This Means WAR!

The Revelation 12 Sign and War

Whether an individual believes the celestial wonder that occurred in September 2017 was the Revelation 12 Sign or not, most agree that it points to the coming prophesied travail for Israel.

Women at full-term pregnancy experience “warm-up” aches that are referred to as Braxton-Hicks contractions BEFORE the actual labor pains begin. So it goes with the “warm-up” pains as the nations rise up against God’s chosen people Israel. Once travail or labor does officially begin, THERE IS NO STOPPING IT! J. D. Farag refers to this in his Mid-East Prophecy Update – December 31st, 2017 saying President Trump’s Jerusalem announcement will rev us into Bible prophecy the likes of which we have never seen before with prophetic events in 2018 being even more frequent and more intense than 2017!

This time of trouble for the natural seed of Abraham is imminent and will most likely involve thermonuclear weapons.  The reason for the seven-year Tribulation (Daniel’s 70^th week) is this:

So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not [let them] pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. - Ezekiel 39:7 KJV

In fulfillment of Micah 5:3 and Joel 2 the Lord God turns His attention back to Israel. (Read also O Little Town of Bethlehem.) In doing this, He not only makes Israel know who is the Holy One but also makes the heathen nations know who He is!

Which War is Which?

War is imminent, but which war? Both the Old and New Testaments prophesy of specific wars in the last days. Even well know scholars, such as Chuck Missler, admit to not understanding with certainty how it will all play out; but Dr. Missler comes to this conclusion:

All the members of the Confederacy detailed in Psalm 83 are Muslims. Each of them is the subject of specific judgments which are detailed in Ezekiel 25 through 32. However, the principal issue of the entire episode is to make a specific point:

 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. Psalm 83:18

His name alone is Jehovah, not Allah, the moon-god. And the Abrahamic Covenant has not been repealed! If this view is correct, it suggests a very dramatic prelude to the events of Ezekiel 38. A Surprise in Psalm 83?

In this article Dr. Missler gives a detailed Order of Events that prelude the Ezekiel 38 war and points out that the nations who participate in the Psalm 83 war are not the same as those who participate in the Ezekiel 38 war.

Bill Salus outlines these differences also noting that the goals and results of the two wars differ:

                                          PSALM 83 WAR

Participants: Tents of Edom—Palestinians & So. Jordanians

                        Ishmaelites—Saudis

                        Moab—Palestinians & Central Jordan

                        Hagarenes—Egyptians

                        Gebal—Hezbollah & No. Lebanese

                        Ammon—Palestinians & No. Jordan

                        Amalek—Arabs of Sinai

                        Philistia—Hamas of Gaza Strip

                        Tyre—Hezbollah & So. Lebanese

                        Assyria—Syrians & No. Iraq

Goal:  “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from [being] a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” - Psalm 83:4 KJV

Result:  The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) stops the Psalm 83 invasion.

                                     EZEKIEL 38 WAR

Participants: Russia & So. Steppes

                        Turkey          

                        Iran

                        Ethiopia

                        Sudan

                        Somalia

                        Libya

                        Algeria

                        Morocco

                        Tunisia

Goal: “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” - Ezekiel 38:13 KJV

Result:  The Lord God Himself stops the Ezekiel 38 invasion.

It is my opinion that Israel does not give the Lord credit for their Psalm 83 victory which opens the door to the Gog-Magog attack. In line with brother Salus I believe Israel as a nation will continue to reject the true Messiah and instead return to the Law and the rebuilding of the Temple. It will not be until Israel has seen the abomination of desolation by the Antichrist (which occurs 3-1/2 years into the 7-year Tribulation) and escaped into the wilderness that her people will come to believe on Y’shua as their Messiah.

