Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, and now Iran, Ezekiel 38, and World War III

It's not what you think.

Introduction

This article is an update to an article I posted on Oct 19, 2024. It argues against the common interpretation of Ezekiel 38 as a future war focused on the state of Israel, suggesting instead that it describes a current spiritual war against the Church. The prevalent belief is fueled by the Rapture theory and a misunderstanding of Daniel's 70th week, and it misdirects the Church's focus from its present spiritual battles.

State of Israel

A literal interpretation of Ezekiel 38 argues that the "Gog and Magog" war is about the state of Israel today, but it isn’t. The context of the chapter is not geographically limited to Israel but represents a global spiritual conflict. It is connected to New Testament passages about Israel that views the "third temple", not as a physical structure, but as the Church, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Those who hold to the literal interpretation, connect this chapter to a prophecy in the book of Zechariah and suggest that it is describing what is happening to the state of Israel today:

Zechariah 12:1-3 (CHV) The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, says the LORD, who stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the people round about, when they will be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. Then the LORD will go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Rather than deliverance for the state of Israel however, the context suggests just opposite:

Zechariah 14:1-3 (CHV) Behold, the day of the Lord comes, and your spoil shall be divided in your midst. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then will the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

According to this interpretation, the Lord will go forth to fight for the state of Israel. But on the contrary, it is speaking about the Church of Jesus Christ, not the literal nation of Israel. But because of the mis-direction believed by this interpretation, the Church is passively waiting for the literal deliverance of Israel while ignoring the true battle for deliverance that is raging to destroy them.

The "peace" mentioned in Ezekiel 38 is a false peace propagated by deceptive forces, not a literal peace treaty with Israel. The prophecy's promise of deliverance applies to the Church, not the state of Israel, and the current global conflicts are manifestations of this spiritual war. The Zionist interpretations of this prophecy misrepresent it to manipulate global events and silence Christianity.

The Church needs to recognize its present spiritual warfare and not wait for a future deliverance that is already occurring.

So, what does Ezekiel 38 teach about the Middle-East today?

You have been told that the Nation of Israel is God’s timepiece. It isn’t. Not to deny that what is going on in the Middle-East could lead to a nuclear war, but looking to that part of the world, for what God is doing today, is a ruse.

Does Ezekiel 38 teach that there will be an end times war focused on the state of Israel, or is it describing the future war focused upon the Church, prophesied by Daniel the prophet:

Daniel 7:21-22 (CHV) I saw the same horn make war with the saints, and prevail against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

Is satan himself directing this war right now to overcome the Church of Jesus Christ?

Are the conditions existing in the Middle-East today, the natural result of circumstances or have they been satanically engineered to focus the attention of the world away from Christ in us, the hope of Glory.

People are mentally exhausted as they observe the events of our day. They are desperately trying to understand what is happening in our world and why the they feel so helpless to do anything about it. So, how does Ezekiel 38 speak to this?

Welcome

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Please note

I usually quote the King James Version of the Bible but I often change the verses to one degree or another. Some examples are, taking out the thees and thous or changing the phrase them which to those who.

I have done it so often that I decided to warn my readers by identifying that it is my own paraphrase by including (CHV) instead of (KJV) after the Bible reference. That way, if you want to, you can check to see what has been changed.

As always, my goal in all my articles is not just to tell you what I think, but to give you enough information so that you can make up your own mind.

The Late Great Planet Earth

Over fifty years ago, Hal Lindsey, who believed in a literal interpretation of Ezekiel 38, wrote about the struggle to understand the destruction and poverty of our times in his first best selling book, The Late Great Planet Earth:

It's ironic that man never seems to learn from past mistakes, especially when they relate to major catastrophes. World War I was called the war to end all wars, yet within a generation World War II was fought in basically the same arena. We are now running around the world desperately seeking to put out fuses which could explode into what might be the last war on earth.

Through the grim pages of history, we see the record of man’s constant struggle to live with his fellow man. Families fight against families, tribes against tribes, and nations against nations. Most people hate war, and yet, since recorded time, the world has seldom seen peace.

General Douglas MacArthur said, “Men have sought peace since the beginning of time: military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative.” (Hal Lindsey, The Late, Great Planet Earth, 1970, p27)

I think that we would all agree with this introduction. Two world Wars taught us about the destruction of war and now, just the threat of it is all that is needed to compel most nations and individuals to avoid it. Even beyond the geographical boundaries of nations, the threat of financial loss is proving equally effective. Destruction and poverty strike at the very core of human existence. Oddly, global world powers use the threat of war to keep the peace and are using money in an undeclared World War III to do the same.

