THE BIBLE'S AMAZING ENDTIME PROPHECY ABOUT IRAQ

It has become glaringly self evident that people everywhere are looking at the world much differently than they did just a few years ago, and all around us questions are being raised about what the future is going to bring. There can be little doubt that recent world events are stimulating a great many people's interest in end-time Bible prophecy. No longer is talk about the end of the world a subject that's considered to be strictly the conversation topic of religious fanatics. For example:

On July 1, 2002 Time Magazine ran a cover article entitled "WHY MORE AMERICANS ARE READING AND TALKING ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD", and a TIME/CNN poll taken since 9-11 found that:

• 35% of Americans are paying more attention now to how the news might relate to the end of the world
• 17% believe that the end of the world will happen in their lifetime
• 59% are openly admitting that they believe the prophecies of the Book of Revelation WILL come true!

A whole lot of people today, even those who really are not all that familiar with Bible prophecy, are nevertheless becoming increasingly aware that events the Bible predicted thousands of years ago are beginning to parallel the trend of present world events ..... and one of those Bible predictions concerns the end time prophecies about Iraq, home of the ancient city of Babylon.

Why is Iraq suddenly appearing almost nightly in the world news? Who could have possibly believed that Iraq, the land of ancient Babylon, would move to the center stage of important global events?

That, however, is exactly what the Bible said would happen in the days just prior to the end of the age, and the return of Christ.

The importance of Iraq in the end times should not be overlooked by anyone who is interested in what the Bible says about the close of this age. We can begin to see and understand the significance of what's happening now in Iraq when we read and grasp the important prophecies that have been made about it in the Bible.

For instance, two entire chapters in the Old Testament and two in the New Testament are totally devoted to a discussion of the part it is going to play in last day events on planet earth. Jeremiah 50 and 51 and Revelation 17 and 18 are both completely given over to prophecies about Iraq. For the Bible to give over four entire chapters about any one nation other than Israel is a startling fact in itself.. The birthplace of human civilization was the land of ancient Babylon (Genesis 11:1-4, 9), presently known as Iraq, and according to the Bible, destined to be …. the last place that will be destroyed when mankind's final doom takes place. Jeremiah 25:26

We're also warned that it will become a place of outstanding evil in the endtime. (Zech. 5:5-11) and a place where the blood of many Christians will be shed.

In order to better understand the Bible's prophecies about Babylon (Iraq) we first need to journey back in time some 2500 years and view Babylon, not as we see it today, but as it once was …the greatest kingdom of the ancient world! Located on the banks of the mighty Euphrates River, it was the crossroads of antiquity, a city of wealth, splendor and power almost beyond imagination. The findings of modern day archaeologists combined with the writings of Herodotus (who lived during the Zenith of Babylon's power) permit us to get some idea of many of its almost unbelievable features.

The city had been built astride the waters of the broad Euphrates River. Thus it was furnished with water for irrigation, and a source of drinking water in case of a siege. Completely surrounding its fifteen square mile perimeter, there towered an incredibly high wall that measured eighty-seven feet across its top; a space wide enough for several chariots to race side by side along its sprawling surface. To further fortify this massive barrier it was penetrated by one-hundred enormous gates, each made of solid bronze.

Two further precautions had also been taken to discourage any would-be attackers. First, another gigantic wall had been constructed a short distance inside the environs of the outer wall. This had been done so that anyone who might somehow succeed in climbing over the first wall would then have to cross the space between both walls, and in doing so would become an easy target for archers. In addition to that, others kept huge cauldrons of boiling liquid ready both day and night to pour down upon the heads of any who would dare to attempt to scale the inner wall.

Secondly, the entire city was encircled by a deep, water-filled moat. It's not difficult to see why Babylon was considered to be one city that could never be conquered.

Staunch fortifications, however, were not Babylon's only impressive features. Inside its walls resided the famed "Hanging Gardens". Nebuchadnezzar's Median Queen, the daughter of Xerxes, had become homesick for the mountains of her homeland. So, in order to please her, Nebuchadnezzar had constructed an enchanting artificial mountain that could be seen from fifty miles away. Magnificent towering structures were erected in the shape of perfectly ascending terraces. These man-made mountains rose to a staggering three-hundred and fifty feet in height, and were artistically landscaped with lush tropical plants, swaying palms, and an array of fragrant blossoms. Cascading waterfalls tumbled from its lofty heights, and among the dense ferns below there nestled beautiful pools of sparkling clear water. Within the terraces themselves lavish apartments had been constructed, each one surrounded by skillfully built walkways and fountains. It was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world.

One hundred years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Herodotus, the ancient historian, visited Babylon. In his writings he related that never in his entire lifetime had he ever seen such an abundance of gold!

One reason for his statement was the famed Temple of Belus, said to have been one of the most hallowed sanctuaries in the entire Euphrates valley. It was built of dazzling white marble and perched atop 150 colossal columns. The highly respected apologist Archibald Alexander, former professor at Princeton, once described it in these words:

"As far as the light of history reaches, among all the structures ever reared by the hands of men, the temple of Belus seems to have been the most elevated. This temple was probably built on the foundation of the tower of Babel, and according to the lowest computation, was higher than the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids. The highest mound now among the ruins is supposed, by discerning travelers, to be on the site of this famous temple. This ruin covers more ground than the temple did when standing. It has, says Mignan, the appearance of a hill surmounted with a castle. This hill is called by the Arabs Virs Nimrud. Of this vast ruin, Sir Robert Ken Porter has given a very particular and interesting account. On the summit of the hill are immense fragments of brick work, of no determinate figures, tumbled together, and converted into vitreous masses. Some of these huge fragments measure TWELVE FEET IN HEIGHT BY TWENTY-FOUR FEET IN CIRCUMFERENCE: these fragments have been entirely preserved while everything else crumbled to dust …"

This fabulous pagan shrine was literally a storehouse of incredible treasures. In it there stood an eighteen foot statue of a human figure and a sacred table forty feet long and fifteen feet high. Both were constructed of gold. Nearby, and occupying the center of attention, there towered an enormous forty foot golden idol of Bel. These three objects alone are said to have weighed NO LESS THAN 5,000 POUNDS? Their value must have been staggering!

But at least three other articles were also known to have been kept there: two lions of gold, and a magnificent gold image of the goddess Ishtar.

It's not hard to understand why Babylon was known in the ancient world as the Golden city, nor why in Daniel's vision it was portrayed as a head of gold.

It was against this mighty world power that three Bible prophets uttered solemn words of doom; Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. Each predicted warnings, saying that Babylon would be completely and utterly overthrown. Her seemingly impregnable walls would be torn down, her treasures would be looted, and the city itself would eventually be abandoned to wild animals. Their prophecies must have seemed ridiculous in view of the astounding power and strength wielded by the empire. But … But each of their predictions was meticulously fulfilled … precisely as the prophets had recorded them in their writings.

HERE IS HOW THOSE FULFILLMENTS CAME TO PASS

In the eighth century B.C. the prophet Isaiah said that God had revealed to him a series of events that Babylon was destined to experience. He began by prophesying that the day would come when Babylon would invade his own homeland and totally crush its capital city of Jerusalem. At the time when he prophesied Babylon had not yet become the dominant power in the East, in fact, she was still a second rate power, and was merely a satellite of the powerful and ruthless Assyrian empire. One hundred years would pass before Babylon would rise to prominence and throw off the yoke of the Assyrians, and then, just as Isaiah had prophesied, the land of Judah was overthrown by the invading Babylonian army, and Jerusalem was destroyed.

