The World Scene Moving Toward Judgment

Transcript

GRM 1145
12/13/2015
The World Scene Moving toward Judgment
Ezekiel 38-39; Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

We're going to take a break in our study of 2 Corinthians, and I want to talk to you a little bit about the Second Coming of Christ. I want to talk to you about that this week and next week. We'll focus more on His actual Second Coming in our next study, but I want to talk to you about events going on today. We as believers ought to be encouraged and excited. We sang in the songs about peace on earth. In Isaiah 9:6 in his great prophecy of the Child that would be born, he would be called the Prince of Peace, and yet we see much chaos and turmoil in the world. It is good for us as believers to remind ourselves God is sovereign, it's His purposes, His plans that are being accomplished and carried out in the world today. Everything is on schedule, everything is on track, everything is under control and we are exactly where God intends us to be. We, as those who have believed in Christ, experience the peace that He brings to the heart. And that was a necessary preparation for the ultimate peace He will bring to the world. But first we ought to remind ourselves that the world is on its way to destruction. You know people with positive thinking, the best is yet before you. For the world we have to say the worst is yet to come. Then do you want to use that as a witnessing technique these days? You talk to people, tell them the worst is ahead of you unless you realize why Christ came and take advantage of what He has provided for you.

We're going to talk about some prophetic matters and we'll just do an overview. I want to talk a little bit more about the Muslim-Russian situation in the world and how that fits into prophecy, but maybe just a little overview.

Come to Daniel 9, it's a good place to start. Again, if you want more details, we have studies we've done the details of these passages, but for many of you we have been through this together. It will be familiar to you. Daniel 9:24 when it says “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city,” speaking to Daniel, Daniel's people are the Jews, the holy city is Jerusalem. This lays out the backbone of God's prophetic plan for the Jews and everybody else fits into that. So it's important that we have it in perspective. We have a chart we're going to put up for you on the seventy weeks. If you note on this chart, it's important, this seventy weeks is 70 seven-year periods, literally it says 70 sevens. And from comparison with other Scriptures which we have done on other occasions, we're not going to take the time to do, we know those are seven-year periods. Seventy times seven is 490. The brown area that shows on the chart, that's the church age. That began in Acts 2 and will continue down until we get to the Rapture of the church, and we'll talk about the Rapture and the Second Coming to earth in our next study. Now this 490-year period covers from 444 B.C., we have the starting point given. And the first 483 years, total of 69 weeks because it is broken down into seven weeks, 49 years, then 62 weeks. They come to an end, we'll say just roughly a week before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

So you have this part of God's program for Israel, it continues, all the Old Testament from Genesis 12 with the call of Abraham through the gospels are about Israel. Important to keep that in mind. We call our Bible the Old Testament and the New Testament and is divided with the coming of Christ, which is fine. But you understand that the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—are still dealing with God's program with Israel. And so they are part of the first 483 years. Now we went back before Abraham was about 2000 B.C., but the 483 years pick up with God's program from when Daniel is writing and events that will take place with the decree for the establishing of Israel and so on, rebuilding. So that is 444 B.C.

Now we have then a break in God's program. You see the arrow coming down is Christ coming to earth, His crucifixion on the cross. Then in Acts 2 the church was started and that's the period of time in which we live. But that period in brown on your chart, the church age, is not included in any Old Testament prophecies, it's not really part of the gospels. There are some brief references. Basically we are still dealing with Israel. What happens is God's program with Israel is set aside and we have the church age. And this is the time as we have talked about in Romans 11 called the “Fullness of the Gentiles.” God's focus in His work in the world and His saving work is focused on Gentiles during this period. Israel is under the judgment of God, they are out of favor. But He yet has seven years to complete His program. We say, well, seven years, what's the difference. It's everything because God keeps His word and when He says a total of 490 years for Israel and for their people, and you'll note in Daniel 9:24 six things will happen in that 490 years for Israel. “Will finish the transgression, make an end of sin, make atonement for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and prophecy, and anoint the most holy place.” By then we will be ready for the kingdom, the first phase of which is 1000 years.