As nations and people, we just want peace. But how do we find it? Is another World War inevitable? Is there no other way to solve our problems?

The Vengeance of God

When visiting Nazareth, where He grew up, Jesus attended synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 61:1-2 (CHV) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD…

But He stopped without finishing verse two:

And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.

Since He fulfilled the first part of this quote at His first coming, most scholars believe that this last portion would also be fulfilled by Him, but in the future.

Another world war, in these last days, appears to be imminent, but I wonder if those who are behind it are prepared for the vengeance of God?

Deuteronomy 32:35 (CHV) It is mine to avenge; I will repay.; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and things will rush upon them swiftly.

Is the annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Ukraine, or the current war between Israel, Hamas, and now Iran, the beginning of the vengeance that Isaiah was prophesying about? Will it lead to World War III?

A Final War

Many believe that almost 2800 years ago, Ezekiel Prophesied in chapter 38 about the beginning of World War III in the Middle-East:

Ezekiel 38:1-6 (CHV) And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with you.

It is often referred to as the Gog/Magog War. I found over 700,000 results when entering that phrase in a Google search. There are currently thousands of Youtube videos as well, with special interest in Russia’s involvement. People are urgently worried about what is happening to our world right now and what this prophecy has to say about it.

Modern beliefs about an “Ezekiel 38 war” in the Middle-East

Some are even fearful that the conflict between Israel and the alliance of Edomite nations that surround her, may lead to the extinction of life on the earth as we know it. Not to excuse the Palestinian state for what they have done, but many wonder how long they will tolerate the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of men, women and children in Gaza, let alone what the IDF has done in Lebanon and is now doing in Iran. Is a global war about to begin in the region?

There are differences of opinion

There is broad agreement that Ezekiel is describing a war that has not yet happened.

Chapter 38 twice declares that Ezekiel’s prophecy will happen in the latter days:

Ezekiel 38:8 (CHV) After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

Ezekiel 38:16 (CHV) And you shall come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring you against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, O Gog, before their eyes.

Historically, there have been different opinions about when, in the latter days, it will occur.

They usually fall into one of three perspectives:

1. Pre tribulation event

This end-time war will happen immediately after the world recognizes that the body of Christians have been taken from the earth. (Hal Lindsey, The Late, Great, Planet Earth, 1970)

2. Mid tribulation event

Ezekiel 38 and 39 will be fulfilled in the middle of the tribulation period (Oliver Buswell, Systematic Theology, Covenant College and Seminary, 1962)

3. Post tribulation event (sometimes referred to as Historic Pre-Millennialism)

For Ezekiel 38-39 to meet all the conditions portrayed in the text, the fulfillment must occur long after Daniel’s final week at the end of the Millennium (Charles Cooper, Pre-Wrath Rapture, 2012)

It is almost impossible to find a dissenting video, on YouTube, about this subject. And while most of them suggest that what is happening in the Middle-East today lines up with the fulfillment of this prophecy, some of their opinions about it do not match. For instance, some believe that there may be as many as six end-times wars, while others do not.

But even if they agree that Ezekiel 38 is not prophesying about a literal historical war of the past, does that then require that it must be a literal war with the state of Israel in the future?

Scholars today, who disagree with each other about this chapter in Ezekiel, are the first to admit that they are all looking at the same scriptures. But they don’t seem to realize that what led them to their opinions, was influenced by an over-arching concept, before they ever wrote their scholarly works about the subject.

Predetermined ideas

The problem is that they are all confined to an understanding that is influenced by a subject called the Rapture. That theory requires that this war will occur in the future, after the Church is removed from the earth. Their positions are a contortion forced upon them with the assumption that the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy is referring to a person called the Antichrist; a belief that the Church did not hold before the 19th century (see my article The Antichrist is not a person). For most of those centuries, the majority of Christianity believed that the subject of Daniel’s 70th week prophecy was about Jesus Christ, not the Antichrist.

Since the 19th century, an entirely different concept has emerged. It assumed that Jesus was crucified in the 69th week of Daniel’s prophecy, when the Jews rejected Him as their Messiah. Most believe that the prophetic clock stopped at that time and would not resume again until the Jews returned to their promised land as a nation. That happened when Israel became a nation in 1948.

