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EZEKIEL 38:1-13
LESSON #32
THE ARMY OF THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR
v MEMORY VERSE: EZE 38:23
v EZEKIEL 37 TOLD US THAT ISRAEL WOULD BE A NATIONAGAIN ONE DAY. THAT PROPHECY WAS FULFILLED IN 1948.
v EZEKIEL 38 TELLS US THAT THERE WILL BE AN INVASIONOF ISRAEL BY AN ENEMY FROM THE NORTH AFTER ISRAEL BECOMES OR A NATION.
Ø EZEKIEL 38 AND 39 HAVE NEVER BEEN FULFILLED.ACCORDING TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DOUBLE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, WE MUST LOOK FOR 2FULFILLMENTS OF THIS PROPHECY BECAUSE IT IS MENTIONED MORE THAN ONCE IN SCRIPTURE.
v THEFIRST FULFILLMENT OF EZE 38:
v READEZE 38:1-7 THE ARMY
Ø WHOIS THIS ARMY?
§ GOG = THE WORDREFERS TO A RULER AND MEANS ROOF, OR THE ONE ON TOP. IT THEREFORE,REFERS TO THE LEADER OF A NATION.
§ MAGOG = THE HEBREWWORD IS rosh WHICH MEANS = HEAD OR CHIEF. EZEKIEL TELLS USTHAT THIS IS A NATION OF PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW TODAY AS RUSSIA.
· THEFIRST PLACE WE FIND THE WORD, MAGOG, IN SCRIPTURE IS IN A GENEAOLOGY IN GENESIS 10. INFACT, MANY OF THE NAMES WE WILL TALK ABOUT ARE FOUND THERE IN GEN 10.
¨ GEN10 REFERS TO A GENEAOLOGY OF TRIBES OF PEOPLE THAT SCATTERED OVER THE FACE OF THE EARTHOVER TIME. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WITH IDENTIFYING THESE TRIBES OF PEOPLE WITH A SPECIFICPIECE OF GEOGRAPHY. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT SINCE TRIBES OF PEOPLE DID NOT USUALLYSTAY IN ONE PLACE OVER THE CENTURIES.
· THEMOST ACCEPTED EVIDENCE IS THAT THESE PEOPLE OCCUPIED THE TERRITORY NORTH OF THE BLACK SEAAND BETWEEN THE BLACK SEA AND THE CASPIAN SEA. THIS TERRITORY IS THE NATION OF SOUTHERNRUSSIA AND THE UKRAINE TODAY.
· LATERTHE GREEKS CALLED THESE PEOPLE THE SCYTHIANS.
¨ WHATDO WE KNOW ABOUT THE SCYTHIANS?
Ø THEYWERE A VERY FIERCE NOMADIC PEOPLE FAMOUS FOR THEIR ARCHERY SKILLS IN EZEKIELS TIMEPERIOD. THEIR SYMBOL WAS A HORSE WITH AN ARCHER LOOKING BACKWARD.
Ø LATERIN THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA (1917), THE COSSACKS, A WARRIOR CLASS OF PEOPLE WHOCAME FROM THE SAME GEOGRAPHIC AREA AS THE SCYTHIANS, AND PERHAPS DESCENDED FROM THEM,FOUGHT AGAINST THE COMMUNISTS. THEY SUPPORTED THE MONARCHY HEADED BY THE CZAR.
§ THE SYMBOL OF THE CZARISTREGIME IN RUSSIA WAS THE DOUBLE EAGLE LOOKING EAST AND WEST. IT WAS A SYMBOL EXPRESSINGTHEIR DESIRE TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN ASIA AND EUROPE THROUGH CONQUEST.
§ SINCE THE FALL OF COMMUNISMIN RUSSIA, THE WARRIOR CLASS OF COSSACKS IS PUSHING FOR A REVIVAL OF THEIR POLITICALPOWER. THE NEW SYMBOL OF RUSSIA SINCE THE FALL OF COMMUNISM IS AGAIN THE DOUBLE EAGLE.