So we have this space here that is not talked about in the Old Testament, that brown section, tan section in your chart. Then we will pick up the final seven years which will culminate with Christ returning to earth and setting up His kingdom on the earth.

Now if you don't have that basic picture before you, you can get confused. People come to the Bible and they just pull out verses and they'll say this is what it says here, so I'll take it that's for me. It may not be for you, it may be for Israel. Certain things God required of Israel, an earthly nation with an earthly land and so on. He will fulfill all of that in the kingdom. It will be a physical kingdom on the earth with Jerusalem as the capital with the nation Israel back in their land as the dominant people on the earth.

Now also included in Old Testament prophets you can see what we call this final seven-year period, the 70th week, that last seven-year period. The first 483 years ended just before the crucifixion of Christ. Then there is a break because God hadn't revealed that (tan) period, the church period. At the end of that tan period He'll finish His program with the church, then He'll resume His program with Israel. And much of what the Bible talks about in anticipation of the kingdom has to do with this seven-year period. And we're going to be looking at events that take place in that seven-year period. It is divided into two 3½ -year segments. In the middle there is a drastic change that takes place. And that will be, those seven years are what Revelation 6-19 are about. In Revelation 19 Christ comes to establish His kingdom, but that period, the Book of Revelation tells us billions of people will die in that seven-year period. Not hundreds, not thousands, but billions of people are going to die on the earth. There isn't anything like it.

We see leaders of the world have met together over climate change to save the planet. It's not savable by man's doing. And even though, and I'm not into climate change, but if you read Revelation 16, as you get toward the end of that seven-year period, do you know what's going to happen? Revelation 16, God is going to turn up the sun's heat and scorch the earth. So I'm not against it if they tell me to peddle my car instead of putting gas in, I'll peddle my car. Doesn't make any difference. Those aren't the things that are of great concern. I know where the world is going, I know what the big problems are, and God has spoken. There will be no rescuing this planet until Christ comes at the end of that seven-year period. And then the earth will be changed. So we want to be sure we are clear.

Come back to Daniel 7, try to put some context here. In Daniel 7 Daniel is given a vision of the empires of the world that are from his time forward. In other words he is living at the time of the Babylonian captivity, the Babylonians ruled the world. After the Babylonians will come the Persians or the Medo-Persian Empire as we refer to it, we just call it the Persian for now. After the Persians will come the Greeks, after the Greeks will come the Romans. So that's what is unfolded in Daniel 7. He sees, verse 2, “wind stirring on the great sea;” verse 3, “four great beast coming up from the sea different from one another.” Each of these beasts represents an empire. Verse 17, it's not hard because an angel interprets it, “These great beast which are four in number are four kings who will rise from the earth.” A king and a kingdom are used interchangeably, like we use the leader of a country today. You talk about the United States' position on climate control or the President's position, that doesn't mean every person in the country agrees but he represents the country. So a king and his kingdom are used interchangeably. So we know those four beasts represent the four kingdoms. Starts with Babylon when Daniel is writing and moves up to Rome—Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome—four.

The fourth beast is the most fearful. Verse 7, “I kept looking in the night visions and behold a fourth beast” and it is terrible and it is powerful, Rome being the most powerful of the empires. And you come to the end of verse 7, “it had ten horns.” That indicates these ten horns, which also represent a king or a kingdom, we're not going to take the time to do the comparison of passages. You just take my word for it now. The ten horns represent ten kings or kingdoms and it will come out down in verse 20,”The meaning of the ten horns were on its head and the other horn which comes up,” which will be in verse 8 in a moment, “for the three,” different ones. And they are waging war, the horn, he is leading an army, he has a kingdom.

