The Next War

Ever wondered how ancient prophecies might explain our modern geopolitical struggles?  We dissect the foreboding visions of Ezekiel's scriptures, linking them to today's tumultuous events. We're peeling back the layers of prophetic texts to uncover insights into wars that herald the approach of the End Times, delving into the contentious debates over the timing and key players of these apocalyptic battles. From the war that could trigger the rise of the Antichrist to the final showdown at Armageddon, our exploration doesn't shy away from the tough questions: Who are the modern-day Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish, and how might today's global powers align in the times prophesied?

Transcript

Welcome everyone. This is Russ Scalzo. Chronicles of the End Times. Thank you for being with me today. 

00:12

Today we're going to be looking into Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. This can be a very controversial couple of chapters, as there's so much written about it when this war will take place, who is actually involved, and who are these names that Ezekiel mentions here. So today, we're going to take it apart because we are living at that moment in time. There have been other times and other podcasts. I've spoken about this but haven't really gone into it in depth, for this war is on our doorstep. Let's just take a minute and recap the wars that are coming. So, there are three major wars, two of which are real battles, and the third one is over in a heartbeat. So, let's look at them real quick. First, there is this war we're going to talk about today, that is, Ezekiel 38 and 39. Many believe, as I do, that this war will take place prior to the Tribulation Period and most likely could lead into the Tribulation Period, with the rise of the Antichrist coming right after it. Then there's the Battle of Armageddon, where Jesus comes back and battles all the nations of the world in the fields of Megiddo. We'll have the kings of the East; we'll have the Western powers. That war begins with the forces of the Antichrist, which involves all the western nations against the kings of the east for the ability to rule the world. 

01:39

In Daniel, chapter 11, the Lord gives us some insight into how this battle begins. It starts with chapter 11. We begin in verse 40. At the time of the end, the king of the south will engage him in battle and the king of the north will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the beautiful land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries. Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. 

02:39

That's an excellent description of the Battle of Armageddon, which concludes with the coming of Jesus Christ and the armies of heaven and all the saints with him. We know that the Battle of Armageddon is associated with judgment, the coming of Christ and the beginning of the kingdom of God on the earth. But it also should be noted that without Jesus coming back at that moment, the earth would be dissolved, for the weapons that will be deployed in this war will be weapons that could destroy the entire earth and burn it to a cinder. So not only is the Lord Jesus Christ coming back at the Battle of Armageddon to punish the evildoers and to create his kingdom on earth, but he’s also coming to save the planet that he created. To look at that battle, we're going to look at Revelation, chapter 20. 

03:27

We're going to begin with verse 7. It says Remember, they are like the sand of the seashore. They march across the breadth of the earth and surround the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them, and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. So, as you can see, it's really not much of a battle. 

04:04

In this particular war, this is after the thousand-year reign of Christ. Christ is actually on the earth at this time. Satan is brought back and, in a process of time that we're not told about, he deceives the nations again and they come against the Lord and his people and his city, and God, the Father, sends fire down from heaven and actually licks them up from the face of the earth, and from there we're ushered quickly into the white throne judgment, where all the dead will be judged. So that's war number three. Now let's drop back and start taking apart Ezekiel 38 and 39, the war that is at our front door. 

04:45

Here's something we need to be aware of: God looks at time differently than we do. He set time so everything would go according to his plan. He created time, so, therefore, he moves within time. It's pretty incredible. When you read these scriptures, it can seem like the prophet is seeing it happen rather than it will occur at such a time. He sees it almost in the past tense. God takes him through time. It's a vision of God picking him up and taking him to where he wants him to be. Quite fascinating. To underline that, we go to Isaiah, chapter 46, beginning with verse 9. 

05:31

He says, Remember the former things, those of long ago. I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end to the beginning. He knows the end from the beginning. He's been there already. I know it's mind-boggling to try to comprehend. People talk a lot about predestination, and they get hung up on it. That's because we look at things through human understanding. God's already been there. That's why it's predestined. It's already written. He's been there already and done it. He knows what's going to take place. 

06:15

Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 12. I watch over my word to perform it. It's his way. It's not necessarily for us to figure out but to obey and march forward, and he will bless us with our trust and faith in him. So, let's get to it. 

06:31

Ezekiel, chapter 38. Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say Thus saith the Lord God Behold, I am against, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet, gomer and all his troops, the house of Togomar from the far north and all its troops, many people with you. So, who are all these people? What do these names mean? And to make it simple, and you can get into this and check it out for yourself, Gog and the land of Magog are metaphorical for the enemies of God, the people that are against God, the land that is against God, and Rosh and Meshach and Tubal. The considerable debate this Rosh, Russia? Is Meshach, Moscow, is Tubal, Tobolsk. 