Ø EZEKIELTELLS US THAT THE LEADER OF RUSSIA (GOG) IS ALSO THE CHIEF PRINCE OF MESHECH AND TUBAL.(2) IN OTHER WORDS, THE NAMES MAGOG, MESHECH AND TUBAL IDENTIFY A UNIFIED ARMY UNDER ONERUSSIAN LEADER.
§ MESHECH = THE NAMEIS THOUGHT TO REFER TO THE AREA AROUND MOSCOW. THE ORIGINAL NAME FOR THE NATION OF RUSSIAWAS MUSCOVY AND THEIR KINGS WERE CALLED THE MUSCOVITE DYNASTY. THEREFORE,THERE SEEMS TO BE A LINGUISTIC IDENTITY BETWEEN MESHECH AND MOSCOW.
§ TUBAL = SOMEEVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THE DESCENDANTS OF TUBAL IN GEN 10 SETTLED AROUND TOBOLSK INSIBERIA AND NORTHERN RUSSIA. OTHER EVIDENCE INDICATES THEY MAY HAVE SETTLED IN EASTERNTURKEY NEAR THE NATION OF GEORGIA.
Ø IAM AGAINST THEE, O GOG (3)
§ THE ONLY TIME THE BIBLESAYS THAT GOD IS AGAINST A NATION IS BECAUSE OF SOME EVIL THAT THE NATION HAD DONE IN THEPAST AGAINST GOD OR GODS PEOPLE. HOWEVER, THE NATION OF MAGOG, MESHECH, AND TUBALDID NOT EXIST IN EZEKIELS DAY.
· WHYIS GOD AGAINST MAGOG?
¨ PERHAPSIT IS BECAUSE THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE NATION IS ATHEISM. HITLER KILLED 6 MILLION JEWS, BUTTHE SOVIETS KILLED 60 MILLION JEWS IN 70 YEARS. THEY KILLED 15 MILLION CHRISTIANS.
Ø WHYWILL RUSSIA INVADE ISRAEL?
§ I WILL PUT HOOKS INTOTHY JAWS (4)
· GODSAYS HE WILL BE THE ONE TO DRAW THIS ARMY TO BATTLE AGAINST ISRAEL BY USING HOOKS TOCOMPEL THEM INTO BATTLE. WHAT ARE THE BAITED HOOKS?
¨ RUSSIAHAS ALWAYS NEEDED AND DESIRED A WARM WATER PORT OPERATIONAL YEAR ROUND.
Ø ISRAELIS THE LAND BRIDGE BETWEEN AFRICA AND EUROPE.
¨ THECONTROL OF WORLD OIL.
Ø ALLNATIONS OF THE WORLD NEED THE OIL FROM THE ARAB COUNTRIES OF THE MIDDLE EAST. OIL ISEITHER SHIPPED THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL OR IT FLOWS BY PIPELINE THROUGH ISRAEL TO SHIPS INTHE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.
¨ THEDEAD SEA MINERALS.
Ø RUSSIAIS A POOR NATION WITH POOR FARMING. THEY DESPERATELY NEED CHEMICALS TO MAKE FERTILIZER.
Ø THEDEAD SEA AREA CONTAINS:
§ 2,000,000 TONS OF POTASSIUMCHLORIDE (POTASH)
§ 22 BILLION TONS OFMAGNESIUM CHLORIDE
§ 12 BILLION TONS OF SODIUMCHLORIDE
§ 6 BILLION TONS OF CALCIUMCHLORIDE
§ AND METALS SUCH AS CERIUM,COBALT, AND MANGANESE AND GOLD
· EZE38:12 SAYS THAT RUSSIA WILL COME TO TAKE A SPOIL.
Ø WHOARE THE ALLIES? (5)
§ A SOUTHERN BLOC OF ISLAMICNATIONS: (EZE 29:2-16 EZE 30 ISA 19
ISA 20:1-6 JER 46)
· PERSIA= IRAN (WEST PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, CYPRUS, JORDAN, LEBANON, SYRIA, AND IRAQ WERE ALLPART OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE.