It is believed that the reign of the antichrist would then follow, after the Church is raptured, when the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy resumes. He will begin by promising a false peace to Israel, that will only last for the first 3 ½ years of the week. Then, during the last 3 ½ years, he will betray them by invading their land with the edomite nations that surround them. The state of Israel believes today that the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 promises that God will deliver them from this betrayal by when God, Himself, will intervene to miraculously defeat their enemies during this war.

The problem

There is a reason that the Church did not believe this for almost 19 centuries. Daniel’s prophecy is very clear that the crucifixion of Christ did not happen during the 69th week:

Daniel 9:25-27 (CHV) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment (by Cyrus) to restore and to build Jerusalem, to the Messiah shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks (a total of 69 weeks or 490 years): the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times (the second temple authorized by the Persian king, Cyrus). And after 69 weeks (not during or at the end of) shall Messiah be cut off (during the 70th week), but not for himself (i.e. for the sins of the world): and the people of the prince who shall come (the Roman General, Titus), will destroy the city and the sanctuary (Herod’s temple at the time of Christ, that he took 46 years to remodel as gift to the Jews for their loyalty and cooperation) and the end thereof shall be with a flood (over 1 million Jews perished or went into captivity during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.), and to the end of that war, desolations are determined (to the end of time). And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (at the end of the first 3 ½ yers of the 70th week).

So, is the modern understanding of Daniel’s 70th week, what the Bible actually teaches?

If Jesus was crucified in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, and not during or at the end of the 69th week, then the 70th week cannot be about the antichrist making a peace treaty with Israel and then betraying them in the middle of that week. It is not about what he will be doing during that week, but about the 3 ½ year ministry of Jesus Christ who was crucified (cut off) in the middle of that week.

Let’s break down the prophecy

Ezekiel

Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple in 586 B.C. but before then, he deported key hostages to Babylon. One of those taken was the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel was born in 622 B.C. In 605 B.C., he was just 17 years old when Daniel was among the first hostages that were taken. In 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar made Jerusalem submit a second time and carried away 10,000 more hostages, including Ezekiel who, by then was 25 years old. In 586 B.C., after a one-year and 17-month long siege, Nebuchadnezzar made his final assault on Jerusalem and destroyed Solomon’s temple and brought ravage and destruction to all of Judah.

Ezekiel prophesied for 22 years (from 593 B.C. to 570 B.C) during the seventy-year period of the Babylonian captivity. Daniel was contemporary with Ezekiel and his ministry overlapped the end of Jeremiah’s ministry. Daniel was praying and fasting about Jeremiah’s 70 year prophecy that was about to come to and end.

Ezekiel’s calling was to remind the generation born during the captivity about:

1. What caused the captivity and how it happened.

2. God’s coming judgement on those who took them into captivity.

3. Their restoration after the captivity.

Significant questions to ask about chapter 38:

• Are the Edomite nations, in Ezekiel’s 38 prophecy, referring to literal countries or do they figuratively represent those in a global spiritual conflict like the one between Isaac and Ishmael or Jacob and his brother Esau?

• Is this prophecy predicting what will happen to the Jews in the last days or is it a predicting what will happen to the Church in the last days?

• Is this war about Israel being invaded in the future or is it about the Church of Jesus Christ being invaded in the future?

In particular, is there a hope of restoration for the state of Israel, or does it belong to the Church?

In this article, I hope to show that the Ezekiel 38 prophecy is not about the modern-day state of Israel but about the Church. Instead of promising a geographical deliverance from surrounding nations that will attack the state of Israel in the the last days, it is a promise of deliverance for the Church who is surrounded and under attack around the world in the end times.

Modern belief about this prophecy has become an idealogical virus of the mind. It is an equation in political calculus that is being used to control nations. It is a perception that has become popular over the last 100 years through the media, theological schools, and most of the largest pulpits of Christianity today. It has had a devastating impact on the Church of Jesus Christ, and has caused her to find her place in our world using the wrong map.

Most of the Church today doesn’t understand this because they only know what they have heard from the pulpit or on the internet and not from reading what the Bible actually teaches about it themselves. So, consequently, they don’t realize that the promise of God’s deliverance, hidden in this prophecy, was not meant for the state of Israel but for them.