Back to verse 8, “While I was contemplating the horns behold another horn, a little, came up among them.” So this is where we know that these ten kingdoms succeeded by one dominant kingdom come out of the old Roman Empire. That's why we refer sometimes to the revived Roman Empire. These ten horn, they are on the head of this last beast which represents Rome. And then there is a little horn that comes out from among the ten and becomes the dominant. That will take place, if you want to put that chart up again, in the middle of the seven years. He will become dominant. He is present at the beginning, but in the middle of that he will become THE man, replacing three of the horns and becoming the dominant one. And in Revelation 17 we are told that all the other kings agree that he ought to be the sovereign ruler over all. So you get a picture of what is going on here.

Now after Daniel 7:8, that little horn, you have a picture of a throne. “I kept looking until thrones were set up, the Ancient of Days took His seat,” referring to God the Father and the glorious depiction of what is going on in heaven. And verses 11-12 talk about that horn and the beast again and their destruction. And then we pick up in verse 13 what is going to happen. The Son of Man comes before the Ancient of Days, God the Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man comes before the Father and receives a kingdom. And verse 14, “To Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom and all the peoples and nations of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting kingdom which will not pass away, His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”

So you see we move through that seven-year period and then finally with the destruction of this ten-nation kingdom and the ultimate ruler of that, we are ready for the establishing of the kingdom. So that is what is yet future. You have to understand the period of time in which we are living is not part of Old Testament prophecy and it's really Revelation 6-19 are not about the church. There is information given to the church, but the church is not there. We'll talk more about that when we talk about the removal of the church at the rapture in our study next time. So there you have something of an overview of God's prophetic plan.

Down in verse 24, “As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise.” There is one of the verses that indicate a horn represents a kingdom. And then another king arises out of the ten and he is different from the previous ones, he is more powerful. The end of verse 25, “They will be given into his hand for a time, times and a half time.” His whole intention is going to be to persecute God's people and particularly the nation Israel. That last 3½ -year period there will be devoted, as far as the king of the world during that period of time is concerned, to the destruction of Israel I was watching, they've been running news things on Israel and one of them showed the end of the German empire under Hitler, the Nazis. And here he is in about his last week and the Russian armies are coming in and it is clear, and he is giving out orders—we must do everything we can to destroy the Jews. We say, it's irrational, it makes no sense. You understand you have everything you have built, your armies, your empire is destroyed. But he is saying we must destroy the Jews. It's like the devil, the devil knows God's prophetic plan but he is bent.

Come over to Revelation 12. This is talking about what is going to happen in this 70th week. “There is a great sign,” verse 1, “appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And she was with child.” This does not refer to the virgin Mary, that's the Roman Catholic position. This is talking about the nation Israel during this period of time where God is revealing the information of His judgment on the world and His preparation for the nation Israel to turn to Him. So she gives birth to a child and verse 3 you'll note, “The sign appeared in heaven, a great red dragon.” And we're told down in verse 9 that we're talking about Satan, he's the great red dragon. “Has seven heads and ten horns.” There are those ten horns. Here we have seven heads because Revelation goes back to the empires. Remember Daniel picked up where he was, but before Babylon we had Egypt, Assyria. What else do we have? That's it—Egypt, Assyria, then we have the four, that's six, then the ten-nation confederacy is the seventh, the ten kings. And then Revelation 17 will say and an eighth is this little horn.

Verse 5, “Out of Israel comes the king who will rule the nations. Then the woman fled into the wilderness” because in verse 4 this dragon is trying to devour the child, referring to Israel. “The woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place,” the woman is Israel, flees, “have her be nourished for 1260 days.” 1260 days, 360 days is a prophetic year, it's rounded off in Scripture. 1260 days is 3½ years, 42 months. That will be given over in Revelation 13:5. “Authority was given to him to act for 42 months, 1260 days.” Daniel talked about a time, two times and a half time, 3½ times, 3½ years. So the Bible focuses specifically on these times. Satan is cast out of heaven. Satan has lost his position in heaven but he still has access.

Verse 9, “After war in heaven with Michael and his angels the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world.” Thrown down to the earth and there is celebration in heaven because they realize now we are getting near to the time of the end of God's judgment and the establishing of the kingdom. So there is celebration.