· CUSH= ETHIOPIA, SOMALIA, SUDAN
· PUT= LYBIA (EGYPT, ALGERIA, MORROCCO, TUNISIA, AND MAURITANIA)
§ EUROPEAN ALLIES: (6)
· GOMER= THIS NAME REFERS TO AN ANCIENT PEOPLE CALLED THE AKKADIANS OR CIMMERIANS OF THERHINE AND DANUBE RIVER VALLEYS OF EASTERN EUROPE. (EASTERN GERMANY AND FORMER SOVIETNATIONS SUCH AS ALBANIA, POLAND, AND HUNGARY.)
· TOGARMAH = ESTONIA,LATVIA, LITHUANIA, ARMENIA. THE ARMENIANS STILL REFER TO THEMSELVES AS THE HOUSE OFTOGARMAH.
Ø WHOIS THE LEADER OF THIS ARMY? (7)
§ GOG, THE RUSSIANLEADER IS THE GUARD UNDER WHOSE AUTHORITY THIS ARMY WILL ATTACK.
v READEZE 38:7-13
Ø WHENAND WHERE WILL THIS BATTLE OCCUR? (8)
§ THERE ARE MANYINTERPRETATIONS AND OPINIONS AS TO WHEN THIS BATTLE WILL OCCUR.
· SOMEPEOPLE BELIEVE THIS BATTLE WILL OCCUR BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD BEGINS.
¨ HOWEVER,EZE 38:8 SAYS IT WILL OCCUR AFTER MANY DAYS IN THE LATTER YEARS.
Ø PROPHETICALLYTHIS REFERS TO THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
¨ ALSO, EZE 38:14 SAYS IT OCCURS WHEN ISRAEL ISLIVING SAFELY IN THE LAND.
Ø ISRAELHAS NEVER LIVED IN SAFETY AND WILL NOT UNTIL THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. HOWEVER, THEYWILL FEEL AS THOUGH THEY ARE LIVING IN SAFETY AFTER THE ANTI-CHRIST CONFIRMS APEACE TREATY THAT WILL SECURE THE PEACE OF ISRAEL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATIONPERIOD. (DAN 9:27)
· SOMEPEOPLE (I INCLUDED) BELIEVE THIS BATTLE WILL OCCUR VERY EARLY IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD TOTEST THE PEACE TREATY ESTABLISHED BY THE ANTI-CHRIST.
¨ THEBATTLE WILL BE A MESSAGE TO THE JEWS AT THAT TIME IN THE FORM OF A TEST OF FAITH:
Ø WILLYOU TRUST THE ANTI-CHRIST FOR THE PROTECTION OF ISRAEL OR WILL YOU TRUST ME (GOD) FOR YOURPROTECTION?
· SOMEPEOPLE BELIEVE THIS BATTLE WILL OCCUR AT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION, WHICH IS POSSIBLEBUT WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT SCRIPTURE TO ESTABLISH THIS POSITION.
· MANYPEOPLE BELIEVE THIS BATTLE IS THE SAME AS THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON.
¨ THEREARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WAR IN EZE 38 AND THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON INREVELATION.
