‘Thus
says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise
in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: “You will say, ‘I
will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people,
who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars
nor gates’—“to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against
the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from
the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of
the land. Ezekiel 38:10-12 NKJV
One
issue I usually encounter when the subject of Israel’s future according to the
Bible is discussed revolves around the description in this passage which says that
they are dwelling safely. This article
by Jack Kelly addresses this question quite well, even though it was written
quite a few years ago. Read and consider
what he has to say and ask yourself if it is not possible he is describing the
situation which exists in Israel today, and the possibility the events
described by Ezekiel are about to be fulfilled.
A Land of Unwalled
Villages
A Bible Study by Jack
Kelley
I know I’m beginning
to sound like a broken record by now, but there’s an enormous potential for a
giant leap forward in End Times prophecy this summer, and this week we came
breathtakingly close to witnessing its beginning.
After many days you
will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has
recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the
mountains of Israel which had long been desolate. They had been brought out
from the nations and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops
and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm, you will be
like a cloud covering the land.
This is what the
sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will
devise an evil scheme. You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled
villages, I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people – all of them living
without gates and bars.” (Ezek. 38:8-11)
Many students of
prophecy, myself included, see the battle of Ezekiel 38-39 as one of the most
significant events on God’s prophetic calendar. In the scenario Ezekiel
described nearly 2500 years ago, a coalition of Moslem countries, armed and led
by the Russians, will attack Israel and be utterly defeated due to God’s direct
intervention. He will use this battle to re-introduce Himself to Israel as
their protector, to recall the rest of His people to their ancient homeland, and
to reinstate His relationship with them.
When Will These
Things happen?
All agree that this
battle has not yet taken place. Following WW 2 the Jewish people began
returning to the land for the first time in centuries and only since then have
conditions been such that Ezekiel’s prophecy could be fulfilled.
Speaking of this
battle Lord said, “I will display my glory among the nations, and all the
nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them (the
attacking Moslem coalition). From that day forward the house of Israel will
know that I am the LORD their God. (Ezek. 39:22). He concluded by saying, “I
will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.” (Ezek. 39:28)
Israel’s
re-gathering, officially begun in 1948, will continue to completion and will be
both spiritual and physical. According to Acts 15: 13-19 and Daniel 9:27 it
will result in a temple being built. That means the Jews will return to their
Old Covenant relationship with God, bringing an end to the Age of Grace and
causing the Church to disappear into Heaven. The 490 year clock that stopped on
year 483 at the time of the Crucifixion will begin ticking again, its final 7
years (known as Daniel’s 70th Week) unfolding. God’s attention will again be
focused on Israel.
The Jews will begin
Temple construction assisted by the anti-Christ (Dan 9:27) in what will be his
first big move to establish himself as the god of this world. 3 1/2 years later
he will stand in this very Temple and proclaim himself to be God, a declaration
that will jump start the Great Tribulation. (Matt. 24:15 & 2 Thes. 2:4) So
Ezekiel’s battle must be inserted into the window of time between the rebirth
of the nation in 1948 and the rebuilding of the Temple, still in the future.
You can see why prophecy students are so interested. Israel’s return to God,
the Rapture of the Church, Daniel’s 70th week, the Coming Temple, the
introduction of the anti-Christ, the Great Tribulation and the 2nd Coming are
all somehow impacted by this battle. (Although the Rapture can happen at any
time, I believe Rom. 11:25 says it has to happen before the beginning of
Daniel’s 70th Week) Can you imagine any event more critical to the fulfillment
of End Times prophecies?
A Peaceful And
Unsuspecting People
So what else has to
happen before this battle can take place?
The participants are in place and it’s no secret that they’re in the
final stages of preparation. Nor is their intent a mystery. Iran has openly
predicted Israel’s soon coming demise, and Turkey has finally taken its place
in the Moslem Coalition Ezekiel described.
There’s just one
other condition. Israel is described as
living in safety in Ezek. 38:8 at the time of the attack. The Hebrew word
translated safety there is betach. Of 42
Old Testament appearances, it’s translated into some form of the word safety 28
times. (One meaning of the word is
careless, in the sense that the people feel so safe they’re not being
cautious.) To underscore the attitude in Israel at the time of the attack,
Ezekiel calls them a land of unwalled villages, a peaceful and unsuspecting
people, living without gates and bars (Ezekiel 38:11).
It’s safe to say that
none of these conditions exist in Israel today. Two thirds of a proposed 436
mile long security fence has been built to prevent Palestinian terrorists from
crossing into Israel, so it’s decidedly not a land of unwalled villages. The Jewish people know there are up to 40,000
rockets and missiles pointed at them, leaving no part of Israel safe from
attack. Then there’s the Gaza blockade
crisis. Last week Hezbollah and Iran announced their intention to break the
blockade with ships that were ready to set sail on a moment’s notice. Israel
responded quickly, saying they’d be treated like enemy ships if they entered
its territorial waters. (As of this week
both have been at least temporarily held back by pressure from the
international community. Had this not been the case, we’d literally be hearing
the opening salvos of Psalm 83 by now. )
For months, Israel’s military leaders have been telling their troops to
prepare for war this summer.
These are not the
actions of a peaceful and unsuspecting people.
In fact, persistent rumors have Israel preparing to launch a pre-emptive
attack against Iran. According to DEBKAfile
Israeli bombers have been secretly positioned in Azerbaijan causing Iran to
declare a state of war along its nearby border and position troops there, and
it has also been reported that Israeli aircraft have the green light to overfly
Saudi Arabia enroute to an attack on Iran.
Observers have called
this summer the time when things will change forever in the Middle East. Whatever
happens will not be the long awaited Battle of Ezekiel 38 but it will certainly
be setting the stage for it. We’ve already discussed the Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17
scenarios. A pre-emptive attack on Iran could
easily trigger the fulfillment of these prophecies and decisive victories could
put Israel into the state of mind consistent with one meaning of the Hebrew
word betach; feeling so safe they’re no longer being cautious. Time will tell. But more so now than ever before, you can
almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. (06-26-10)
Keep
watching.
PS It may have become apparent to you who have
followed my site for some time that my posts have become somewhat erratic as
far as my posting times are concerned.
It has become more and more difficult over time to post using this
Google based blogspot for reasons I cannot explain. Like many of you, however, I do have my
suspicions about whether or not the content and subject matter of my blog relates
to the difficulty I am experiencing, especially considering the current direction
our society seems to be moving in. All
this to let you know that if I can somehow figure out an alternative site to
post on, (I, unfortunately, am technologically dense) a move will be coming in
the future. Thank you for your patience
and support.