07:51

There has been much debate about this through the years, but sometimes, it's easier to put those pieces together when God opens things up and they're right in front of you. We know now, and for the last 70 years, Russia has been the one supplying arms to the Arab world and was against Israel being there in the first place in the very first war in 1948. Russia's always been involved. We see now the troops that Russia had stationed in Syria have been moved closer to the Israeli border. Some things are just obvious, and Russia has been an atheistic country based on communism, and atheism plays into it as well. And this atheistic, anti-god leader who is not the Antichrist. That confuses people when they try to apply the Antichrist to this piece of Scripture. He's not in play here. He will come after this. Remember, this is before the Tribulation.

08:54

So, Russia comes with this great army, joined by Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya. All of them come in with their armies. Also with them will be Gomer and Togarmah from the far north, representing Turkey, nations north of them, and many other people with them. The Hebrew name Gomer refers to the Cimmerians who dwelt beyond the Caucasus above Turkey, including Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Most historians regard Togarmah as having been southeastern Armenia, so we're beginning to see many of these names that Ezekiel uses are in the same general area, directly north of Jerusalem and between Turkey and Russia, fitting the description in verse 6, also Gomer, with all its troops, and Beth-Togomar from the far north with all its troops, the many nations with you. It's important to note that these are the sons of Japheth, the son of Noah. In Islamic tradition, he is usually regarded as the ancestor of Gog and Magog tribes. Islamic tradition also tends to identify him with the Turks, the Mongols, and the Islamic people, further clarifying where these nations are today. 

10:09

So, let's look into Russia. How is that identified? Rosh is a place rather than a position or title. Today, any standard Hebrew text, such as a newspaper, refers to Russia by using the proper name Rosh. Many authorities add that Meshach and Tubal are the names of Scythian tribes whose names have been standardized as modern places. Meshach is Russia's capital, Moscow. Therefore, Magog is Russia. Its prince and leader are Gog. 

10:41

Metaphorically, Gog and Magog are enemies of God. We see that again in Revelation. In chapter 20, we read that Gog and Magog are referred to again, and that's nations or people that are anti-God. We know that throughout the 20th century, Russia has dabbled with extending its power into the Middle East. This prophecy tells us that one day in the future, they will take a step further in the actual invasion. 

11:09

This being said, a question immediately comes to mind. Every student of the Bible has asked it more than once: when does all this happen? Well, first, Ezekiel tells us that it's in the latter years when Israel has come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people. Israel is described as a land of unwalled villages, and lots of times, people bring this up, and they say well, this can't be, because Israel has fences and walls up all around them. But this is not referring to that. In medieval times and ancient eras, each little town, even the smallest city, was surrounded by a protective wall. Today, Israel's not like that. Yes, they have walls around their borders, not all of them, but up until just recently, they've lived in relative peace. 

11:59

Even now, with all this horrible war going on in Gaza, the threat from the north, the missiles coming over from Hezbollah being attacked on every side, life still goes on in Israel, not like it used to be. So, relatively, we can say Israel has a pseudo-peace. They're in some safe place. Let's put it that way. I think that's better said. You might compare it a little bit to America in World War II, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and with sending all our young men overseas in a very vicious war. You could still say people were living at peace here in America. Israel is no longer scattered among the nations. They're not under anybody else's rule. They have one leader and a place of safety, and that's why they're fighting so hard to hold on to that place of safety. So, in short, we get a picture of today's Israel, not the Israel of the past. 

12:56

The fact that they are living in today's Israel, not the Israel of the past, the fact that they are living in relative peace also counters the possibility that the Russian invasion takes place during the tribulation. There'll be no peace during the tribulation. There'll be a false peace initially, but then there'll be war. Then there'll be the mark of the beast. There will be all kinds of wrath coming from God in the second half of the tribulation. So, there's no peace anywhere, which is also an argument for the rapture coming during that time. Jesus describes it as people just going about their business, which is everyday day life. They're at the well-getting water, you know. They're in the field working. They're asleep. You know. It shows pretty much life going on in some normalcy, certainly not with bombs exploding and the world coming apart at the seams. 

13:44

Ezekiel goes on to say that after many days you will be called to arms, talking about Israel's enemies In future years. You will invade a land that has been recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. That certainly describes Israel in modern times. They've been brought out of nations and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops, and many nations with you, will go up advancing like a storm. You'll 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'll devise an evil scheme, and you will say I will invade a land of unwalled villages. I will go to a peaceful people who dwell safely, all of them living without walls, without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled, ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land. 