But there's still more to this remarkable prophecy of Isaiah.

HOW CYRUS CONQUERED THE FORTRESS CITY OF BABYLON

The exact details of how Cyrus managed to overcome the powerful fortress of Babylon is one of history's most captivating stories. It all began when Cyrus ordered his armies to surround the city and dig a trench completely around its perimeter. His next move was to challenge the ruler of Babylon to meet him in personal combat, the outcome to decide the fate of the war. His challenge, however, was declined, nor did the once bold army of Babylon come forth to drive off the Persian invaders. To a man, they all remained securely protected behind the walls of their fortress. This too was in fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy which said "The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to fight. They have remained in their holds. Their might hath failed, they became as women." And, "they remained in their holds and the hands of the king of Babylon waxed feeble."

Cyrus, finding the city's walled fortification well nigh impossible to breach, set out to find some alternate plan. He saw that Babylon sat directly astride the Euphrates River, but the river entrance was completely blocked by a great two-leaved gate. This barrier stretched all the way across the water and its iron bars effectively prevented anyone from gaining access by traveling upriver or down. Assessing the situation further, Cyrus discovered an old, dried up riverbed that had once been used to divert the waters of the river around one side of Babylon into a former lake bed which was now a shallow swamp. The Babylonians had dug these excavations to allow them to build their city across the main channel of the river. For many years the lake and riverbed had been abandoned and forgotten. Seeing the possibilities, Cyrus contrived an ingenious strategy for gaining entrance to the incredibly well fortified city.

Putting thousands of men to work, he ordered the old clogged riverbed cleared, and a dam constructed across the main channel of the Euphrates River. This was all done far enough away from the city that the Babylonians couldn't see what was taking place. Cyrus then ordered that the siege trench, formerly dug by his troops, be connected to the old riverbed by means of a specially dug channel. Finally, all was in readiness.

HISTORY'S WILDEST PARTY

The brilliant strategist was now ready to spring his trap. Openly he withdrew his troops from around the city so that battalion after battalion could be plainly seen marching over the horizon. At last the formerly occupied ground stood completely empty; not one soldier was to be seen anywhere.

Observing the withdrawal, Belshazzar ruler of Babylon, assumed that Cyrus had given up on the siege and was returning home. The King's relief was so great that heat once began to make plans for a gala celebration. One thousand invitations were dispatched to the lords and noblemen of his realm, and lavish preparations were set in motion for what was to become the most unforgettable party in all human history.

The festive day dawned and excitement ran high! As the bands began to play great crowds started to gather near the palace to see the prominent guests arrive. From all across the great city the nobles and their ladies came, riding in their jeweled chariots and garbed in their richly costumed finery. Loud music could be heard coming from the banquet hall as one by one the celebrities disembarked to enter the immense banquet hall. The shadows soon lengthened, and the orgy began.

Meanwhile, under cover of darkness Cyrus troops began their stealthy return. Soon the command was issued to seal shut the locks of the dam diverting tons and tons of water from the Euphrates main channel, funneling it into the reopened riverbed that led to the empty lake bed. Steadily the water level in the main channel of the Euphrates began dropping until at last Cyrus' troops were able to enter the channel and silently make their way toward the huge two-leaved gate that protected the entrance to the city.

When at last the Persian army reached the huge gates they were totally shocked at what they found! The mighty gates that guarded the entrance were standing WIDE OPEN! Nothing barred their way into Babylon! It was just as the ancient Bible prophecy said it would be: "I will … open before him the two leaved gates; AND THE GATES SHALL NOT BE SHUT."

The guards who were responsible to see that the gates were safely closed were found totally intoxicated as was the partying populace of the city. No word of alarm was ever sounded. The mighty impregnable city "the city that could never be conquered" was captured with ease in a single night! Even the Palace Guards were found in a drunken stupor and were quickly dispatched. Soon the banquet hall's doors burst wide open and the shouting bloodthirsty warriors were unleashed among the startled, drunken revelers. Blades flashed, battle axes crunched, arrows hissed and the agonized cries of the dying filled the night air.

The Bible simply concludes the story with these words, "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain, and Darius the Mead took the kingdom…"

In the prophecy we are about to look at now the doom of mighty Babylon is foretold and it even names the man that would be instrumental in her overthrow. The prophecy was made some two- Hundred years before Cyrus --- ruler of Persia --- was was even born!

"Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken into the ground … Who saith to the deep, "Be dry," and "I will dry up thy rivers." Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to CYRUS, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him. " And I will loose the loins of kings TO OPEN BEFORE HIM THE TWO LEAVED GATE, and THE GATE SHALL NOT BE SHUT. I will go before thee, and make the crooked place straight. I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut in sunder the bars of iron … that thou mayest know that I the Lord Who call thee by name am the God of Israel … I have called thee by name. I have surnamed thee, even though thou hast not known Me."

An ancient legend that is handed down relates that when Cyrus conquered Babylon, Zerubbabel, a Jewish leader, went to the palace of Cyrus and showed him in the Scrolls of Scripture how God foretold his name and victory two centuries in advance! After having the prophecy examined, Cyrus was so amazed that he signed a decree freeing all captive Jews to return home to Israel to rebuild their fallen city and their temple.

This astonishingly gracious act by Cyrus also reveals that the hand of God is definitely inspiring the words of the Bible. Why? Because in Isaiah 44:28 we read: "He (King Cyrus) is my shepherd, and shall perform my pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, THOU SHALT BE BUILT, and to the temple, THY FOUNDATION SHALL BE LAID." These words were penned two hundred years before Cyrus birth. How could Isaiah have predicted that Cyrus would issue two such decrees centuries beforehand? There can be but one answer … THE BIBLE IS NO ORDINARY BOOK; IT IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF THE ALMIGHTY.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE PROPHECY ABOUT IRAQ? WHAT PART WILL IRAQ PLAY IN OUR OWN DAY? THAT FASCINATING PROPHECY WILL BE DEALT WITH IN THE NEXT ISSUE THAT WILL FOLLOW IN A FEW DAYS.

THAT FASCINATING PROPHECY IS DEALT WITH IN THE ARTICLE ENTITLED “WILL THE ISLAMIC NATIONS UNITE, ATTACK ISRAEL AND IGNITE WORLD WAR III?”

Posted by cdrnorth at 10:27 AM

WILL THE ISLAMIC NATIONS UNITE, ATTACK ISRAEL AND TRIGGER WW III?

For many years the nations of the world paid little attention to what went on in the Middle East. It was considered to be merely an arid wasteland that held little interest for the rest of the world. Once it had been the cradle of civilization, the throne room of the world's greatest empires, but gradually, with the passing of time, its lofty power and glory diminished and ultimately vanished completely. Where once had stood its magnificent walled cities there now remained only crumbling piles of stone, Except for a few insignificant cities that still remained, these endless miles of shifting sand, and barren rocky wasteland had become the homeland for wandering tribes of Bedouins trying to eke out a living from their meager herds of goats and flocks of sheep. To most nations the Middle East was nothing more than an undesirable piece of real estate in an unimportant part of the world.

But then ... practically overnight .... the unexpected happened and the entire status of the Middle East immediately CHANGED! Like the fabled Phoenix of old, the sleeping giant began rising from the sands of obscurity to once again become a region of worldwide importance.