Connecting the new with the old

Consequently, they do not connect God’s deliverance, described in Ezekiel’s prophecy, to New Testament prophecies about it. For example:

Ephesians 1:9-10 (CHV) Having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he has purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both that are in heaven, and that are on earth; even in him.

Though many believe that Paul is talking about the Day of Pentecost in these verses, they don’t recognize that he is also talking about what God will do with His Church in the last days.

Perhaps he was thinking of this Messianic Psalm, which we now know is referring to the New Testament Church, when he wrote it:

Psalms 118:10-17 (CHV) All nations surrounded me: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. Yes, they surrounded me on every side but I will cut them off (circumcise them) in the name of the LORD. They surround me like bees but as fire consumes the thorns, I will destroy them in the name of the LORD. You pushed hard at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, and has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous. The right hand of the LORD is courageous. The right hand of the LORD is exalted. The right hand of the LORD is fearless. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

This Psalm is not only about the Messiah, but it is also describing how He will deliver His Church, when He goes to war through them against those who are surrounding and attacking them on all sides in the last days.

So, let’s take a closer look at Ezekiel 38.

Gog and Magog

The phrase is only found two places in scripture and both references identify Gog and Magog as a war with the saints of God. But they are different wars.

The first is found in the Book of Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 38:1-4 (CHV) And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.

The second is found in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 20:7-10 (CHV) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations that are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Clearly, when the two are compared, we cannot conclude that both are the same war. In fact, the only thing common to both is that God’s people are surrounded by their enemies.

• In Ezekiel 38, it is limited geographically to a number of nations that invade the nation ofIsrael but in the war of Revelation 20, Gog and Magog covers the whole earth and includes all nations.

• In Ezekiel 38, the war is between nations, but in Revelation 20, it is between God and satan himself.

In short, Ezekiel 38 is describing a war with God’s people but in Revelation 20, it is describing a showdown between God and satan.

Since they are different and the war in Revelation 20 occurs at the end of the millennium, what is this war in Ezekiel 38 all about?

The literal view

The major differences among scholars, when interpreting prophecy, is usually over a literal or figurative approach, and this is certainly the case with Ezekiel 38. Most modern scholars believe that Ezekiel 38 is a literal reference to the state of Israel (Ezekiel 36:10) and most agree that it is a war that will be preceded, in the last days, by three conditions:

• First, Israel must be regathered as a nation.

They believe that the regathering of Israel into her own land began in May, 1948 when Israel won the six days war.

• Second, an alliance of countries must be gathered against Israel.

• Third, Israel must be at peace or perceived as being unable to defend itself prior to the war.

Who is involved

They believe that it will be a war between the present day state of Israel and the nations of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya and Ethiopia, who will surround Israel in an attempt to plunder their resources.

Ezekiel 38:5-6 (CHV) Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer and all his forces; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his forces, and many people with them.

• The ancient references to these nations are:

Magog - modern day Russia

Persia - modern day Iran

Meshech and Tubal, Togarmah - modern day Turkey

Ethiopia - modern day Horn of Africa

Libya - modern day Libya

Gomer - modern day Germany

They claim that these Edomite nations will attack the state of Israel because of their everlasting hatred towards them. They believe that the birthright, that Israel claims was given to them by God, was stolen and actually belongs to them.

What they believe

• They think that these nations will be led by a person called the Antichrist:

Ezekiel 38:10-12 (CHV) Thus says the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that things shall come into your mind, and you shall think an evil thought: And you shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn my hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

Since God is addressing multiple nations however, it may be that this is not referring to one man, but to those who are one, in the same antichrist spirit, who demonstrate the same rebellion against God and antagonism toward Him (see my article The Antichrist is Not a Person). It is the same spirit of Magog mentioned in Revelation 20.

• They believe that God will intervene when they are attacked:

Ezekiel 38:18-19 (CHV) And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.

• They think that other prophecies refer to this as well:

Isaiah 17:13-14 (CHV) The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Joel 3:16,19 (CHV) The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.  Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

• They believe that, when God intervenes on their behalf, a great revival will follow.

  Revival will ensue from victory over all their enemies and will eventually cover the whole earth. They believe that it is described as the Dry Bones Revival in chapter 37:

Ezekiel 37:9-10 (CHV) Then he said to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

• Some believe that this is the revival that the Book of Revelation was referring to:

Revelation 11:11-12 (CHV) And after three and an half days, the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon those who saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

• Finally they believe that an even more glorious Kingdom than David’s will follow:

Jewish Zionism, of course, does not believe that it will be Jesus Christ who will intervene, but a savior and liberator who is the future redeemer of the Jewish people.

