Ezekiel

Old Testament Reading – Ezekiel 38:1-23
New Testament Reading – Titus 2:1-15   

 “A Precursor to Gog and Magog”
Ezekiel 38-39
How the War between Israel and Iran fits into
Biblical Prophecy

Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor

   Nine major prophetic events that will happen between now and when the Lord’s Kingdom will come: The Battle of Psalm 83, the Battle of Isaiah 17, the Rapture of the Church, the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39, Signing the Peace Agreement with the Antichrist, the seven years of Tribulation, the return of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Millennium, and Eternity Future.

• While the precise timing of the first three events is unknown, once those three events have passed, the other five will unfold within a seven-year period.
• What God planned in eternity past will come to pass in eternity future as our everlasting life with God the Father begins and never ends.

1. Israel’s Regathering – Ezekiel 36:24-28 – “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.”

• The fulfillment of this prophecy began on May 14, 1948, when David Ben Gurion, head of the Jewish Agency, declared Israel a sovereign nation.
• In one day, the Jewish people rose from the ashes of the Nazi ovens in Germany to reclaim their God-given homeland.
• The next day, five Arab armies attacked Israel with greater forces and more well-trained soldiers, but when the battle ended, not only had Israel won the victory, but they had acquired more land.
• Since 1948, the population of Israel has grown to 9.7 million, and it has become a major military force in the Middle East.
• While the Jews are under God’s discipline for their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, they are still God’s chosen people, not in the sense of their eternal salvation, but as the channel through which He is completing His prophetic plans.
• Near the end of the Great Tribulation, Jesus will reveal Himself to that remnant of Abraham’s seed, and when they “see the One whom their father’s pierced,” they will weep and cry out in true repentance.

2. Israel’s Resettlement – Jeremiah 16:14-16 – Verse 15 – “For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.”

• While many Jews lived in Israel before 1948, after May 14, waves of Jews from around the world began pouring in.
• About 43% of all the Jews have made their journey back home.
• Contrary to contemporary thought, as a land mass, Israel is not, nor has it ever been known as Palestine.
• In A.D. 135, Emperor Hadrian changed the name from Israel to Palestine to sever the connections from biblical land God gave to Abraham.
• Although millions of Jews have returned to Israel since 1948, Israel has yet to claim, much less possess, the full extent of the land God promised to Abraham in Genesis 12, 15, and 17.
• The Promised Land, as described in the Bible, encompasses parts of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, even extending to the Euphrates River.

3. Israel’s Resistance – Zechariah 12:2-3 – “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” KJV

• Throughout history, the land of Israel has been the focal point of conflict for many nations, and according to Zechariah, the City of Jerusalem will continue to be a stumbling stone for the nations that surround it, until the end of the Battle of Armageddon.
• According to Amos 9:11-15, God will protect Israel from defeat until the Millennial Kingdom is established. “In that day, I will restore the captivity of My people, Israel. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them.”

4.  Israel’s Resilience – Jeremiah 49:34-39 – Verses 35-37 – “I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might. Against Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them toward all those winds; There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go, for I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before those who seek their life.”

• Historically, Jeremiah’s prophecy refers to the Elamites, who were the Persians who acted against Israel, and God brought His fierce judgment upon them.
• However, what happened in that battle 2,600 years ago was an illustration of what will happen when the Lord Jesus comes again.
• We are witnesses to a precursor of that prophetic event in this current war between Israel and Iran, as Elam is the area where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located.
• The first element of the prophecy is the breaking of Elam’s bow, symbolizing its military might.
• In ancient times, the bow was a primary weapon in warfare, representing the strength of a nation’s army.
• However, in a modern context, this could be a devastating blow to Iran’s military capabilities, and not only its traditional military power, which the IDF has all but obliterated but also its nuclear program, which may require the assistance of the United States, as we are the only nation with a buster bomb.
• Jeremiah said the people of Elam will be scattered to the four winds, and with millions of people trying to escape Iran today, the internal collapse of the nation could be imminent.
• Elam (Iran) is under God’s judgment and for good reason.
• According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran was one week away from enriching enough military grade uranium to build their first nuclear bomb, and just three weeks away from building ten fully operational nuclear bombs.
• However, on Friday, June 13th, God used the Israeli Defense Forces to brake Elam’s bow.
• Iran is the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world – funding the six major terrorist organizations and militias operating in the Middle East and beyond, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, the Shia Militias, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• Iran is where the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the “Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to erase Israel from the map of the region.”
• However, while Iran has nuclear power, we have a Sovereign God, who is all-powerful, and who will cause supernatural events to prevent Iran from destroying Israel and the rest of the world.

   Regardless of what happens in this current war, in Ezekiel 38-39, the prophet described the day when a coalition of nations will invade Israel to plunder its wealth and resources, and capture its fertile fields to produce food for their people.

• However, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will destroy 5/6ths of those armies before they launch their attack on Israel.
• Our crucified, risen, and soon-returning Lord is in complete control of all of the events of the world, which means God’s promises will be fulfilled, and God’s prophecies will be accomplished.