On July 10th we covered Part 1 of this sermon. It described recent news concerning the transfer of God-given covenant land and what appears to be punishment on the instigators, a description of the 7,000 year plan of God, the Saints in the Kingdom of God, a comparison of the establishment of Israel’s land with America’s "Manifest Destiny," and the loss of strategic gates.

Today we will continue, beginning with Red China’s relations with the United States and the rest of the world, then move on to the King of the North & King of the South prophesy, and a discussion of the prophesied 200 million man army.

(Mat 24:6-8 NKJV) "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. {7} "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. {8} "All these are the beginning of sorrows.

First a few words of background: The long war between the Communists and Republicans in China ended with the retreat of the Republic of China government to the island of Taiwan in 1949. Red China, the communists, did not pursue the Republic of China onto Taiwan but have continued to claim the island ever since. The entry of Red Chinese troops into the Korean war in the early 1950s resulted in a division of Korea which has continued to this day. During the Vietnam war, China sent massive supplies to North Vietnam. After capturing some northern provinces of India in 1962, in the 1970s Red China conquered Tibet, despite a peace agreement which had stood since 823 AD. Since that time Red China has forcibly manipulated Burma, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and even made advances on areas in and around the Indian Ocean. Red China and North Korea have illegally supplied Pakistan and apparently Iran (Persia) with nuclear weapons, their parts, their technology, and their means of delivery. Red China obviously does not have a history of peace. Red China makes no political or ethnic distinction between nations she deals with.

Today we see an India surrounded by Red Chinese installations. Let me list them for you: China has nuclear missiles in Tibet. Red China trains and sells arms to Muslim Bangladesh on India’s northeast border. Burma is fast becoming a Red Chinese satellite. Red China is training and supplying arms to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) on India’s south. The island of Madagascar off Africa in the Indian Ocean is receiving frequent and increasing offers of military training by the Red Chinese. Chinese shipments of nuclear bomb making ingredients have been found on shipments coming through Hong Kong to several of these countries. India’s main enemy is not just Pakistan. It has been Red China too. But recently China and India have negotiated a trade agreement to begin the world’s largest free trade area. Is this an indication India and China might be part of the 200 million man army prophesied by Rev 9:16 and Rev 16:12? We’ll read these scriptures later.

The island of Taiwan with its Republic of China government, a democratic state, has been a major media focus on Red Chinese militarism these days. Taiwan is a well defended island, very well protected by the natural cliffs around its seacoast and a strong air force and army. But its air force bases and its high-density cities are vulnerable to missile attacks. Red China has been installing missile batteries at many locations within missile range of Taiwan. Taiwan has asked the US for advanced defense missiles and has been denied, a possible indication that the US does not consider Taiwan to be militarily stable or strategically important. When Red China fired missiles around Taiwan a few years ago, the US sent two carrier groups to the area, supposedly to fulfill the US treaty with Taiwan to defend her. To counter this threat, Red China has obtained several sonar-resistant submarines which they claim will sink American aircraft carriers. They have also ordered at least two Russian Sovremenny-class destroyers. At least one has been turned over to the Chinese. Each of these destroyers can be equipped with eight nuclear armed missiles. A barrage of these missiles could destroy an entire battle group. These destroyers are designed as a first-strike weapon. The US normally responds to a military threat rather than initiating it. That philosophy would not work against a barrage of nuclear missiles. A Red Chinese general recently declared that he doubted the US would sacrifice Los Angeles for Taiwan, a clear indication that the Red Chinese military intends to extort the US over Taiwan. One Chinese Defense Minister said that "war with the US is inevitable; that they can not avoid it; Chinese armed forces must control the initiative in this war." Still, the American administration and most news media seem to remain indifferent.

But, Red Chinese militarism is also reflected in nuclear and belligerent North Korea. Red China has supplied enough missile parts and technology to North Korea to enable it to send a multistage missile over northern Japan, a country with which the US has a defense treaty. North Korea, with the world’s fifth largest military (over 1 million men), has sold missiles to such terrorist and Israel-hating nations as Iran and Syria. Notice how they are destined for the volatile Middle East. North Korea’s multistage missiles are a threat to US facilities in Japan, Alaska and Guam. The South Korean capital of Seoul can be reached by North Korean artillery shells. Despite promises not to do so, Red China has sent more missile guidance technology to North Korea; missile guidance technology supplied to China by American Corporations during a previous administration.

As we said earlier, Red China has moved into Panama by means of a 25-50 year lease of warehousing facilities on both ends of the canal. These warehouses could easily house missiles to be used to force concessions from the US by threatening every American city from Panama. They could also be used to prevent the use of the canal to every US ship, both military and commercial. In December 1999 the US closed every military base it had in Panama. At the height of the Second World War, the US had 26,000 men stationed in Panama for defense of the canal that enables the US Navy to quickly transfer its forces from ocean to ocean.