Verse 13, “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.” He begins an intense persecution of Israel. Now you'll note the end of verse 12, “Woe to the world because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” I mentioned to you Hitler's situation, his life is down to days and he thinks, we have to get rid of the Jews. The devil knows he only has a short time, if he frustrates God's plan, he has to do it now. Why? Well, all the promises through Old Testament history are for the establishing of a kingdom for the Jews on the earth. If the Jews are annihilated, there can be no Jewish kingdom, if there is no Jewish kingdom Satan wins and God loses “because I defeated Him.” He couldn't do what He said. Who is more powerful? That makes no sense, the devil’s gotta know. No, that's his goal.

That's why if you don't understand Israel in the plan of God and the prophecies of Scripture, you are just in a world of confusion. So that's why I want to set the stage for you here. You come down to Revelation 13:1, “I saw a beast coming out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads.” The seven heads are the seven empires, the ten horns are the final form here, that ten-nation confederacy. The ten-nation confederacy, I take it, revived Roman Empire, something like we have with the European Union. And you do see it becoming more powerful, stronger. Who steps up more and more as the United States steps back and declines? Who becomes more central? Even Israel looks to the European Union. Now keep in mind in that first 3½ years, I think it's a quarter of the earth's population is going to be destroyed with various judgments. I don't know where the United States fits, whether we just continue the decline and become weaker. Maybe Yellowstone will explode, maybe a tsunami will take out the east coast. We don't care, we're in the middle. But we don't care anyway because we won't be here. That's the best option, get out, exit. That's what we will do as the church. I don't know where, but you're talking about a quarter of the earth. I mean, if there are six billion people like I read somewhere, we're talking about a lot of people just in the initial judgments. The whole Americas could be gone, North and South America, whatever else. We don't know, judgment will take place.

Come back to Daniel 9, and then we're going to move on to just a specific area. Daniel 9, this little horn who is going to become prominent, he is part of the ten-nation confederacy, he is going to displace three, you remember. But you'll see in Daniel 9:7, “He will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.” The many refers to Israel. He makes it for one week. Remember the week is a week of years, not a week of days, one 7. What marks the beginning of that 70th week is this covenantal agreement that the leader of the revived Roman Empire signs with the nation Israel. Then you'll note, “in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering, on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate.” Remember in Matthew 24 Jesus said to the Jews, “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet,” right here, the one who comes on the wing of abomination and makes desolate, “standing in the holy place,” in the temple, you flee from Jerusalem as fast as you can. Don't even go back into your house to get a coat. That's how quickly the persecution is going to explode on Israel. And that's when Jesus said woe to the women who are pregnant because how can you make any time and endure the rigors of fleeing into isolated regions in that condition. That's what Daniel prophesied.

So this agreement starts the clock running on the last seven-year period. He will come out of something like the European Union and ultimately when we get to this point there will be ten key nations there that really comprise and make it up. Others can be joined with them in more minor roles.

Now I want to talk about what is going to go on in here, things like the apostate church in Revelation 17 that will be dominant during the first 3½-year period, working the political system. We see that, the Pope can travel the western world and everybody is enthralled with him, multitudes of people will come and stand in the rain so they can be part of the mass or he can drive by and wave his hand and touch a hand. And he can speak on political issues, climate change, whatever, and the world listens and he get quoted. There is going to be an apostate religious system during that first 3½ years that is going to be a key in helping that little horn rise to power in the middle.

Now go back to Ezekiel, I want to spend most of the rest of our time talking about what is going on with Russia, the Muslims and Israel. Fascinating days. Ezekiel, he has to prophesy God's judgment. Ezekiel is a contemporary of Daniel, if you will. The context is the Babylonian captivity. He began his prophecy in 593 B.C. and he'll prophecy for 20 years or more. We don't have the record of his death but we do have 20 years of his prophecy time.

