LESSON#26

REVELATION AND THE SECOND COMING
LESSON #26
PREPARATION FOR THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR

• MEMORY VERSE: ISA 52:10

• BEFORE WE CAN DISCUSS THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR IN EZE 38 AND 39, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND SOME BACKGROUND CONCERNING THE NATIONS THAT WILL INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN THIS WAR, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF WORLD EVENTS TODAY.
• READ ISA 14:26-27 ISA 34:2 ISA 30:28 ISA 40:15-17

• BACKGROUND CONCERNING ISLAMIC NATIONS:
• BECAUSE THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR WILL OCCUR IN ISRAEL AND INVOLVE THE MIDDLE EAST, MANY OF THE NATIONS INVOLVED IN THIS WAR ARE CURRENTLY ISLAMIC NATIONS TODAY.
• ISLAM IS A RELIGION. PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN THIS RELIGION ARE CALLED MUSLIMS.
• ISLAM IS THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE WORLD TODAY. MANY CONVERTS WON AT THE POINT OF A SWORD.
• BETWEEN 800 MILLION AND 1 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD BELIEVE IN ISLAM.
• ABOUT 40 NATIONS ARE PREDOMINATELY MUSLIM AND 30 OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE SIZEABLE MUSLIM POPULATIONS.
• INDONESIA HAS THE LARGEST MUSLIM POPULATION IN THE WORLD.
• THE SECOND LARGEST MUSLIM POPULATION IS IN THE HINDU NATION OF INDIA.
• ABOUT 6 MILLION MUSLIMS LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES.
• THERE ARE TWO BASIC SECTS OF ISLAM, SHI’ITE AND SUNNI.

• ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS FOR ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND MILITARY COOPERATION:
• THE NEW MOSLEM COMMON MARKET AND ISLAMIC LEAGUE (1995)
• OPEC (OIL PRODUCING ECONOMIC COMMUNITY) – 13 MEMBERS
• SAUDI ARABIA, IRAN, KUWAIT, VENEZUELA, ALGERIA, NIGERIA, ECUADOR, GABON, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, IRAQ, QATAR, LIBYA, INDONESIA.
• THE ARAB LEAGUE – 22 MEMBERS
• EGYPT, IRAQ, LEBANON, SYRIA, SAUDI ARABIA, JORDAN, PLO, ALGERIA, BAHRAIN, KUWAIT, LIBYA, DJIBOUTI, MAURITANIA, MOROCCO, OMAN, QATAR, SOMALIA, SUDAN, TUNISIA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, YEMEN ARAB REPUBLIC, YEMEN PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC.
• GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL – 6 MEMBERS
• SAUDI ARABIA, KUWAIT, QATAR, BAHRAIN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, OMAN.
• ISLAMIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS:
• ALL THE FOLLOWING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS ARE FUNDED BY IRAN AND HARBORED BY SYRIA WITH SAUDI ARABIA FUNDING SYRIA INDIRECTLY.
• SHI’ITE HIZBULLAH
• SUNNI HAMAS
• ISLAMIC JIHAD
• THE BELIEFS, PRACTICES, AND DOCTRINES OF ISLAM:
• THE WORD, ISLAM, IN ARABIC MEANS = SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF THE GOD, ALLAH.
• ALLAH IS THE ANCIENT MOON GOD OF SAUDI ARABIA THAT INHABITS A BLACK METEORITE ROCK HOUSED IN A LARGE BOX IN MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA.
• ISLAM IS A MONOTHEISTIC RELIGION BELIEVING IN ONE GOD BUT DENYING THE EXISTENCE OF A TRINITY.
• MOHAMMED FOUNDED THIS RELIGION IN ABOUT 610 AD.
• IN ISLAM THERE IS NO SEPARATION BETWEEN RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR LIFE, BETWEEN RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT.
• THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD AND MOHAMMED WAS HIS DIVINE MESSENGER, THE LAST PROPHET.
• THE KORAN IS THE BOOK USED IN THIS RELIGION AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TEACHING AND DOCTRINE.
• THERE IS A STRONG BELIEF IN THE CONCEPT OF DESTINY THAT EVEN PRAYER CANNOT CHANGE EVENTS.
• THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALLAH AND BELIEVERS IN ALLAH IS A MASTER / SERVANT RELATIONSHIP THAT DEMANDS OBEDIENCE OR SEVERE PUNISHMENT IS THE RESULT. THEREFORE, ALL RELATIONSHIPS IN LIFE ARE SEEN AS MASTER / SERVANT RELATIONSHIPS.
• THEREFORE, ISLAM IS A VERY STRICT LEGALISTIC RELIGION WITH VERY SEVERE PUNISHMENT FOR ANYONE WHO STRAYS. THERE IS NO MERCY, NO LOVE, NO FORGIVENESS, AND NO COMPASSION.
• HOWEVER, THERE ARE REWARDS IN PARADISE FOR THOSE WHO DO THE WORK OF CONVERTING PEOPLE TO ALLAH.
• THE 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM:
• =1= THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH AND MOHAMMED WAS HIS DIVINE MESSENGER.
• =2= PRAYER 5 TIMES A DAY FACING THE CITY OF MECCA.
• =3= FASTING DURING THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN.
• =4= PAYING ALMS TO THE POOR.
• =5= MAKING A HOLY PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY CITY OF MECCA IN SAUDI ARABIA AT LEAST ONE TIME IN LIFE.
• THE WORD, “JIHAD”, MEANS = THE STRUGGLE IN THE WAY OF ALLAH.
• ORIGINALLY THE MUSLIMS SAW THIS STRUGGLE AS A PERSONAL STRUGGLE AGAINST THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE FLESH. HOWEVER, RAPIDLY IT BECAME A STRONG PRINCIPLE AGAINST THE INFIDELS. AN INFIDEL IS ANYONE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IN ALLAH.
• VIOLENCE IS COMMANDED AGAINST THE INFIDEL IN THE KORAN.
• THE GOAL AND PURPOSE OF ISLAM IS TO CONVERT AND CONTROL THE WORLD TO BRING IT UNDER THE CONTROL OF ALLAH, BY FORCE IF NECESSARY.