As we look at the history of Red China over the past century, particularly the last fifty years, we see a country growing in economic and military power. Their growing military power and their economy are fed by their huge export of Chinese made goods to the world. American manufacturing is moving out of the US and into China for the greater profits China’s cheap labor and undervalued currency provide. The US government hesitates to stop it because the American economy is also measured by the profits of American companies and investments in American dollars. No matter what the Chinese have attempted, they seem to have eventually succeeded. What does the Bible have to say about them? There is a scripture in the ninth chapter of Revelation that gives us an ominous message about a massive invading army. But is this China? We’ll look more closely at that possibility a little later.

THE WAR BETWEEN THE KING OF THE SOUTH AND KING OF THE NORTH

Before going on, we should describe a prophesied invasion of the land of Israel, this one occurring between the so-called king of the north and king of the south. I mentioned this before. They seem to be associated with establishment of what appears to be a European religious figure at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. I have described this event in my sermon "End Time Prophecies - Part 2." The sermon is on our website if you might want to review it. It is also available on audio cassette. Scriptures in Rev 11, 13, and 17, Daniel 9, and 2 Thes 2:3-4 also describe this apparent European threat. Let’s read about them in Matt 24 and Daniel 11:

(Mat 24:15-16 NKJV) "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), {16} "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Despite pressure for Israel to relinquish Judea, apparently it won’t happen completely.

(Dan 11:31 NKJV) "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

Many believe that the European religious figure will represent the Roman Catholic Church. Statements by this church state that they do not trust either the State of Israel or the Palestinians to control the city of Jerusalem, despite the fact that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the tribes of Israel. Regretfully, the US administration does not want Israel to govern its 3000 year old capital. Catholicism obviously does not accept the Biblical statements giving Israel eternal possession of Canaan. However, the Vatican has been given control of many religious structures in Jerusalem and is currently negotiating with Israel for control of the presumed upper room used by Christ for His last Passover.

(Verses 40-45 NKJV) "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. {41} "He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people [perhaps the royal family but not other Arabs or Palestinians?] of Ammon [all are portions of present day Jordan]. {42} "He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. {43} "He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels [be subject to him]. {44} "But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. {45} "And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

Notice that the king of the north shall invade not only Israel but Egypt. Many today identify the king of the south as Iran and the Arab nations south of Israel and the king of the north as a ten nation consortium from Europe. Recent news from Europe describes the formation of a European army to supplement but be separate from NATO. Does the statement, ‘with many ships’ imply the US and Britain could be part of the King of the North’s army? If the US and Britain are sons of Joseph, it would seem unlikely, but recent biased moves by the US and Britain toward Israel and ecumenism suggest that verse 41 could include these two countries. There is also the increasing possibility that the US and Britain will support the European Consortium in its invasion of the Middle East - to bring peace to that region, of course. The conquest of Egypt by this army may explain why Egypt was not included with Libya and Ethiopia in Ezekiel 38’s prophecy. Per Daniel 11, the Muslim countries south of Israel will attack the armies north of Israel which may be defending Israel’s northern border.

My guess is that Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt will be part of the "King of the South." Both Iran and Saudi Arabia quietly fund major terrorist organizations dedicated to destroying Jews and Israel. The disclosure that a Saudi prince has given $40 million to the Harvard and Georgetown Universities to establish Islamic studies shows the determination to defeat Judaism and Christianity in America. Both universities began with Christian and Biblical foundational studies. What is the difference between Muslims and terrorists? We should keep in mind that all Muslims are not terrorists but ALL TERRORISTS HAVE BEEN MUSLIMS.

The northern armies then defeat the southern king. Per Ezek 38, the mostly Muslim armies of the north and east then defeat the northern armies. Then, per Ezek. 39, as they enter Israel, God destroys them. We’ll discuss more of Ezek 38 and 39 in a moment.

On the other hand, we do feel that the US and Britain contain descendants of Joseph. Both have recently occupied Iraq. The area of Iraq west of the Euphrates River was once part of ancient Israel. There is no question but that Gen 15:18 may be describing the Euphrates north of Syria. Let’s read it.

Could we soon be seeing the beginnings of the repossession of greater Israel by God-selected remnants of the ten tribes of Israel? Let’s look at some more scriptures which support that possibility:

(Isa 10:21-23 NASB) A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. {22} For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A [languishing] destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. {23} For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.

(Dan 7:21-22 NKJV) "I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, {22} "until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

These two scriptures tell us that a remnant of the scattered tribes of Jacob, which are shown in Gen 49, will return to the former land of Israel. But they seem to indicate that the remnant will be made up of the elect, the persecuted saints, not the whole tribe. This is an important consideration. Could this also be an indication that it may be only the non-elect of the tribes which will join with the end time beast power of Rev 17:10-11?

Verse 11 of Ezek 37 describes bones which represent the whole house of Israel. Verse 16 describes the reuniting of Joseph, Britain and America, but representing all the lost tribes of Israel, with the Jews of present day Israel. Has this begun already? Is God setting up His Kingdom now?