Again, quoting from Hal Lindsey:

The central theme of the Jewish prophets was that the Messiah would come and fulfill the promises given to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In these promises, Israel is to be the leading nation of the world under the reign of their Messiah who would bring universal peace, prosperity, and harmony among all peoples of the earth. (Hal Lindsey, Late , Great, Planet Earth, p28)

Even though the Jews today do not believe that Jesus is that Messiah, it is believed that the national scales will fall from their eyes when God gives Israel the victory in this war and they will come to believe that He indeed was the promised one. They will build a third temple for Him in Jerusalem from which He will rule and reign over the earth during the Millennium.

Should we literally interpret this war, described in Ezekiel 38, as limited geographically to the state of Israel after the Church of Jesus Christ has been raptured from the earth, or is it something else?

The figurative view

There is little disagreement about the allegories of Scripture, but many disagree about what they mean. Connecting the state of Israel today to the literal conditions described in Ezekiel 38 is awkward because the surrounding chapters are figurative. For example:

• Dry bones revival

Ezekiel 37:9-10 (CHV) Then he said to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Is this describing what will happen to the Jews, in the state of Israel today, when they are overcome in a future battle with their enemies, or is it describing a visitation that is going to take place with the Church of Jesus Christ, as the sons of the promised seed of Abraham, in their present battle with the world?

• Third temple

Ezekiel 40:4 (CHV) And the man said to me, Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I will show you, for you were brought here so that I might show them to you so that you and declare them to all the house of Israel.

The next eight chapters of Ezekiel’s vision goes on to describe the design of the temple that is also recorded in Exodus 25-27. Some say that this prophecy is referring to the modern state of Israel today.

Hal Lindsey calls for a literal fulfillment:

Many of the predictions about the future are in the same paragraphs as those relating to the first coming of the Messiah. Do we dare allegorize away the meaning of these? Will these predictions be literally fulfilled just as certainly and graphically as those of the first coming? (Hal Lindsey, The Late, Great Planet Earth, p41)

Just so, if the first coming of the Messiah was misconceived by so many, is it possible that these chapters in Ezekiel might also be misconceived by many?

Are these eight chapters recording instructions about building a literal third temple in modern day Jerusalem in the future, after the Church is raptured, or are they referring to the Church of Jesus Christ after the Dry Bones revival?

Other prophecies

Haggai and Zechariah were contemporary prophets and God spoke through both of them to Zerubbabel, the governor, during the rebuilding of the second temple. He sent word through Haggai about the building and He also sent word to him through the prophet Zechariah about the House.

• The message of Haggai about the building

In fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy about their 70 years of captivity in Babylon, the Persian king, Cyrus (538 B.C.) gave permission for the Jews to return to Jerusalem, to begin rebuilding Solomon’s temple, that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in his final campaign of the Babylonian captivity (586 B.C.). Because of prolonged opposition from their enemies, rebuilding this second temple took almost 95 years to complete and God sent word to Zerubbabel through the prophet Haggai (520-505 B.C.), to encourage the work :

Haggai 2:1-9 (CHV) In the twenty-first day of the seventh month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory (Solomon’s temple)? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work: for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remains among you: do not fear. For thus says the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire (for the Messiah) of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Is Haggai’s prophecy really talking about a building, and are modern day zionists correct in looking to a future third temple for its fulfillment?

God compared the temple that they were building to the glory of a latter house. What they were building was later extensively remodeled during their captivity under Rome, as a gift from Herod for their loyalty, and was known as Herod’s temple during the time of Christ. Since it was destroyed in 70 A.D., and has not been replaced to this day, He obviously was not comparing their physical building to that glory.

Further, this glory was never fulfilled by Israel under the Old Covenant. Israel never again came close to the Davidic kingdom after returning to Jerusalem, let alone surpassing it. They remained a conquered nation even after returning to Jerusalem under Cyrus (538 B.C.). The Captivity, under the Greek empire (Alexander the Great 323 B.C.), soon followed and after that, captivity under the Roman empire (27 B.C.).

So, to what glory is Haggai’s prophecy referring? Was it a glory promised to the nation of Israel today, or was it speaking of another house?