And what was it that caused this swift and amazing transformation? Outsiders from the west discovered that beneath those arid desert sands of the Mideast there lies what may well be the greatest deposit of oil in the world.

Unfortunately, however, right along with the upsurge of prosperity and worldwide influence there has also arisen old hatreds, religious intolerance, wars, and terrorism on a massive scale. At present the entire Islamic Middle East has become a seething cauldron of turmoil and a threat to all those outside of the Islamic camp. In the meantime, all around the world unanswered questions continue to mount: What is the solution to the ongoing problem of Iraq? How can the wave of Islamic terrorism be stopped? Will the nations of Islam finally unite and attempt to invade and exterminate every Jew? Is it possible that such an attack could ignite the fuse of World War III? Will God intervene and ring down the curtain on the stage of world events?

It should come as no surprise that many feel we may well be on the road leading to Armageddon. A recent article in the Washington Times announced that here in our own country forty per cent of Americans believe that supernatural intervention will soon bring an end to human history.

If only it were possible to know the answers to the above questions a whole lot of people would be able to sleep much, much better. And because of these very things, a fresh interest in the prophecies of the Bible has arisen. Many today are now searching its pages to see if they can find something there that can shed some light on what the future holds.

Mankind has always been interested in knowing the future. But recent world events in the Middle East have definitely kindled a renewed surge of interest in what the Bible has to say about it. One prophecy in particular is drawing a great deal of attention and being examined very closely. It's found in the book of Ezekiel and it foretells the very problems that are taking place in the Middle East today.

THE PROPHECY OF EZEKIEL 38 AND 39

Thousands of years ago Ezekiel prophesied that, in the closing days of this age, an amazing event will occur in and around the land of Palestine. He foretells that a number of Middle East nations will join together, combine their vast armies and launch a massive attack against the Jews. He even lists the names of the countries involved, and says that the attack will come as a complete surprise. He also predicts that it will occur at a time when Israel will be left without any adequate defense. Total and certain annihilation will be facing the tiny nation, and to the whole world it will be self evident that Israel's doom is sealed.

But, by no means does the story end there. In the ensuing passages of the prophecy Ezekiel describes an unexpected and shocking turn of events; they will be so amazing that they will leave the rest of the world gaping in astonished disbelief! Let's look at the opening words of his prophecy, and examine its message for ourselves.

"The Word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land Magog the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophecy against him and say:'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army---your horses, your horsemen, fully armed and a great horde with large and small shields, hall of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops --- the many nations with you.

Get ready; be prepared you and all the horde gathered about you, and take command of them. 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." Ezekiel 38:1-8a

In reading the words of Ezekiel's prophecy we find their focus is on the tiny nation of Israel, a country roughly the size of our own tiny state of Rhode Island. Though small and seemingly insignificant, Israel's borders have been overrun with invading armies, its soil soaked with blood, as nation after nation has fought to possess it. Why has it been contested over by so many? And why is it that in our own day it's still a region over which nations all around the globe would be willing to go to war? The answer to that question involves multiple reasons.

For one thing it has been the recognized land bridge connecting Europe, and the Middle East to the continent of Africa. Down through the centuries the armies of the world have crossed and re-crossed its soil leaving a blood soaked trail in their wake. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Moslem armies, the British, all these have marched their troops across Israel's borders and left behind freshly spilled blood.

Some went purely for conquest, some claimed it was over issues of religion, and now today a new feature has been added to the list ... the discovery of Black Gold in the regions nearby.

In this day and time OIL is the magic fluid which the nations of the world MUST have to stay afloat economically and militarily. It is the irreplaceable fluid that turns the wheels of industry, and makes it possible for any nation's to maintain their military power. No oil ----no trucks, tanks, planes, or weapons. Without it a nation can be rendered helpless in a relatively short time.

Israel's misfortune is that it just happens to sit astride a region that's strategically near the world's richest oil fields. Any nation controlling that area could use it as a springboard to seriously threaten the flow of oil to the industrial nations that MUST have it to survive. This means that any major attempt to gain ownership or control of the land of Israel would be enough to send the armies of the industrial nations into immediate military action. It's something that cannot be ignored nor tolerated. Israel's location is simply too strategically important.

But there's another fact that cannot be overlooked in the dangerous Middle East equation; the Islamic nations, have openly avowed their hatred with regard to "the infidel nations" of the West, and have made open threats of their intent to see us destroyed. Both America and Great Britain have been particularly singled out as special targets of that hatred. To permit them to occupy Israel's key location would be to seriously endanger the critical flow of oil to the west. Not only would this seriously threaten our economy, but it would also have the potential of absolutely crippling our military defenses. Without oil America and Britain would both become helpless in a short span of time. Therefore, to surrender control of the Mid East, flow of oil could never be permitted to happen.... no matter what the cost. In view of this it's not at all difficult to see why the world is vitally interested in what takes place between Israel and the surrounding hostile nations.

These facts are one reason why Ezekiel's prophecy is of special interest. In that prophecy a startling war is predicted to take place between the Middle East nations and Israel. It is said that it will occur near the end of the age. I believe I am safe in saying that most Christians are in agreement, that we are living very close to that predicted time.

In Ezekiel's prophecy we're told that a massive invading army will be led by a mid-east leader whom the Bible refers to by the cryptic name of Gog. Exactly who this individual will be, we are not told, but we do know that he will be leader of an ancient land that was called Magog. Many present day articles and books declare, with an air of great certainty, that Gog and Magog are Bible terms that positively identify Magog as being Russia. It's said that a multitude of allied nations led by Russia, will descend from the north and seek to invade Israel. More and more this idea is being circulated and many have accepted it as being true without questioning its validity.

But, do those terms really refer to Russia after all? Is there really sufficient evidence to warrant believing that position?" The more I have personally looked at the evidence the more I find that, in my judgment, the facts indicate that those conclusions were not built on solid ground.

These are questions we all must decide for ourselves. Once the evidence has been examined we each need to have the integrity and courage to be true to whatever truth we may discover.

Now, I certainly could be wrong …. I have found that over the years I've had to change my viewpoint about more than one thing. I'm more than ready to consider other evidence if it's fairly and honestly presented and offered in the right spirit. All that I ask in return, is that you look over the following material, and if you find anything there that merits a change of mind, that you have the integrity and courage to be true to whatever truth you may discover.

Let's begin by considering the nations named in Ezekiel's prophecy.

WHAT NATIONS ARE PREDICTED TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS MASSIVE MILITARY EFFORT OF GOG AND MAGOG?

To answer that question it's absolutely necessary to be able to identify the present day names and locations of the countries mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy. Fortunately, due to the study archaeologists have made over the years, we have much greater input to help us determine the current identity of the ancient nations that are named.

The prophecy states that the leader of this great military coalition is referred to as "Gog" and that he's chieftain over an area called Magog. Moreover, two principle locations are cited within that specific region --- Meshech and Tubal. (See Ezekiel 38:1) Some have claimed that these areas are a definite reference to Russia, and two of her main cities, Moscow and Tobalsk.

BUT IS THERE AMPLE SUPPORT FOR MAKING THIS CLAIM?

Three primary arguments are generally brought out in an effort to support that concept: First of all, in Ezekiel 38:3 the word ''chief' is the Hebrew word rosh which means chief or head. Some see in the word rosh a reference to the modern day nation of Russia. They argue that the word is meant to be used as a noun, thus translating it to say that Gog is "the Prince of Rosh" which they think refers to Russia. But others staunchly believe that rosh should not be translated as a noun but as an adjective. This would then mean that the proper translation is that Gog is "the chief prince or leader of Meshech and Tubal (which is the way that the KJV and the NIV translate it).