• BACKGROUND CONCERNING RUSSIA:
• THE SYCTHIANS:
• THE ANCIENT RUSSIAN PEOPLE WERE CALLED THE SYCTHIANS. THEY WERE THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE WHO CONTROLLED THE LAND AROUND THE CASPIAN AND BLACK SEAS. THEY WERE CONSIDERED THE MOST BARBARIC OF ANY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. IN FACT, THEY ARE MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE TO THAT EFFECT. (COL 3:11). WE WILL CONSIDER THEM MORE FULLY LATER IN OUR STUDY.
• THE COMMUNISTS STILL RULE IN RUSSIA TODAY, AND RUSSIA IS STILL THE MAIN PROVIDER OF ENERGY TO MANY OF THE FORMER SOVIET STATES THAT ARE NOW INDEPENDENT. COMMUNISTS STILL CONTROL MAJOR INDUSTRIES, THE RUSSIAN CENTRAL BANK, A RE-NAMED KGB, A RE-NAMED COMMUNIST PARTY, AND THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT.
• RUSSIA STILL MAINTAINS CONTROL OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN 3 OTHER INDEPENDENT STATES AND STILL CONTROLS MANY OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION STATES THROUGH A MILITARY UNION TREATY.
• THE FORMER SOVIET UNION WAS THE MAJOR ARMS SUPPLIER OF MIDDLE EASTERN ISLAMIC NATIONS AND STILL IS A SUPPLIER OF IRAN AND SYRIA. THEREFORE, THE MAJORITY OF WEAPONS USED IN THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR WILL COME FROM RUSSIA EVEN THOUGH THE WAR BEGINS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

 HOMEWORK
THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF PREPARATION FOR THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR:
• PRAY FOR THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD.
• PRAY FOR THE SALVATION OF MANY PEOPLE IN AND IN RUSSIA.

• PREPARATION FOR A STUDY OF THE GREAT RUSSIAN WAR:

• KEEP IN MIND THIS IS NOT THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. WRITE DOWN ANY INTERESTING DETAILS YOU NOTICE ABOUT THIS WAR FROM THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES:
• EZEKIEL 29:2-16

• EZEKIEL 30:1-26

• EZEKIEL 38 AND 39

• DANIEL 11:21-29,40-43

• ISAIAH 19:1-25

• ISAIAH 20:1-6

• JEREMIAH 46:1-28 

• MEMORY VERSE: EZE 38:23