• The message of Zechariah about the house

In his vision, about the golden candlestick and the two olive trees, Zechariah asked the angel what it represented, and the angel answered him and told him to give a message to Zerubbabel about it:

Zechariah 4:6-7 (CHV) This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.

God was prophesying to him that a great mountain was coming in the last days that no amount of political power or military might would be able to stop. But He makes it clear, that mountain would become a plain by His Spirit.

This is similar to the end-times prophecy found in Daniel:

Daniel 2:45 (CHV) Just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold (all symbols of world empire); the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass in the future.

As the prophecy continues, the angel told Zerubbabel, whom some have called the, end-times general contractor, that He will use those with Zerubbabel’s anointing, in the Church of the last days, to place the topstone that will finish the building, not made with hands (the Father’s House), that began on the Day of Pentecost:

Zechariah 4:8-10 (CHV) Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house (the second temple); his hands shall also finish it (the third temple); and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel with the seven eyes of the LORD, that run to and fro through the whole earth.

Gog and Magog are not geographical regions

Even though chapter 38 begins with identifying literal nations, just a few verses later, the prophetic tone changes where it identifies all the men upon the face of the earth:

Ezekiel 38:20-23 (CHV) So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains (of the world), says the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Also, Haggai’s prophecy spoke about shaking the heavens and the earth. The war is not limited to a geographical region, but covers the entire world.

Not a literal nation but the chosen seed of Abraham.

What is being described is not the future vengeance of God upon the literal enemies of a nation, but upon the present global enemies that are warring against the chosen seed of Abraham. Ezekiel is describing the day of vengeance of our God referred to in Isaiah’s prophecy, that Christ was quoting, and it is the same vengeance in Revelation, chapter 20, where Gog is mentioned again, and fire comes out of heaven against satan and his armies, to consume them, because of their global attack on the saints of God.

• The true battle over these prophecies is in the mind

In this final undeclared war on Christians around the world, propaganda has stolen the message that promised that God will intervene on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ. In their minds, the call to rally for the Last Days Harvest has been redirected. Instead of looking to heaven for the answers, the Church has been told that if you want to know what God is doing, look to the nation of Israel.

If the meaning of prophecy can be moved to somewhere else and to someone else in the future, then what God is saying to the Church becomes meaningless to most Christians. In these last days, just as Hitler neutralized the population through propaganda in World War II, so satan is using propaganda to neutralize the Church. If the war is not about them, but about Israel, that minimizes push back while satan engineers circumstances to take over the world.

• It is not about the future

We are not waiting for a deliverance that is somewhere else and with someone else in the future. Through these prophecies, God has told us that, when a global attack upon His Church begins here on earth, He will intervene to stop it. We are not waiting for future events to happen, they are already happening, and He will shake all nations, and the desire (for Christ) of all nations shall come (the Harvest).

New Testament Reality

Though many are claiming that chapters 40-47 contain a literal blueprint for the building of a future third temple in Jerusalem, we must not ignore the New Testament reality behind the shadow. Are these chapters actually describing a literal description of a physical third temple, or are they symbolically pointing to the spiritual reality of that temple?

• The third temple in New Testament

Paul refers to us as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and the writer to the Book of Hebrews uses the word house:

Hebrews 3:6 (CHV) But Christ is faithful over His house as a son; and we are His house, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

Jesus prepared the way for this house:

John 14:2-3 (CHV) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again (on the Day of Pentecost), and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Both the Father and the Son have come to live in this temple called the Father’s house.

John 14:23 (CHV) Jesus answered and said to him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.

• Ezekiel’s description is not literal

These eight chapters represent the finished work of the cross in the life of a believer and though it literally describes the features of the Old Covenant temple, a new third temple has replaced it and many features that are described in this shadow, now have a new meaning under the New Covenant reality:

1. The wall of partition

2. Court of the women

3. The laver

4. Golden Lampstand

5. The table of showbread

6. The golden alter of incense

7. The veil

8. Ark of the covenant

9. The altar of sacrifice

God will not only intervene, but He will also fill that house

Haggai 2:6-9 (CHV) For thus says the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations (for Christ) will come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, says the LORD of hosts.

The greater works of Jesus will come from this glory:

John 14:12-14 (KJV) Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father. And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Jesus predicted the demise of the nation:

In the light that Jesus pronounced an end to the Jewish nation, attempting to politically reconstitute it cannot undo what He said.