So he is commanded a watchman in Ezekiel 33, he's the watchman. God says, I have appointed you a watchman to the nation. If I tell you judgment is coming and you don't tell the people, the people will be destroyed but I'll hold you accountable for failing to tell them. But if I tell you judgment is coming and you tell the people, the people will still be destroyed but you have vindicated yourself. So this responsibility is serious because the people don't want to hear. And the way this is put is so picturesque at the end of Ezekiel 33. Verse 31, “They come to you as people come and sit before you as my people and hear your words, but they don't do them. They do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, their heart goes after their gain.” Then note this picture, “Behold you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument. For they hear your words but they do not practice them.” Like people singing the Christmas carols and you say, did you ever stop to think of the words? Well, I just like the music and the feeling. Ezekiel, you are just preaching to people who say I love going and hearing him. But they don't do it. So that's what he has to do.

So in Ezekiel 34 he condemns the rulers of Israel for not providing the spiritual care and oversight of the people that they should that concludes down in verse 23 and following with “I will set one shepherd over them, my servant David, and will feed them. He will be their shepherd, I will be their God,” and so on. The time when Christ will come and reign and those will reign with Him. Verse 30, “They will know I, the Lord, am their God and with them the house of Israel are My people.”

You come over to Ezekiel 37 for time, you have the valley of the dry bones. And Ezekiel sees this valley of dry bones and they are bleached white like you can see in our desert regions where an animal dies and over time all that is left are bones that have been bleached white by the sun. That's the picture here, these are human bodies, though. And they are just scattered in a valley, and God asks Ezekiel, could they live? He say, you know, Lord. And it ends up the picture is Israel is spiritually dead and they are in graves. And the picture here, the graves are scattered in the nations of the world and they are hopeless. Down in verse 11 he says, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.” So you don't have to try to figure out what the bones represent, God interprets it. They say, our bones are dried up, our hope has perished, we are completely cut off. They are out of the land, they are scattered. As Ezekiel writes the Babylonian captivity has completed the captivity of Israel. The northern ten tribes have been taken out of the land and scattered by the Assyrians and now the southern kingdom, Judah and Benjamin have been taken out of the land. We are dead, we are lost, we are hopeless. But God promises, I will open your graves. I am going to bring you back from where you have been scattered into the land.

And then ultimately, verse 14, “I will put My spirit within you.” You will come to life, you will know. I will place you on your own land. Verse 21, “I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, gather them from every side, bring them into their land, make them one nation on the mountains of Israel.” He's going to bring the kingdom, remember the kingdom divided under Solomon's son Rehoboam in 931 B.C., the northern ten tribes and southern two tribes. God says I am going to bring it back and make it one nation. Down in verse 24, “My servant David will be king over them.” Verse 26, “I will have a covenant of peace with them.”

So this seven years has as its intention to bring judgment on an unbelieving world, but to bring Israel to its knees so by the end of that seven-year period there is a national turning to Christ in faith. Their eyes are opened and they believe and realize that this One who died on the cross was our Messiah, He is our Savior. And that's when Christ will come at Armageddon and bring deliverance to the nation, destruction, judgment and the establishing of the kingdom.

We come to Ezekiel 38. There is much in the news about the Muslim nations, Russia. I believe that is what is included here in this chapter. We only have time to highlight and we're not going to go into the background. If you want more information you can go get studies we have done more on this chapter in detail. Just want to do some of the highlights because what is going on in the world is fascinating. When the Berlin wall came down and it seemed there was a collapse of the Soviet Empire, people said, that does that for people who thought Russia was going to play a part in end times. Isn't it amazing how quickly things change? Seems the Russian empire collapsed rather quickly, but it has rather come on the scene like a storm. In fact it seems at times like the United States is retreating and who has moved in. And you watch the news, it has no particular religious bent. You are saying Russia is establishing itself as the key player and the dominant influence in the Mideast. Sometimes we as Christians get frustrated and say why don’t we do something? I just go read Ezekiel 38-39 and take an antacid and a nap and I feel better.

Here verse 2, “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.” I take it we have a man, he is not the Antichrist, he is not the little horn. This is a man who is going to be key in assembling an alliance. I take it Rosh is Russia here, not just because of the sound of the name but because of some of the grammatical background. We don't have time to talk about that. And also note where they are. Verse 6, all this army is going to come from “the remote parts of the north.” Down in Ezekiel 39:2, they come “from the remotest parts of the north.”