The second support given for saying that it means Russia is because at the time when Ezekiel wrote (the sixth century B.C.) there was a group of people living in and around the Caspian Sea who were known as the Rashu, Ros, and Rus. Furthermore, it's said that about 200 B.C. they moved into what later became known as southern Russia. Consequently, some see in this a reference to Russia by equating the names of these ancient Middle East tribes with the modern name of Russia. This is done in spite of the fact that Ezekiel lived and wrote nearly 400 years before these people migrated into what is now southern Russia and no country associated with their name was known to exist during Ezekiel's day.

The third reason cited is that in Ezekiel 38:15 the prophet said that the army of Gog would come "from the far north" which some claim could only mean Russia.

BUT IS RUSSIA LEGITIMATELY FOUND IN THESE PASSAGES?

1) Dr. Charles Dyer in his Book entitled "World News and Bible Prophecy (pg. 110) says,

"How do we approach a passage as complicated as Ezekiel 38 and 39? The key point in interpreting Ezekiel's prophecy is to identify the nations named by Ezekiel. Where were these countries in Ezekiel's day? Was rosh a country, or did Ezekiel use the word as an adjective? We need to interpret the Bible before we look at current events. The countries named by Ezekiel existed in his day. In fact, Moses identified many of the countries nearly 900 years before Ezekiel when he explained to Israel how all nations descended from the sons of Noah. Comparing Moses' list in Genesis 10:2-5 with Ezekiel's list shows many similarities. Both name the nations of Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Togarmah. But the Genesis account knows of no nation named Rosh. Most likely, therefore, Ezekiel used the name as an adjective to describe this leader. He will be the 'head prince' of these other countries." ( Italics and bold print inserted by this author)

2) The following is taken from the writings of Dr. Carl Ludwigson:

"In the Old Testament, the king of the north has reference to the areas of Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. The word north is used of Syria, or the Old Seleucid Empire six times, of Babylon sixteen times, of Assyria one time, and of Iran one time. These are the lands once occupied by Magog, Gomer, Togarmah, Meshech and Tubal." " ... So Ezekiel 38:3 should be read as follows, 'Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the prince, {pause} chief of Meshech and Tubal:' Rosh is not Russia. The Hebrew word 'rosh' is translated head or chief 423 times in the Old Testament. Again, it is absolutely appalling how some scholars can equate the English cognate 'rosh' with Russia. Rosh is not Russia." ( Italics inserted )

3) And what about the argument that says Russian is being identified because of the Scripture that speaks of Gog and says, "You will come from your place in the far north, ( and carries the idea of being "the extreme far north" ) you and many nations with you ..." (Ezekiel 38:15) Wouldn't it be logical to assume that the extreme far north has to be Russia? No. For two reasons:

Number one, the phrase "far north" is found in only three places ---- in Ezekiel 38:15 and 38:6 and in Isaiah 14:13. And the strongest argument that it doesn't necessarily mean an extreme geographical distance is made very clear because of the surrounding verses which say, "Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops and Beth-Togarmah with all its troops from the far north--- the many nations with you" (Ezekiel 38:6 ) It plainly names Beth-Togarmah as ALSO being from the FAR NORTH . Fortunately there is wide agreement regarding the identity of Beth-Togarmah and it's place of origin: Togarmah's location was in Asia Minor on the upper Euphrates River. Today it would be located in Eastern Turkey, between the Black and Caspian seas (see C. H. Dyer's aforementioned work, pg. 111). East Turkey, of course is located to the south of Russia.

• Mark Hitchcock locates it as being "(Til-garimmu -- between ancient Carchemish and Harah) Southern Turkey
• Dr. Harry Rimmer says, "Togarmah has always been the land which we now call Armenia. It is so called in the records of Assyria.... Indeed, all Armenian literature refers to the land and its people as "The House of Togarmah".
• J. D. Pentecost adds, "...Togarmah. This is generally identified as Turkey or Armenia although it is extended by some to include central Asia."
• Timothy Dailey writes, "Thus Beth-Togarmah is located in central Asia Minor. To the Biblical writer "far north" referred to what is now modern Turkey."

And so the current location of Beth-Togarmah is in central Asia Minor which today is modern Turkey and Turkey is NOT extremely far, distant from Israel. So if the term is applied to Turkey here, it should be ample proof that it does not HAVE to always refer to some far, far off region. That being the case, Russian does not HAVE to be the place it is referring to in Ezekiel 38:15. To positively claim otherwise is to stretch the facts.

DOES NORTH MEAN NORTH?

There's another piece of information that also needs to be understood. If there's to be any clear identification of the countries mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy then we must first realize that when nations are sometimes designated as being to the North of Israel the Bible doesn't always mean that they are geographically located IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION.

No doubt that at first, that may sound like double talk, but as we'll see, it's absolutely true. The Biblical prophets repeatedly describe cities, lands and invasions as coming from the North when it's plain to see that they originate from the East? The words of the Bible obviously seem to clash with the facts, and such apparent inconsistencies should not be denied nor lightly brushed aside. Some would take delight in saying that the Bible contradicts itself in these instances. But it doesn't. There is good reason for it saying what it says, and we need to understand what that reason is. But first let's look at a few more of the places where the Bible writers appear to have confused the facts.

One clear example is found in Jeremiah 46:24. "The Daughter of Egypt will be put to shame, handed over to the people of the north". This passage refers to the defeat of Pharaoh Necho II at Carchemish in 605 B.C. In this battle Egypt was defeated by the army of Babylon, and once more the military forces of Babylon are said to come from the North. But this presents a problem, because as any map will show, Babylon was NOT located to the NORTH of Egypt but to the Northeast.

In Jeremiah 4:6 Israel is given warning that the Babylonian army will come from the North to attack Judah. "Raise the signal to go to Zion. Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction" BUT ...there can be no doubt that Babylon was clearly located to the EAST of Israel, NOT to the North!

In Ezekiel 26:7 the Bible speaks of the city of Tyre being attacked from the North by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Once again a look at the map plainly shows that Tyre was located on the coast of modern day Lebanon which meant that Babylon was directly to the EAST. It definitely was NOT located to the NORTH of Lebanon. Yet the passage speaks of Babylon striking Tyre from the North".

In Zephaniah 2:13 the prophet speaks of Assyria, and its capital, Nineveh , being to the North of .Israel. Yet a quick check of any map will reveal that Nineveh is not located North of Israel, but directly to the East.

The explanation of these seeming inconsistencies is made clear by Timothy Dailey, author of The Gathering Storm. He says on page 166: "The biblical world is sometimes referred to as "the fertile crescent"--- a curved swath of arable land that follows the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to northern Syria and then down through the Promised Land.

Pushing into the middle of this boomerang-shaped region is the inhospitable Syrian/Arabian desert. With little water or human settlement, few but the hardy Bedouin would attempt a direct route west from Mesopotamia. Virtually all travelers circumvent the desert, traveling to the north along the fertile crescent. There they find supplies of food and water, as well as the major trading cities of the region.

... The conquering armies of Assyria and Babylon also marched along this route which meant that they entered Israel from the north. This is the meaning of the Hebrew prophets. From the perspective of the Holy Land, the invaders came down from the north, even if their place of origin was actually to the east. Ezekiel is giving the direction of the invasion, NOT the place of the invader's origin."