Ø THECONDITIONS BEFORE THE TWO WARS:
| GREAT RUSSIAN WAR: | BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: |
| SRAEL IS LIVING SAFELY IN THE LAND (EZE 38:11) | THE JEWS WILL LIVE IN FEAR FLEEING PERSECUTION BY THE ANTI-CHRIST (REV 12:6) |
Ø THEREASONS FOR THE TWO WARS:
| GREAT RUSSIAN WAR: | BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: |
| GOD BRINGS RUSSIA FOR MATERIAL GAIN (EZE 38:4,12) | NATIONS ARE PULLED INTO THE WAR BY 3 UNCLEAN SPIRITS (REV 16:13-14) |
Ø THELOCATIONS OF THESE TWO WARS:
| GREAT RUSSIAN WAR: | BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: |
| THE BATTLE OCCURS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL (EZE 38:8) | THE BATTLE BEGINS IN THE PLAIN OF MEGGIDO (REV 16:16) |
Ø THELEADERS OF THESE TWO WARS:
| GREAT RUSSIAN WAR: | BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: |
| LED BY GOG (EZE 38:2,7) | LED BY THE ANTI-CHRIST (REV 19:19) |
Ø THENATIONS INVOLVED IN THE TWO WARS:
| GREAT RUSSIAN WAR: | BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: |
| RUSSIA AND SOME ALLIES (EZE 38:1-7) | ALL NATIONS (REV 16:14) |
Ø THEFOCUS OF THE ATTACK IN THESE TWO WARS:
| GREAT RUSSIAN WAR: | BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: |
| NATION AGAINST NATION (EZE 38-39) | NATIONS AGAINST CHRIST (REV 19:19) |
Ø THERESULTS OF THE TWO WARS:
| GREAT RUSSIAN WAR: | BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: |
|
THE DEFEAT COMES BY NATURAL EVENTS AND INFIGHTING (EZE 38:19-21). IT ENDS WITH THE DEFEAT OF RUSSIA. (EZE 39) |
THE DEFEAT COMES BY CHRISTS RETURN (REV 19:21) IT ENDS WITH THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST. (REV 19) |
· SOMEPEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THIS WAR OCCURS AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM BECAUSE OF REV 20:8.
¨ THE REASON SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT REV 20:8REFERS TO EZE 38 IS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF DOUBLE REFERENCE INBIBLE PROPHECY.
Ø REV 20:8 REFERS TO THE SECONDFULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY. EZE 38 AND REV 20:8 ARE TWO SEPARATE EVENTS AT TWODIFFERENT POINTS IN TIME. THE ONLY SIMILIARITY IS THE NAME GOG AND MAGOG. WHY THATSIMILARITY?
§ BOTH WILL BE AN INVASION OFISRAEL BY A GROUP OF NATIONS THAT HATE THE JEWS AND DONT BELIEVE IN GOD.
§ BOTH WILL BE SHORT WARSMIRACULOUSLY ENDED BY GODS SUPERNATURAL PROTECTION OF HIS PEOPLE, AND THEDESTRUCTION OF HIS ENEMIES.
Ø WHO ARE THE OBSERVING NATIONS? (13)
§ SHEBA = YEMEN
§ DEDAN = THIS WAS THEANCIENT CAPITAL OF SAUDI ARABIA.
§ TARSHISH =ORIGINALLY THIS WAS A CITY STATE ON THE COAST OF SPAIN USED BY THE PHOENICIANS AS ATRADING CENTER. THEN IT WAS USED BY ENGLAND IN THE SAME WAY.
§ THE YOUNG LIONS =THE YOUNG LIONS OF BOTH BRITAIN AND SPAIN ARE THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, ALL COUNTRIES OFSOUTH AMERICA EXCEPT BRAZIL.
· EZE 38:13 IS THE ONLYSCRIPTURE THAT EVEN COMES CLOSE TO A REFERENCE TO THE UNITED STATES IN BIBLICAL PROPHECY.
Ø WHAT IS THE RESPONSE OF THESEOBSERVING NATIONS?
§ THEY ONLY QUESTION THE WARBECAUSE THEY FEEL SOME OF THE REPERCUSSIONS OF IT PHYSICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY.
HOMEWORK
EZEKIEL 38:14-23
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.v APPLICATION FOR EZE 38:1-13
§ IN WHAT DO YOU TRUST FORPERSONAL PEACE IN YOUR HEART?
§ HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH WORRYOR FEAR?
§ EXPLAIN HOW TRUSTING INCHRIST FOR PEACE IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR WORLD IS A BETTER WAY.
v PREPARATION FOR EZE 38:14-23
Ø READ ALL OF EZE 38 AGAIN.
Ø READ DAN 11:21-45
§ EZEKIEL DOES NOT MENTIONTHE ANTI-CHRISTS ROLE IN THE RUSSIAN WAR, BUT DANIEL DOES.
· THE VILE PERSON = THEANTI-CHRIST
· A SMALL PEOPLE =ISRAEL
· LOOK FOR THE SOUTHERN BLOC OFNATIONS IN THIS PASSAGE.
§ MEMORY VERSE: PSA 29:11