Could you bring up Map 4. This is Israel down here, can you find Israel on the left. If you see Saudi Arabia there, you just move up and you can see Israel. It's hard. You have all these big nations, here is the Sudan, here is Egypt, here is Saudi Arabia, here is Iran, Kazakhistan, India, Pakistan, the Ukraine, the Russian federations up here and coming up. You can hardly find Israel, but if you go straight north of Israel, do you know what this is right up here? Go all the way up to the top, you see a little blue up there and the body of water, just drop down below it and you see Moscow. Now if you go to the remote part of the north from Israel, where do you go? Russia, Moscow. So I think the identification. Now it's true in biblical times the armies of the north basically came down into Israel from the north because this is desert. Saudi Arabia, we'll just take that, that whole region in there is desert. So you didn't come into Israel normally from the east. When Nebuchadnezzar came in, he came over and down from the top. When his dad died when he was in Israel, he took a contingent of soldiers and went through the desert to get back to Babylon as quickly as he could before someone usurped the throne. But that's not the normal way, you'd come through what we call the Fertile Crescent up around and down. But those armies that came down that way were just anticipations of the ultimate enemy of Israel that will come down from the remote parts of the north under their domination and will include all these people, will include Iran as mentioned here in Ezekiel 38. You'll note Persia, Ezekiel 38:5. Until 1935 Iran was Persia, they changed the name then. You have Ethiopia, your English Bible translates it, the word is Cush, but it really refers to the Sudan down here, not particularly Ethiopia. But the Sudan joined in this alliance. You have these other nations—Meshech, Tubal and Gomer and Beth-togarmah, down in verse 6. These are areas that are in the region of Turkey today. Ninety-nine percent of Turkey is Muslim. Of course Iran, we're familiar. You get up into all of these regions, not the Ukraine, but that region would be included here. We trace these, you can go back to the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, some of you have been here when we did this, and they can trace where these people spread out. That's how you pick up these names and know the people you are talking about.

Why don't you pick up Map #1. You have Put which is Libya. You can see here, the king of the south is mentioned in Daniel 11, so what you can see has happened, all these are united as Arab nations. You get up in here, this is where some of these countries are talked about here under different names. You have some of the names there, Magog. You have Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan, all these people up in here, the Magogonians. Even Josephus the Jewish historian from the first century refers to those. So what you have is this alliance here all joining together. Now that's where I think it is significant to us. Russia moves in and becomes the dominant player in the Middle East again and not that Russia is any friend of Muslims, but Russia wants to be a dominant player in the Middle East. And just the whole connection.

What are they here for? Well the period of time, when it will happen we are told in verse 8. “After many days you will be summoned in the latter years.” Down in verse 16, “You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days I will bring you against My land.” So you have this federation of these nations which are basically Muslim nations coming up through here, around here, up over the top, Russia being a dominant solidifying, I think, power there. And you'll note in verse 16, “It will happen in the last days,” the latter days, the last days. We are down in that seven-year period, coming to the end of God's program for Israel. And you'll note verse 16, “You will come up against My people. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you up against My land.” It is God's intention to bring these armies up for their destruction. But that doesn't mean He is rescuing Israel, that will happen in the middle of the tribulation. There are different views on whether this happens at the beginning, just before the tribulation, that seven-year period or after. Some even put it at the end of the millennium because of Revelation 20. I put it in the middle. We'll find out, I guess.

Note the condition of Israel, repeated expression. The end of verse 8, “They are living securely, all of them.” Down in verse 11, “You will say I will go up against the land of un-walled villages, against those who are at rest, that live securely.” Living without walls, having no bars or gates. What did they do in biblical times? They had a city, high walls, massive gates, people lived outside in the farm areas around. But when enemies were coming in, everybody retreated into the city. And there they had food stockpiled, hopefully water. That's why they laid siege to the city. It was too difficult and hard to break in so they would surround the city and try to starve them out. But here what you are saying is Israel is living securely, they don't even have defenses. What you would mean here is having a city with no walls, no gates, you are defenseless. Come down to verse 14, “On that day when My people Israel are living securely will you not know it.” So that repeated emphasis.