WHAT PRESENT DAY NATIONS WILL BE INVOLVED IN THIS LAST DAY INVASION?

In Ezekiel 38:1-6 we find several key nations will be involved in the attack on Israel though not all of those mentioned are part of the attacking force.

• Meshech and Tubal --- are always associated together in Scripture. Before Ezekiel's day the Assyrians mentioned the land of Tabal next to the land of Musku. Some scholars place these groups in what today is Eastern Turkey.
• PERSIA --- Iran (The name was only changed to Iran in 1938)
• CUSH --- Sudan
• ETHIOPIA --- Ethiopia (part of Cush)
• PUT --- Modern day Libya
• GOMER --- (Gimmerai) East Turkey near Armenia
• TOGARMAH --- writings from 700 yrs. before Ezekiel mention a district and city of Tagarmah in what today would be identified as Eastern Turkey. Beth-Togarmah --- Southern Turkey (formerly Cappadocia --see the aforementioned locale given above)
• AMMON, MOAB and EDOM --- Jordan
• SHEBA and DEDAN... Arabia near the Red Sea
• TARSHISH --- either Spain or Britain
• LYDIA and PHRYGIA --- North East Turkey
• ARMENIA --- South of the Black Sea and the Caucasus
• RUSSIA --- It should be understood that what has been said does not entirely eliminate Russia from being a part of the Asian coalition. A part of the areas that make up the nations of the coalition seem to include a small part of southern Russia. But to mistake that fact and claim that Russia is the prime mover, namely Gog and Magog, is to do an injustice to the overall set of facts.

Incidentally, notice that there are four Islamic nations that will not be taking part in Gog's invasion: EGYPT. SYRIA, JORDAN, and IRAQ. For some reason these nations do not take part in the invasion. This is interesting in the light of what's taking place in those nations today. At this point, however, we can only speculate as to why three of these nations will not be included? It is not hard to see why Iraq is not included; she is to become a major player on the world stage in the last days. But that is another matter too involved to be examined here.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS OF ALL IS ---- WHEN WILL THIS INVASION TAKE PLACE?

Could it be during our own lifetime? Knowing the answer to that question might prove to be of inestimable value in the days ahead. Does the Bible give us the answer? Let's look at a few key places in the Bible that bear on that question, and one of them is found in Ezekiel 38:8 and 11.

"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 will say, 'I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people --- all of them living without walls, and without gates and bars'."

Clearly these passages indicate that at the time when Gog's armies move to attack Israel, the Jews will be enjoying a time of security and peace. If we can find out exactly when Israel will be dwelling in peace and security it will enable us to pinpoint the time when the invasion will take place. Several theories are involved.

Some have said that Gog's invasion is a part of the end time invasion led by Antichrist, but that idea does not agree with the clue mentioned above. During the last half of the Tribulation Israel will definitely not be living in peace and security. Matthew 24:15-21 says that at the middle of the tribulation Israel will NOT be at peace, but will find it necessary to flee into the wilderness and fort up for 3 and years to escape the murderous forces of the Antichrist.

"So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken through the prophet Daniel --- let the reader understand --- (Note: This reference to the Abomination of Desolation is alluding to the middle of the tribulation when the Antichrist breaks the treaty, takes over the Jewish temple and announces that he is to be worshipped as God!) let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Set no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress (tribulation), unequaled from the beginning of the world until now --- and never to be equaled again." Also see Rev. 12:3-6 where we're told that, "The woman" (Israel) "fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days." (Note: According to the Jewish reckoning of time, 1260 days is exactly 3 ½ years)

Most certainly these verses eliminate the possibility that Gog attacks after the middle of the tribulation. Beyond all doubt Israel will definitely NOT be experiencing a time of national peace prior to Armageddon. Also notice that after Armageddon the bodies of the dead attackers are left UNBURIED (Jer. 25:29-33). But Isa. 66:24 tells us that the corpses of Gog's army WILL BE BURIED Ezk. 39:1-6). Therefore, Gog's army is NOT the same army that attacks Israel at the time when Armageddon is taking place.

One final possibility needs to be considered: Could it be at the conclusion of the millennium (the 1000 year period after Jesus returns?). The only other reference in the Bible to "Gog and Magog" is found in Rev. 20:7-9 and it describes the last earthly rebellion by an army that is also called "Gog and Magog". This, however, is an entirely different event from the invasion of Gog spoken of by Ezekiel.

In his book "Things To Come" (Pg. 344-45) J. Dwight Pentecost says:

"There are a number of considerations that make it clear that this invasion by Gog (Ezek. 38) is not the same as the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16). (1) In the battle of Gog definite allies are mentioned, while in Armageddon all nations are engaged (Joel 3:2; Zeph.3:8; Zech. 12:3; 14:4) (2) Gog comes from the north (Ezek. 38:6, 15; 39:2), while at Armageddon the armies come from the whole earth. (3) Gog comes to take a spoil (Ezk. 38:11-12), while at Armageddon the armies come to destroy the people of God. (4) There is a protest against invasion (Ezk. 38:13), but at Armageddon there is no protest for all the nations are joined against Jerusalem. (5) Gog is the head of the armies in his invasion (38:7 R.V.), but at Armageddon the Beast is the head of the invasion (Rev. 19:19).

Other reasons could be cited, but it would strongly appear that the invasion of Gog mentioned in Ezekiel is not scheduled to take place at the conclusion of the millennium.

So where does that leave us. What is the most likely time when Israel will be at peace and Gog's armies will move to attack?

Author Mark Hitchcock sums up the evidence quite well in these words:

"Looking at the situation in the Middle East today, we might legitimately ask, 'When will Israel ever enjoy a time of rest and security like the one described in Ezekiel 38?'

There are only two times in Israel's future when the Bible indicates that she will be at peace. The first is a brief three-and-a-half-year period of peace during the first half of the seven-year Tribulation, which will begin when the Antichrist makes a covenant or peace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27).

The second time of peace for Israel will be when the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus, returns to earth from heaven to destroy Israel's enemies and inaugurate his one-thousand-year kingdom of peace and joy centered in Israel (see Revelation 19:11-20:10). However, Isaiah 2:4 says explicitly that this time will be a time when there will be no war.

And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.

Putting all these clues together, the only time period in the future that fits the scenario described in Ezekiel 38 is the first half of the tribulation period …."

Bottom line: The only time that Gog's invasion could possibly take place is during the first half of the Tribulation, when Israel is dwelling in peace due to the covenant made with Antichrist. One final question yet remains to be answered …

WHAT WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF THE ATTEMPTED INVASION?

Events on the world stage suggest that the time is fast approaching. What will be the outcome of this concerted effort to destroy Israel?

The move by Gog's military machine will catch Israel totally unprepared. It will be an hour when she will have no adequate defense. Before the Jews can even react to the threat, the invading forces attack from every direction. To the world looking on it seems certain that Israel's doom is sealed.

But God has other plans, and Ezekiel describes precisely how God intervenes. In Ezekiel 38:18-23 we're given the following report:

"But when Gog invades the land of Israel, says the Sovereign LORD, my fury will rise! For in my Jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. All living things---all the fish, birds, animals, and people ----will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. I will summon the sword against you throughout Israel, says the Sovereign LORD. Your men will turn against each other in mortal combat. I will punish you And your hordes with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! Thus will I show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the LORD!" NLT

So we see that God describes seven means He will use to rescue His helpless people from Gog's intended slaughter:

1) A HORRIFIC EARTHQUAKE! With a certain victory at their fingertips, Gog's massive war machine is brought to a grinding halt! Great cracks open the earth's surface swallowing tanks, trucks and men! Bridges collapse, buildings disintegrate, roads are torn apart blocking troop movements, the very mountains move, shake and send great boulders crashing to the earth below!

