 WAR—Pre or Post Tribulation?

2. The “MISSING” NATIONS

Where are the Psalm 83 nations in the Russian-Islamic (Magog) Invasion of Israel?

THE INNER-RING NATIONS & THE WAR OF ARMAGEDDON

3. The “MISSING” SECURITY

Gog & Magog—The Primary Timing Question: Is Israel Living Securely Today?

RADICAL UN-SECURITY (70 AD to 1948)

GOD-given SECURITY (1948 through Magog)

RADICALLY UNSECURE (The Great Tribulation)

SECURE FOREVERMORE (The Millennium into Eternity)

—SECURITY NEVERENDING—

Questions about Israel’s security today? Ask Your Tour-Leader!

History Recognizes Israel Today as a “Haven of Refuge”

Israel Trusts in Self-Security

The Horizontal View of Security

The Hebrew Word for Security means “Confidence,” NOT “Peace”

The SECURITY-CHECKLIST for Israel is Miraculous

IF THE DESCRIPTION BELOW IS NOT GOD’S SECURITY, WHAT IS IT?

ISRAEL’S PROPHETIC HISTORY TODAY

Psalm 83 SUMMED UP

APPENDIX 1

The Psalm 83 Prophecy

A prelude to, or, a part of, The Magog Invasion?

Will Israel Secure Pre-millennial Millennial Borders?

But this theory has serious problems, as follows;

Where are the Psalm 83 nations in the Russian-Islamic (Magog) Invasion of Israel?

Gog & Magog—The Primary Timing Question: Is Israel Living Securely Today?

A False Security

NOTE 1

The 2 Great Wars

NOTE 2

The Real Goal—Not Spoil

NOTE 3

Who Is the “exceeding great army”?

Two passages record —what happens next—

NOTE 4

When will Israel “swoop down” and capture the Psalm 83 nations?

NOTE 5

When will Israel get the Psalm 83 lands?

NOTE 6

Which ‘Israel’ Does Magog Attack?

NOTE 7

The Psalm 83 Event

NOTE 8

The Ezekiel 38-39 Magog-Islamic Invasion of Israel

NOTE 9

THE INNER-RING NATIONS & THE WAR OF ARMAGEDDON

NOTE 10

RADICAL UN-SECURITY (70 AD to 1948)

NOTE 11 GOD-given SECURITY

(1948 through Magog)

NOTE 12 RADICALLY UNSECURE

(The Great Tribulation)

NOTE 13

SECURE FOREVERMORE

NOTE 14 Questions about Israel’s

Security today? Ask Your Tour-Leader!

NOTE 15 History Recognizes Israel Today as a “Haven of Refuge”

NOTE 16

Israel Trusts in Self-Security

NOTE 17

Russia can breach Israel’s Self-Security—And Knows It!

NOTE 18

God will use both the Magog and Armageddon Wars to lead Israel to True Security

APPENDIX 19 WALLS & GATES

END NOTES TO APPENDIX 2

APPENDIX 2

A Probable Scenario

The Land of Magog, and Many Nations With You

From the Remote Parts of the North

And Many Peoples With You

In the Latter Days—But When?

When My People are Living Securely

A False Security

The Psalm 83 Prophecy
TIMING & RELATIONSHIP To MAGOG

Two passages record
—what happens next—

RADICAL UN-SECURITY
(70 AD to 1948)