I think their security is a result of the covenant that this leader of the western world has signed with Israel guaranteeing their safety. So Israel says we finally have the security we want. Do you know what is going to happen during the first 3½ years? Israel is going to have a rebuilt temple. I've shared with you on other occasions, I believe it was 1989, I was looking at the article I have in my file again last night, where Time magazine had the article on the place in Jerusalem. That was 1989, they also had pictures making all the items necessary for use in the temple when it is rebuilt. That's going on thirty years ago. They were already at it because they said the temple will be rebuilt and we must be ready. So they made the garments for the priests and the items they need. But during the first 3½ years the temple will be rebuilt. One of the reasons we know is in the middle of that seven years when the Antichrist breaks his agreement with Israel, we are told in 2 Thessalonians 2 that he takes his seat in the temple, declaring himself to be God. He is Satan's imitation Christ, false Christ. The temple has been rebuilt. We read in Daniel 9 that in the middle of that week when he breaks his agreement with Israel, he'll put an end to sacrifice and offering. Well, they've had time to rebuild the temple. How long do you think Israel would take to do that if they didn't have any military concerns of any kind and all the energy. I mean, the Jews of the world would pour their money in there for the rebuilding of the temple as well as have a mass migration. They'll want to be there and be a part of it. Now our land will be our land and we're secure at last. But it's a false security.

In the middle of that seven years Russia and her allies and through the nations, you come down to verse 13, “Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish.” Sheba and Dedan are Saudi Arabia. You can see it on the map, it is purple, you see Saudi Arabia over there. Tarshish is Spain. In the biblical times Tarshish was the far west, but those coming from the west and all its villages, those associated with it, Tarshish and all its villages, maybe this is part of the revived Roman Empire. You see the European Union and you come over to Spain you begin to get into that region. That was the west. And so when it says all its villages, its young lions, literally, as you have in your margin, could refer to the European Union. Saudi Arabia, you see their concern for themselves, they evidently are not part of this alliance. They more identify with the west and say what are you doing? What's going on here? Everybody now is making this sudden attack on Israel, nobody is expecting it. We finally have “peace in the world.” Satan's goal is not peace, Satan's goal is the destruction of Israel. If his goal were peace in the world, just have the kingdom come. His goal is not peace, the peace in the world is not what he wants. And so this peace for 3½ years for Israel, he is setting them up. And when the armies are destroyed, that doesn't set him back because do you know what happens? And we don't have time to go to Daniel 11. The Antichrist here now, the European Union, we'll take it that, use that title, it will be the revived Roman Empire. When Israel is attacked, he gets ready to move his armies in. But you know what happens, God supernaturally destroys them.

Look down in Ezekiel 38:17, “Are you the one of whom spoke in former days my servants the prophet of Israel who prophesied in those days that I would bring you against them. It will come about in that day when Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God,” and Gog being the leader in this alliance. It's not the Antichrist, this would be perhaps the leader of Russia that has pulled together this alliance. “into the land that My fury will mount up in My anger, in My zeal, in My blazing wrath I declare on that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, all the men on the face of the earth will shake at My presence. The mountains will be thrown down.” This is going to be an earthquake of all earthquakes. It's not to destroy the world, but it's to destroy these armies, these people. “I will call for a sword against him on all my mountains, declares the Lord, every man's sword will be against his brother. Pestilence, blood, I will enter into judgment with him, I will rain on him, his troops, the many peoples that are with him a torrential rain, hailstone, fire and brimstone.” Fire and brimstone like that which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. “I will magnify Myself.” I mean, destroyed. That's the end of this Russian alliance, this Muslim alliance, this confederation of nations against Israel.