2) INFIGHTING BREAKS OUT BETWEEN THE TROOPS! With communications disrupted central command is lost and confusion is gendered between the armies from various countries. Unsure of what is happening the panicking troops mistakenly begin to fire on their allies. Pandemonium reigns and the death toll begins to mount.

3) IN THE ENSUEING MELEE BIO-CHEMICAL WEAPONS ARE SOMEHOW UNLEASHED CAUSING DEADLY PLAGUE TO BEGIN SWEEPING THROUGH THE ARMY'S RANKS!. The results are devastating! The lethal diseases spread with alarming speed and fires are lit to burn the piles of plague ridden corpses.

4) SUDDENLY TORRENTIAL RAINS BEGIN TO FALL! Troop movements are now at a standstill as bogged down vehicles line what's left of the roads. And then the flash floods and mudslides set in.

5) HAILSTONES – In the Old Testament a story is recounted about God using hailstones against Israel's enemies. Large pieces of ice came hurtling from the sky striking with such deadly force that the Bible says the enemy troops fled from Beth Horon all the way to Azekah. And more of Israel's attackers were killed by the hail than by the swords of Israel's army. Something akin to that is what will happen when Gog's military move against Israel.

6) FIERY DESTRUCTION - Great torrents of fire mixed with molten sulphur will come raining down upon those who came to annihilate the tiny nation of Israel. The destruction can only be imagined, but it is a grim parallel to what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Abraham and Lot. Perhaps God will use an underground explosion or an erupting volcano to bring about this judgment; of that we cannot be sure, but one thing we do know ---- when it is all over the Middle Eastern nation's army will have but a small fraction left of the hordes they sent against God's people.

Think about the effect all this will have on the entire Middle East, and think about how the balance of power will shift. Undoubtedly this will pave the way for the Antichrist to solidify his power and move him into a dominant position among the nations. Europe, the Far East, and our own Western world cannot help but be dramatically affected when the Moslem military threat is crushed. The Gog Magog war will change the course of the future for the entire world.

So what difference does all this make to us today?

The nations of the world right now are polarizing into armed camps, many with nuclear and biological potential. Anyone familiar with the Bible cannot help but be aware that we're seeing the exact picture coming together that the Bible said would occur just before this world entered its final countdown. Every one of the nations that are prophesied to be allied with Gog and Magog are even now in the Moslem camp and almost all of them are crying for the blood of Israel. It ought to make us stop and think. We are not talking science fiction here. It's hard cold fact. It's going to happen … and it's not that far off.

Posted by cdrnorth at 2:30 PM

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN JESUS RETURNS?

For a number of years my family and I lived deep in the wilderness of northernmost British Columbia on the edge of the Yukon Territory. While there I came across one of the most mysterious and fascinating stories I have ever encountered. Strange things have happened in the long winters of the Far North, but nothing more baffling than what occurred at an Eskimo village in 1930.

It all began on a bitterly cold November day when Joe LaBelle, a French-Canadian trapper, decided to pay a visit to his Eskimo friends at Anjikuni Lake, a remote village some 500 miles north of the Mounties' base at Churchill. As Joe approached the village he expected to hear the barking of the sled dogs and the cries and laughter of the children as they ran out to welcome him. Instead, all he heard was the sound of the icy wind and the flapping of the Caribou skins that hung over the doorways of the Eskimos' dwellings. No dogs barked, no wisp of smoke drifted from the chimneys, and no voice broke the ominous silence. Stopping at the edge of the village he yelled a greeting… there was no reply. A similar experience awaited him at the entrance to every hut in the village.

For nearly an hour he searched, looking for some clue as to what might have happened. Inside the huts he found pots of stewed caribou covered with a thick layer of ice; the cooking fires had unquestionably been out for days. Entering one hut LaBelle said, "I saw a half-mended sealskin parka lying on a bunk with two bone needles beside it. Some woman had apparently been working on it and for some reason had walked away and never returned to finish her sewing. On the floor a child's toys were scattered about just as the child had left them.

"I headed towards the banks of the lake, my rifle at the ready because there was something about the place that scared me badly," Joe later told the Mounties. On the beach were three kayaks, including one that belonged to the headman of the village. The harpoons were still aboard, and the half stripped carcass of a walrus was there, just as the hunters had left it. All three of the kayaks had been battered to pieces by the action of the waves. Obviously they'd been left there for quite some time.

Joe asked himself the obvious question--- "Where are the people? It was a very good question, and it remains unanswered to this day. Something had happened at the lake, something mysterious and terrible. Thoroughly spooked by his discovery, Joe contacted the closest base of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).

It took the Mounties three days to reach the area, and after only a few hours they located the Eskimos' missing sled dogs. They were found tethered about a hundred yards from the village under a massive snow drift. All had died of hunger. Further investigation inside the huts and shelters revealed another extremely puzzling piece of evidence. The prized Winchester rifle was a weapon that no Eskimo in his right mind would ever go on a long trip and leave behind. Yet standing inside each of the huts were the guns, waiting for their owners who never returned.

But beyond a doubt the most baffling discovery of all was found on the opposite end of the village from where the bodies of the dogs had been found. It was there that the Eskimos had buried their dead under the customary cairn of stones. But to the surprise of the Mounties, the graves had been opened, the bodies removed, and the stones carefully stacked in neat piles---and animals could not have stacked the stones!

For two weeks experts were brought in to examine all the conceivable evidence that had been gathered. They concluded that the inhabitants had been gone for about two months. Everything seemed to point to the fact that the Eskimos had been carrying on their normal way of life, when for some strange reason they all rushed out of their huts to see something that had seized their attention …they never went back inside. Which means that in early winter they had suddenly abandoned their clothing, along with the food they'd left on the fires and disappeared into the frozen wasteland without a trace --- leaving behind their sled dogs and rifles that would have given them their only chance of survival!

The best trackers available were unable to find any sign that the villagers had fled on foot, and their battered kayaks and the carcasses of their sled dogs ruled out any travel by those means. Months of far flung investigation failed to turn up one single person who had lived in the village. Eventually the search for the missing village of Anjikuni would be expanded to cover the whole of Canada and the northwestern United States, and would go on for years. But over seventy years later the mystery is no closer to being explained than it was back in the records of the Mounted Police it was filed as unsolved … and so it remains to this day.

When I first came across that story I was immediately struck with wonder at how much it resembled an event that's predicted to take place in the near future … a time when millions are going to vanish from the earth just as they vanished at Anjikuni.

Come now and travel with me back through time some 2000 years to the days when Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth. It's morning and we find ourselves standing on the crest of a mountain just outside of old Jerusalem. Before us is gathered a small group of Jesus followers. They're gazing intently toward the heavens, and on every face we see a look of shock and amazement. The reason is plain to see…for there, before their startled eyes, the ascending figure of Jesus is just beginning to disappear into the clouds! And then, as they remain still gaping toward the sky in wonder, a second marvelous thing occurs! Out of nowhere, two angels in shining white raiment suddenly appear, and one of them addresses the small cluster of people, "You men of Galilee…why do you stand here gazing up into the heavens? This same Jesus that you have just seen taken up from you into heaven, is going to return in the same manner you have seen him ascend into heaven."