14:41

That describes October 7th to a T. Just that fence separated them from their enemy. They cut that fence and came through to kill people living in a kibbutz, minding their own business, taking care of the land. Actually, for the most part, they were peaceniks. I will devise an evil plan, and who is to say that this isn't a plan? Is anyone confident enough to think that this wasn't worked out, that this wasn't a plan? You know Hamas and Hezbollah, Iran, all these forces. They don't have any problem sacrificing people. They don't have any problem with that at all. They don't care, they don't care. Suppose they had even thought that Israel would do what they're doing right now. In that case, they'd still say it's all right, we'll take it, come on, kill as many people as you can, because what they want is for the United States to back off. They wish for anti-Semitism to rise to new levels we've never seen, which we're seeing right now throughout the entire world, on every college campus in America and all around. Who's to say this wasn't the plan? 

15:49

This is another hotly debated verse, verse 13, Sheba and Dedan. And the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you have you to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and seize much plunder? So, who is Ezekiel talking about right here? Many books have been written about this, and there is much debate about where Tarshish is. Who is Tarshish? Sheba and Dedan. Some people equate them to the West, America, and England. 

16:26

But we're looking at this in the wrong way. Sheba and Dedan, as we said, are merchants. They've been merchants for thousands of years, and Tarshish? We know that from where ships were built in the Old Testament. We also know that Jonah headed for Tarshish, where he was supposed to be going east to Nineveh, about 700 plus miles, but he set off to Tarshish, which is in Spain, almost 3,000 miles away. I guess he wanted to get far from God but never made it that far. Of course, he got thrown off the ship and swallowed by a fish. You might think, Russ, we're going down a rabbit hole here. Where are we going? It establishes how Tarshish represents the merchants and all her villages, or some translations say young lions. 

17:15

So, these other kings and countries are protesting against Sheba and Dedans' customers. And who would they be? The rest of the nations of the world, especially the West? This probably indicates that these protests will be raised at the UN to protest this war. Well, we all know, because of the rise of anti-Semitism and the hate for the Jewish people in Israel, that no one is going to help them, and that's what the Bible says: that only God is going to get the glory in this. He's the one who helps them when nobody else will. 

17:50

At this juncture in history, which is right around the corner, there'll be a split in the Arab world. We have the affluent Arab nations Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Then you have the more militant Arab countries, led by Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, parts of Lebanon that have been taken over, and groups throughout Africa. We have established who Tarshish is where it is and who her villages are or her young lions. These other countries? We know they're the West, but who are Dedan and Sheba? We said that they're merchants and all that, but why would some Arab nations join the West in a protest against this massive invasion of Israel? Could it be that the modern Sheba and Dedan are the affluent Arab nations of today? I believe they are, and I also think they will be the most open to this false messiah, this Antichrist who promises more prosperity than the world has ever known. We think about the whole Arab world hating Israel and going to war with them in this battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39, but they won't.

Some nations are happy with their situation. They've fallen in love with money and prosperity from the West, I just named these more prosperous, affluent Arab nations. Who are they now trading with? It's the West. Instead of spices and fabrics, we're dealing with oil now. Today, the US and its allies of the West are defenders of both the wealthy monarchies of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the state of Israel. This is a conundrum in a delicate balance of world oil pricing, Islamic zealotry, and conflicting nationalism. 

20:08

Let's read on Verse 17; it says will be aroused, declares the Lord. In my zeal and fiery wrath, I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble, and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the sovereign Lord. Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones, burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And I will show my Now. 

21:06

We're going to do this in a couple of different podcasts because there's so much here, but I would like to bring this point up. If, in fact, this war is prior to the tribulation, from what we just read, this would be the perfect time to kick off the supernatural, to bring in the Antichrist, and to have him say to Israel let's sign a seven-year deal, I'll make sure this never happens to you again. Let's look at this. What would the devastation be? How is the political scene going to change after a war like this, especially if all the militant Arab nations are destroyed? Who's left? I'll tell you who's left is Sheba and Dedan and the countries who crave profit over war, the Arab nations that didn't go to war with the majority of the zealots destroyed. It will make it a lot easier for the Antichrist to start the building of the third temple. And who's to say, after all this destruction? That? We just read that the mosque hasn't been destroyed and the political scene has completely changed. Something to think about. We're going to pick it up in Ezekiel, chapter 39, and we're going to look at the comparison between this war and the battle of Armageddon, which should give us more proof that this is a separate war.

22:30

One final thought:: When you think of time, think about it differently. It's something that God created just to keep everything in line. Like we said, sometime in the future, there'll be no more time, just eternity. Let's all turn our hearts towards God and renew our zeal and our love for him. God bless. This is Russ Scalzo of Chronicles of the End Times. Till next time, keep looking up. The King is coming.