But now here you have coming in the Antichrist with his armies because the attack of Israel, since he has a covenant relation and not a love for them, but it's in fact against him because his desire is to rule the world as well So now you come to Israel, you don't have to fight Russia or this alliance. I'm king of the world. So he takes his seat in the temple and declares himself to be God. Perhaps he declares I am the one who called down fire from heaven, I'm the one who brought the disaster on those armies. And we're told in Revelation 13 that he does miracles. And all the world will follow him. And that's when we read also that the persecution immediately breaks out on Israel. He doesn't need to keep a balance of power any longer, the balance of power has been wiped out. He's the only one with the power. We don't know what happened to the other nations. What happened to the United States? I don't know, like I said, maybe volcanoes, maybe earthquakes here, maybe tsunamis. We don't know. What about China? Remember billions of people are going to die during that seven-year period, but Israel is still going on, the western nations are still going on. So if you are not a Christian and you are not going to trust Christ, I'd move to Europe. You'd have the longest survival possibility there because we know those nations are going to be there. But that's a poor choice, ultimately they're going to get their judgment, too.

So you see that, that's why you look at the news today, we have to be careful. We as Christians get caught up and frustrated with our governing leaders and why aren't they doing this? Why aren't they doing that? Everything is under control, God is moving the world toward judgment. You understand we have a different view than the unbeliever does. They think we are saving the world. No, God is moving the world towards judgment. I mean, the stupid decisions, the things that are done and you say, what are they thinking? They can't think properly, they are under the control of the father of lies as we have studied, who is going to bring destruction on his enemies. And the last 3½ years of that tribulation God is going to bring every kind of destruction on the earth imaginable. It is going to be unbelievable. And that will culminate then when the Antichrist thinks he is ready to destroy Jerusalem and the Jews and destruction is underway, then Christ appears to deliver Israel. We'll talk about that with His Second Coming in our next study.

So these are exciting days for us as believers. Israel is back in the land, they are talking about building a temple, the European Union has become a solidified group and is growing strong and under the leadership when it is pulled together. And that could happen overnight just like the Soviet empire fell apart overnight. And seems revived overnight. And people love their Putin. I understand what they say in Russia, he is bringing glory to the empire again. We say what is happening? We as believers aren't here to rescue the world. I'm not taking a position on climate control. Why? Do what you think ought to be done, there are people doing it. We have something more important. We are not here to save the planet, we are here to bring salvation to the people. I mean, I'm fine if they want me to drive an electric car. Fine, whatever. Burn candles, don't burn candles, I don't know. Christians, if we get as worked up about we are moving toward the coming of Christ, we celebrate His birth. But we are living in light of the expectation of His soon return. And I believe He is returning before that seven-year period. We'll talk more about that next time.

What exciting days to be about the Lord's work. We ought to be consumed with these are days of opportunity, they may be gone very soon. We want to take every opportunity, don't want to argue over the political situation, don't want to argue over these kinds of things with people. They are irrelevant, they won't make a bit of difference. What we are doing will endure for eternity. We have a salvation because the Savior has come, been born, lived and died and was raised from the dead. And now you can have forgiveness of sins, new life and a hope for the future that goes through eternity if you'll place your faith in Him. And if you don't, there is no escaping the wrath of God that will come upon you.

Let's pray together. Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. Thank You for the Savior that came to this earth that He might die, that He might take our place, pay our penalty, be the manifestation of Your love and mercy and grace. Lord, may we not be like the stubborn people we read about in Ezekiel's day who listened, who heard and thought that was nice, but it never reached into their hearts. Lord, I pray for any who are here who don't know the Savior, that are your enemies, that are doomed to destruction. May they reach out, take hold of life in Christ free as a gift. And may we who know the Savior be careful we are not distracted by the things that distract the world, but we maintain our focus and commitment to bring the message of Jesus Christ to those we come in contact with. Pray for the evening and those who will be here. Encourage our hearts as believers as we rejoice again as we are reminded of the coming of our Savior. Lord, may those we bring who don't know you be touched by the message as the Spirit carries it to hearts and minds. We pray in Christ's name, amen.