The scene we've just described is based on the words of the Bible found in the book of Acts, chapter one verses ten and eleven. And ever since the occasion on which that event took place the church of Jesus Christ has been anxiously awaiting his return. Beyond a doubt it's one of the most well known teachings of the Christian faith, and one about which no professing Christian should be ignorant. On a scale of 1-10 how well informed are YOU about that marvelous event? Suppose a reporter from CNN news were to single you out for an interview, based on the fact that you're a believer. And suppose he were to ask you to tell the listening audience several of the things that are predicted to happen when Jesus returns …could you do it?

And… have you ever wondered what it would be like if he were to actually return during YOUR lifetime? What would you see? What would you hear? And what would you personally experience?

The replies that the Bible gives to those questions are indeed bizarre. For instance…one thing that it makes plain is that:

AT THE SOUND OF AN EERIE TRUMPET BLAST MILLIONS OF DEAD BODIES ALL ACROSS THE EARTH ARE GOING TO SUDDENLY COME FORTH FROM THEIR GRAVES!

Such an idea is so far out that it sounds more like a fiction-plot for a novel or TV program, but to quote an old proverb, "truth is sometimes stranger than fiction." In the book of First Thessalonians the fourth chapter we're told that, "We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God!" And then, the bodies of all God's people, from Adam's day down to the present time will rise from their graves." And in John 5:28-29 we're told by Jesus, "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth."

There's no mistaking the meaning of those verses. Every believer is an immortal spirit that's taken to Heaven when they die. One day, however, they'll be brought back to this earth, to the very place where their body was buried or destroyed. There each one will be given a changed and glorified body that God has prepared for them. It will be a body of beauty and perfection that can never experience sickness, weakness or death!

What a day that will be! Can you imagine what it'll be like when thousands upon thousands of living, breathing incredibly glorious bodies begin to burst forth from the places of their burial, each being reclaimed by those who once occupied them? Untold thousands of those slain on the blood soaked battlefields of history will arise. The oceans will give up their dead, and from countless tombs, crypts and caves the long forgotten bodies of the dead will be transformed and come forth! No wonder Paul described it as the day when "death is swallowed up in victory!"

Whenever I think of that great day of resurrection, that time when the bodies of the dead return to life I'm reminded of the story about the gravedigger who'd dug a grave so deep that he was unable to climb out of it. Since it was already late in the day, he decided that he'd just lay down and go to sleep, then in the morning, when the rest of the work crew arrived, he'd get them to help him get out. Now it so happened that during that same evening the town drunk had been at the saloon until late, and when it closed down he started for home. On the way, he had to pass the cemetery, but in his inebriated condition he got a little off the path and wandered inside the cemetery gate by mistake. When he discovered where he was he became extremely uncomfortable, and tried his best to find his way back to the entrance.

Not seeing too well, he stumbled and fell into an open grave, which just happened to be the one where the gravedigger was lying fast asleep. When the old drunk hit the bottom of the grave, he saw lying right next to him a body. He immediately assumed that it was a fresh corpse. Letting out a loud scream and leaping to his feet he wildly and frantically began to jump, holler and try to climb out of the hole. But even though he clawed at the walls of the grave until his fingers were bleeding, he couldn't get out. At last, exhausted and shaking, he collapsed at the opposite end of the grave, unable to move. Meanwhile, all the noise had awakened the old gravedigger and as the trembling drunk stared with utter fear at what he thought was a fresh corpse, the gravedigger suddenly sat up and said, "You might as well give up …. there's no way you're going to get outta' here."……..…..but he did.

And one of these days we who know the Lord are going to "get outta here" too … in a glorious resurrection that will once and for all set us free from the chains of death.

SECONDLY, THERE'S GOING TO BE AN INSTANTANEOUS THRILLING TRANSFORMATION OF ALL BELIEVERS.

In First Corinthians 15 we're told that , "Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die."

One of the great, great blessings of the return of Christ is going to be when we receive a new transformed body, a body of beauty and power, a body of renewed youth and perfection! I don't think that most of us have more than a weak picture of what that's going to mean!

When I think about receiving a new body I can't help but recall visiting a home in Jacksonville, Florida some years back. In that home lay a young man in his mid twenties, a handsome fellow, about six feet tall, extremely well built, wavy black hair and an engaging smile. He had been an outstanding student in high school and a star athlete. Everything seemed to be going his way…until his muscular athletic frame was suddenly and unexplainably smitten with an incurable disease. It left him paralyzed for life.

When I visited him he was strapped to a board that was resting on a fulcrum. As he lay there, a motor kept the board rocking up and down, up and down, exactly like a teeter- totter. It was the only thing that kept his lungs functioning. If it were to stop…he would suffocate. We talked, and he tried his best to appear to be cheerful, but I couldn't help but think about the heartbreaking thoughts that must pass through his mind as he lays there hour after hour, day in and day out. At the time I was there he'd already been lying there paralyzed for over seven years. And if he's still alive today, he's undoubtedly still strapped to that same board, staring at those same four walls as his body is being rocked to and fro. There's no way to imagine what it would mean to someone like him to shed that diseased, weak body and receive a glorified body of power and perfection!

I remember the Lepers that I ministered to in India, many with all their fingers missing, their toes gone, their nose merely a sunken hole in their face. I think about a man that I met who was living in seclusion in the swamps along the St. John River. He remained purposely hidden away from society, living in a crude shelter and sleeping on a piece of cardboard. Why? Because he didn't want anyone to see his face. In the war his nose and almost all of his lower jaw had been blown away by a mortar shell. He'd been left with a face that was so disfigured it would frighten you to look at him. Think what it would mean to someone like that to be alive when Jesus returns and the great transformation takes place!

Many of you who read these words have passed the prime years of your life. Your youth is only a thing of the past, something that's now just a memory. Those around you today can't even visualize what you looked like in your youth. But Granddad, think back to that time in your life when you were strong as a young lion, and proud of your lean muscular physique? Those days when you could run like a deer, climb like a mountain goat, and were quick and limber as a cat? You had no need for eyeglasses in those days, because your eyesight was keen and clear. Your hair was thick and dark and the passionate fires of youth flowed in your veins? Do you remember that time in your life?

And you, Grandma … can you recall when you were that trim, shapely young thing? And do you remember how the heads turned when you walked by? In those days there was no wrinkled skin, no freckled gnarled hands, no aching, swollen knuckles and joints… instead you had hands that were slender and supple, with satin smooth skin that was soft as a baby's. The bloom of the rose was in your cheek, and the sparkle of maidenly youth was in your eyes.

You older Christians that know what it is to experiencing aging … does the memory of your younger days stir your heart, and make you yearn once more for that youthful body you used to possess? Well then, REJOICE! Because, thanks to Jesus, you're going to soon experience what it was like to be young and vibrantly healthy. All of what you once were when you were at your very best is going to be yours again … except you'll be far, far better! And when that time comes, you'll think back to this short span of life when age robbed you of what you once were… you'll remember it …and laugh! After all---that body you now occupy, when it was at its best doesn't compare with its going to become on the day of resurrection.

Your present body only exists in a temporary condition of weakness and mortality; it will soon be changed and endowed with health, beauty and powers that will exceed anything you can now imagine!!