Prophetic Timeline

The consensus among teachers who believe in a Pre-Tribulation (pre-Daniel 70^th week) Rapture would appear to agree with Alan Horvath’s timeline [brackets indicate notes I added]:

 1—Psalm 83 War and Isaiah 17 (Damascus)

 2—The Netchatef (Rapture) 2 Thessalonians 2:7

 3—Antichrist 2 Thessalonians 2:8

 4—Gog-Magog War #1 Ezekiel 38

 5—The Tribulation Revelation Chapters 6-20

 6—The Second Coming [and Armageddon War] Revelation Chapter 19

 7—The 1,000 Years Revelation Chapter 20

 8—Gog-Magog War #2 Revelation 20:7

 9—Judgment Day Revelation 20:11

10—The Eighth Day Revelation Chapter 21

Please keep in mind that no scholar says their timelines are “written in stone”; but from my perusal of teachings, Dr. Missler and Alan Horvath are in agreement with this approximate timeline along with Hal Lindsey, Bill Salus, and others. Hal Lindsey gives a very good synopsis and explanation in a 12-minute Report.

All we know for certain related to the timing of the catching away of the overcoming church is that it is before wrath is poured out. Psalm 83 does not mention God's wrath, but Ezekiel 38:18ff does. This is why the timeline shows the Rapture occurring after the Psalm 83 war.  

Interesting to Note

As I have studied these end times wars, I have learned some noteworthy things that convince me that Psalm 83 describes a war that is separate from the Ezekiel 38-39 war.

>Ezekiel 38 connects to 39 using the word “Therefore” with Ezekiel 38:1 through 39:29 describing the Judgments on Israel’s Enemies. (Source: The Companion Bible p. 1161) This leads me to believe both chapters are describing the same war.

>The phrase in Ezekiel 39:2, “and leave but the sixth part of thee”, is more accurately translated, “I will sixth thee”. In our language this means “I will decimate you!” (Source: Chuck Missler The Magog Invasion)

>The reason why none of the Muslim nations listed in Psalm 83 are in Ezekiel 38-39 is because the Psalm 83 war will bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict. (Source:  Bill Salus)

In researching Ezekiel 38-39 I saw Scripture that intimated to that war being within the 70^th Week of Daniel—the 7-year Tribulation period:

>Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this [is] the day whereof I have spoken. - Ezekiel 39:8 KJV

And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: - Ezekiel 39:9 KJV

So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down [any] out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD. - Ezekiel 39:10 KJV

These Old Testament writers could be using ancient terms to describe modern artillery that burn for seven years OR possibly these are actual wood weapons in such abundance the Israelis will use them for fuel. Why would Israel need wood for fuel?

It is possible that an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) of some type occurred knocking out all electricity. This could happen via a weapon OR it has been suggested by some that the Rapture would cause an EMP effect.

>The evidence of a multitude of actual horses being present in the Ezekiel 38-39 war can be seen in Ezekiel 39:17-20 when the fowls of the air and other animals eat the dead horses!

“They” Don’t Escape; “We” Do!

However these end time wars play out, I am in agreement with J. D. Farag who believes that the “sudden destruction” of nuclear war will result in our escape as indicated in 1 Thessalonians:

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. - 1 Thessalonians 5:3 KJV

And I say, “BRING IT!”

NOTE added 1/10/18: I wanted to make it clear that when I write "BRING IT", it is to express my yearning to meet Him in the air and not an eagerness for the horrifying wrath to come upon the unsaved. I thank God that He is bringing millions to Christ  so quickly for He alone knows how much time is left!

Below is a comment made by Kim that I found very insightful. Part of it was: "I had the thought about all the wars mentioned that there are wars within war sometimes."

I had never thought of it that way but I can certainly picture such a scenario. Her astute statement may very well be what Jesus was referring to when He said:

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. - Matthew 24:6 KJV

Caveat: I do not necessarily agree with all the beliefs of anyone whose material I reference. I seek to be led of the Spirit of God as to the sources I use, however, even Spirit-filled Christians only 'see in part' as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:12.