After the nation rejected Him as their Messiah, Jesus prophesied that their nation would be destroyed:

Matthew 23:37-38 (CHV) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that killed the prophets, and stoned them who were sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

History saw this fulfilled some forty years after His resurrection in 70 A.D when the Roman general Titus conquered Jerusalem and Herod’s Temple was destroyed. Over one million Jews were killed, 95,000 captives were taken as prisoners, and among them was Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian. According to Eusebius, the Christians saw the might of the Roman army and through a prophetic warning given by Jesus, fled to Pella.

The national salvation of Israel

Does the Bible promise a national salvation to Israel?

Romans 11:25-27 (CHV) For I would not that you should be ignorant brethren of this mystery, that would make you wise in your own estimation; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in and so all Israel will be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant to them, when I shall take away their sins.

Most scholars think that the term fullness of the Gentiles in verse 25 means a quota of Gentiles who will come to faith in Jesus during the Church Age and when a complete number of salvations has happened, and the very last Gentile is saved, He will once again turn His attention to Israel and those who have been scattered among the nations will come back to God through faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

Is Paul really saying here that there is a program for Israel that is separate from the Church in the end times?

The Jews referred to all non-jews, as well as converts to the Church, as gentiles. So, if they equated the Church to Gentiles, why didn’t Paul say until the fulness of the Church has come in? He did not use the word Church (ekklesia), he used the word Gentiles (ethos) meaning nations.

He is using the phrase just as Jesus used it:

Luke 21:24 (CHV) And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations (70 A.D.): and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles (nations), until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Israel is clearly identified in the New Testament

The teachings of the Bible are clear about who Israel is in the New Testament:

Romans 2:28-29 (CHV) For he is not a Jew, who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision, that is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Romans 9:6-8 (CHV) Not as though the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall your seed be called. That is, They who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Galatians 3:26-29 (CHV) For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews describes the house of Israel today as those who have put on Christ under the New Covenant:

Hebrews 8:10-12 (CHV) (Quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days (the old covenant), says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.

In light of Paul’s teaching about Jews and Gentiles, he was not saying that the Jews had a separate plan from the Church in the end times. He was saying that their partial blindness was only temporary and that, before the time of the fulness of the nations was complete, they would be joined together with the Gentiles in the same olive tree. Thus, through faith in Jesus Christ, all Israel (Both Jews and Christians) would be saved. Then God’s global theocratic kingdom will be established upon the earth and the Millennium will begin.

Regarding the peace of Israel

The literal view believes that the nation will somehow have to be at peace when it is attacked:

Ezekiel 38:10-12 (CHV) Even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and others smeared it with untempered morter (false sense of security), you shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to those who are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates. To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn your hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

• A false peace

To explain the peace in this verse, many claim that it is literally talking about a false peace made with Israel in the future by the antichrist who then betrays them, by launching his Ezekiel 38 war, about half way through a seven year tribulation period.

But, is this really what it is saying? If this Ezekiel 38 invasion is to be taken figuratively, then what is it?

It is describing an invasion by the false prophets of the media who compel us to listen to their woke version of same-sex marriage and gender confusion in children. It is an invasion of our legal system where things that were once wrong, are now legalized; where criminals are called victims and their victims become criminals. It is a silent war of deception that is destroying our health and our freedom through legislation about the economy, the environment, social equality, and war.

The invasion, that Ezekiel is prophesying about, is coming upon a Church who is at peace with God, who has been gathered out of the nations in villages without walls with neither bars or gates, but who are now socially compelled to elevate this forced march of peace with the world above their worship of God? This is the spoil and prey that the antichrist spirit is taking.

• There is no promise of national deliverance for Israel

Many misapply what God said to Moses about blessing those who bless Israel, and cursing those who curse Israel. The promise was not to the nation of Israel, but to a great nation that Abraham would become, in a land that God would show him (Genesis 12:3). That land is not referring to a nation, but to a kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36).

These prophecies about deliverance are not talking about a promise of safety from God but a prediction of their annihilation under His judgement. I realize, that in saying this, I am contradicting the majority of prophets today, just as Micaiah in 1 Kings 22:1–38 did when he contradicted all 400 court prophets when they told Ahab that he would be victorious, when in fact he would die in the battle of Ramoth-Gilead and that Israel would be scattered upon the hills, as sheep who do not have a shepherd (1st Kings 22:17).