You tell me that I'm getting old?
I tell you that's not so;
This house I live in is worn out---
And that of course I know.
It's been in use a long, long while,
It's weathered many a gale;
I'm really not surprised you think
It's getting somewhat frail
The color's changing on the roof,
The windows are getting dim,
The walls a bit transparent,
And looking rather thin.
The foundation's not so steady,
As once it used to be;
My house is getting shaky,
But my house isn't really me.
My few short years can't make me old,
I feel I'm in my youth,
Eternity lies just ahead,
A life of joy and forever, there;
Life will go on so grand!
You tell me that I'm getting old?
You just don't understand.
The dweller in my little "house"
Is young and bright and gay---
Just starting on a life to last
Throughout eternal day.
You only see the outside
Which is all that most folks see,
You tell me I am getting old?
You've mistaken my house for me!
(Dora Johnson)

There's one more thing about the return of Jesus that everyone should be aware of:

JESUS RETURN WILL MEAN THE RESCUE OF HIS PEOPLE FROM THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS WORLD.

According to the Scriptures this old world is on a one way path headed rapidly for destruction. And the picture that the Bible paints of that destruction is not a pretty one. Have you ever wondered exactly what the Scriptures have to say about what the end of the world will be like? Well here are a few of the verses that describe what's going to be occurring as the time for Jesus return grows closer.

"Hear the noise on the mountains. Listen, as the armies march. It is the noise and shout of many nations. The Lord Almighty had brought them here to form an army. They came from countries far away. They are the Lord's weapons; they carry his anger with them and will destroy the whole land. Scream in terror, for the Lord's time has arrived----the time for the Almighty to destroy. Every arm is paralyzed with fear. Even the strongest hearts melt and are afraid. Fear grips them with terrible pangs, like those of a woman about to give birth. They look helplessly at one another as the flames of the burning city reflect on their faces. For see, the day of the Lord is coming---the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be destroyed and all the sinners with it. ‘The heavens will be black above them. No light will shine from stars of sun or moon. I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and the haughtiness of the mighty. Few will be lift alive when I have finished my work. People will be as scarce as gold---more rare than the gold of Ophir. For I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move from its place. I, the Lord Almighty, will show my fury and fierce anger." Isaiah 14

And in the 24th chapter of the same book we read:: "Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. See he is scattering the people over the face of the earth….none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken…..Throughout earth the story is the same---like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest, only a remnant is left…Destruction falls on you from the heavens. The world is shaken beneath you. The earth has broken down and has utterly collapsed. Everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. The earth staggers like a drunkard. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for it's sins are very great."

And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish….But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned (exposed to judgment). Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! You should look forward to that day and hurry it along, the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames, .the day when God will set the heavens on fire. " 2 Peter 3

Scripture says, " It is a fearful things to fall into the hands of an angry God!" For millenniums God has stood back while men disobeyed his laws, ignored his existence, and butchered his children. And when God sent his own Son they ridiculed him, spat upon him and finally tortured him to death. And still God did not step in and vent his anger. His patience and love for this human race has been beyond comprehension! But even God's patience and mercy finally will run out, and when it does … God pity the man or woman who's in the pathway of his rage … because all of the pent up fury that's been held back, as if by a mighty dam, suddenly that dam is going to burst and pour forth an avalanche of unstoppable wrath!

Do you ever wonder what it will it be like on that day, a day that the Bible calls "the Day of the Lord"? Here is just a part of what it says will occur.

First of all, it will be preceded by a universal, unmistakable sign. The moon will look as if it has been dipped in blood and the sun will grow completely dark (Joel 2:31). And then the black velvet of the heavens will suddenly be filled with falling stars that streak across the inky blackness! At that time the strange, eerie sound of an ancient trumpet (a shofar) will be heard around the globe and God will begin to shake this old world like a dog shakes a rag! It will be the most horrific earthquake of all time causing the entire planet to reel to and fro, as skyscrapers topple, islands slip beneath the churning seas, and entire mountain ranges are moved! Great cracks will split the earth's surface, opening so wide that whole cities will collapse and drop from sight! The whole earth will be rocked with such force that it will trigger tidal waves that tower a mile in height, the likes of which have never before been seen! These juggernauts of destruction will come racing toward our coastlines smashing, drowning and demolishing everything in their path. And, as if all that were not enough, gigantic hailstones weighing a hundred pounds apiece will then come raining down, hammering the earth and wreaking terrible devastation. The carnage and destruction that this planet will endure will leave raging fires that devour what's left of a once rebellious planet.

The Bible sums it up by saying, "For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will see again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed." (Mt. 24:21,22)

But thank God, before earth's destruction occurs, God promises to remove his people from this blood spattered, doomed planet! We're told in Scripture that first, the graves will be emptied of believers, and then …. in a split second, millions of God's faithful children will vanish (much like the mysterious disappearance of the village of Anjikuni). They will be caught up to meet Christ in the air! It's described in the Bible in these words:

"And now brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died….For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words." (I Thessalonians 4:13-18)

What wonderful news to know that no Christian will have to go through that terrible hour. And it's my personal conviction that some who read these very words will be among the ones who'll take part in that magnificent rescue. Just think what that means and what that experience will be like!

"You'll hear the summoning blast of a trumpet and somehow you'll instinctively know that it's meant for you. A mighty shout will come echoing and re-echoing across the earth, and a strange tingling sensation will begin to sweep back and forth across your body! You'll feel as if every molecule and every atom of your body is being cleansed and energized. At that same moment a glowing light will surround your body and instantaneously you'll be whisked away at a blinding speed! As you're hurtling through space you'll become conscious of other shining forms all around you, and they too will be moving with breathtaking swiftness as their outcries of joy and delight fill the air!

All at once you're able to see clearly, and everywhere around you, as far as the eye can see, there are other glorified , transformed believers accompanied by innumerable angels. All are moving toward the same destination …. A brilliant, glowing orb of light pulsating in the distance. As you grow closer to it you hear voices, and the most beautiful music you've ever heard.

Suddenly a loud shout goes up from every throat! A cry of awe and wonder! For there before you, descending in clouds of rainbow colored radiance, stands an indescribable figure! He wears a sparkling gem set crown, and without being told, you know that it's the figure of the one you've loved, served and worshipped for so long! Your faith has at last become sight. KING JESUS REIGNS!" *

*source unknown

WHAT THEN?

When the great business plants of our cities
Have turned out their last finished work:
When the merchants have made their last bargain,
And dismissed every last tired clerk;
When our banks have raked in their last dollar

When the Judge of the Earth says, "Closed for the night!"

When the choir has sung it' last anthem,
And the preacher has prayed his last prayer;
When the people have heard their last sermon,
And the sound has died out on the air;
When the Bible lies closed on the pulpit;
And the pews are all empty of men;
When each one stands facing his record,
And the Great Book is opened---WHAT THEN?
When the actors have played their last drama,
And the comedian has made his last pun;
When the movies have flashed their last picture,
And the billboard displayed its last run;
When the crowds seeking pleasure have vanished,
And have gone into darkness again;
And the world that rejected its Savior
Is asked for a reason---WHAT THEN?
When the bugle's last call sinks in silence,
And the long marching columns stand still:
When the captain has given his last order,
And they've captured the last fort and hill;
When the flag has been hauled from the masthead,
And the wounded afield have checked in;
When the trumpet of ages is sounded
And we stand up before him---WHAT THEN?

Posted by cdrnorth at 2:32 PM