The reaction from the Zionist prophets of Israel today is no different than it was for Jeremiah when he prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 38) or Isaiah when he prophesied about the coming Babylonian Captivity (Isaiah 39:5-7).

The promise of peace in Ezekiel 38 is not describing a peace made politically possible in Israel by the antichrist who will then betray them, but rather a peace spoken by false prophets to them who say there is peace when there is no peace. The nation is being told today that it will be safe from God’s judgement, even while continuing to reject their Messiah, Jesus Christ. They are not safe, and this prophecy is not promising deliverance from those who will attack them.

Conclusion

The promise of deliverance and victory, found in the Ezekiel 38, was given to the Church. And herein lies the problem. Instead of Christians anticipating deliverance from the beast of the New World Order, they are stuck with their eyes fixed on Israel. And Israel is anticipating a deliverance from her enemies that was never promised.

What this invasion is not

• It is not future but is happening right now

• It is not physical but spiritual

• It is not with borders but without borders

• It is not local but global

Hidden hand behind it

Not to deny the conflict in the Middle-East but the Ezekiel 38 war is not about what we see reported in the news today. It is about a global battle between the descendants of Jacob and Esau, the twins who struggled in Rebekah’s womb.  It is the same struggle described in Galations 4:19-31 as the conflict between Sarah the free woman and Hagar the bond woman.

Zionists misrepresent it as future war with the nation of Israel, and fail to recognize it as a last days invasion of the Church that is attempting to snuff out Christianity. While misrepresenting the Ezekiel 38 prophecy to the world, the chaos ensuing from their global deception about it is manufacturing the motivation for the entire planet to embrace a one-world government that offers to bring it peace.

Of course, even if the conflicts, caused by governments with competing national interests were to be eliminated, there can never be unity between Islam, Christianity and Judaism, so they must be merged into a one-world religion as well.  After all, on the surface, it only seems logical that this would eliminate most of the causes of conflict in our world today, right?

However, this pathway to peace is coming through the chaos of world wars and cultural destruction fomented by those who, themselves, are causing it.  They are creating the problem that they will then offer to solve.

Not to say that all of these problems would magically go away if their interference were removed, but it is probably difficult for the average person to grasp that the ultimate target of all their interference is to silence Christianity.  Judaism and Islam are only peripheral to that.  Yes, they want to control the planet and every living soul on it; but even more important to them is a world that is free of all moral restraints and one in which they alone decide for everyone what is right and what is wrong.

Do not fear what they are doing:

Isaiah 8:12-13 (CHV) Do not say, A confederacy, to all those to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear their fear, nor be afraid.  Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

Neutral not by choice but by deception

There can be no neutrality when there is a clash between two armies:

On the one hand, there is the City of God—the one Saint Augustine writes about—and on the other hand there is the city of the devil. We can say that in this era, the city of the devil is clearly identifiable in neo-Malthusian globalism, the New World Order, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, the European Union, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and in all those so called philanthropical foundations that follow an ideology of death, disease, destruction, and tyranny. And also in those forces that have infiltrated the institutions, which we call the deep state and the deep church. (COVID Pandemic Served as Trial Balloon for the New World Order, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, 2022 )

What this invasion is

Prophetically, the Ezekiel 38 war occurs before the Coming of Jesus Christ in the Clouds of Heaven and it is the cause of what is happening to our world right now. But, Christ will visit His Church during this invasion (Rev 14:1-5) resulting in the harvest of the righteous and the wicked (Rev 14:14-20) and this will prepare the way for His Second Coming. Before He appears riding on a white horse however (Rev 19:11-21), God will pour out His vials of wrath and bring an end to Lucifer’s rule on the earth at the final battle of Armageddon. Those who are alive and remain at that time will be translated to immortal life and will join the holy ones whom Christ will bring with Him. Together, we will then rule and reign with Him, on earth, for a thousand years.

Word of the Lord to His Church

Today, I am intervening in the dark-hold matrix of this Ezekiel 38 invasion that has robbed my Church of her strength, her peace, and her power. I have sent forth my word about this and it will not return to me void:

Isaiah 55:1, 4-5, 10-13 (CHV) Let every one who thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money; come, buy and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price… Behold, nations that did not know you shall run to you because of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he has glorified you… For as the rain and the snow comes down from heaven, and does not return, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word out of my mouth also do: it shall not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing that I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

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