THE 200 MILLION MAN ARMY

There is a prophecy in the book of Revelation of another major invasion of Israel. It apparently occurs after the war between the King of the North and King of the South and involves the countries south of and possibly including Russia. Recent alliances between Russia, China, and Iran indicate potential Russian involvement.

We discussed the developing threat from Red China. Red China currently has about three million men under arms, the largest military in the world, but currently at least, probably not nearly enough to supply 200 million troops by themselves. Keep in mind, however, that Red China has over 1.2 billion people, so 200 million heathen Chinese and other troops is not out of the range of possibility.

How would tiny Israel ever fight against such an army?

To answer that question, let's start by examining prophecies describing the great danger Israel will face from this 200 million man army which apparently originates with and includes countries on the southern border of Russia.

Psa 120 (NKJV) In my distress I cried to the LORD, And He heard me. {2} Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips <And> from a deceitful tongue. {3} What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue? {4} Sharp arrows of the warrior, With coals of the broom tree! {5} Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech [Me'-shak], <That> I dwell among the tents of Kedar! [Kedar represents uncivilized nomadic tribes.] {6} My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. {7} I <am for> peace; but when I speak, they <are> for war.

Meshech is referred to by Ezekiel as being in alliance with Gog, who is destined to invade Israel in the latter days. According to Tibetan records, Gog is in the area of Mongolia. Let's read what else Ezekiel has to say about it:

Ezek 32:26 (KJV) There <is> Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves <are> round about him: all of them uncircumcised [gentiles], slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.

This describes a destroyed Meshech and Tubal who had terrorized Israel. Meshech and Tubal are generally associated with the peoples residing near Moscow and southeast toward Kazakhstan, Iran, Iraq, eastern Turkey and various small nations of the Caucasus Mountains. But just as Kazakhstan extends well to the east, so does Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. The region is nearly all Muslim which might even be responding to an attempt by Israel to rid herself of the so-called Palestinians by deporting them out of Israel and probably into Jordan.

Ezek 38:2-6 (KJV) Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, {3} And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I <am> against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: {4} And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine 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: {5} Persia, Ethiopia [Nubia or Cush in the Tanakh], and Libya [Put or Phut in the Tanakh] with them; all of them with shield and helmet: {6} Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: <and> many people with thee.

Cush includes people of central Asia such as India according to some researchers. Hodu, an Aramaic translation in Josephus Antiquities 1, means India. See Isa 11:11. Magog means "from the land of Gog" which some feel is northern China, Korea, Japan, and Mongolia. This would fly in the face of how we just identified Meshech except that both scriptures seem to describe peoples living along the southern border of Russia.

Gomer may be central Asia. Togarmah may be the Muslim peoples living in Sinkiang Province, in northwestern China, south of Siberia. If these assumptions are at all accurate, it almost sounds like the entire Muslim nation of Asia plus China and India is attacking tiny Israel. What a good opportunity for God to step in and demonstrate His great power.

Ezek 39:1-7 (KJV) Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I <am> against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: {2} And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

The Mountains of Israel are Samaria and Judea - most of what the media currently call "The West Bank." As most of you know, the West Bank is really the land west of the Jordan River, originally set aside for the Jews in 1922 by the League of Nations, captured by Jordan from Israel in 1948 and recaptured by Israel in 1967. Could it be that these scriptures are describing a time when the Muslims have been thrown out of Israel and the world's Islamic nations, along with what may be their Russian allies, are trying to take it back? Could the Palestinian Authority and their Muslim terrorist allies, presently occupying the mountains of Israel, threaten Israel so much that they are ejected from the whole country (you can read of that occurrence in Ezek 35), along with the Dome of the Rock and all their mosques? Could America become so badly mauled and financially strapped fighting Muslim terrorism, various trading blocks, Mexican incursions, and perhaps a nuclear armed North Korea, that the surrounding Islamic nations become emboldened to destroy Israel once and for all as is currently being publically boasted by the Iranian government? The cities of the Mountains of Israel are mostly Islamic today. The human causes of this invasion are not clear yet but we know God can arrange it.

verse {3} And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. {4} Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that <is> with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and <to> the beasts of the field to be devoured. {5} Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken <it>, saith the Lord GOD. {6} And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles:

Remember Magog is from the land of Gog. It is apparently a people, not a territory.

The nearest isles to China are the Philippines and Japan, but Islamic Indonesia and Brunei, also island nations, and Malaysia and are also nearby. The Philippines are also seriously threatened by Muslim rebels. The word "carelessly", in verse 6, is an old fashioned translation. Today we would say "without care" or "confidently" or "securely". Is God going to destroy them with fire or fire them up with enthusiasm and confidence?

Who are these peoples described by Ezekiel? Togarmah and Gomer were in affiliation with Gog. Some feel Gog (i.e. Magog) are Chinese who may support the Russians coming to destroy the Jews and everything Jewish forever. My impression from Rev 20:8 is that Gog and Magog represent all the heathen peoples who oppose the Messiah. Russia has persecuted Russian Jews and fought Islam for centuries. Hundreds of thousands of Russian Jews have moved to Israel in recent years. Now, in a gigantic display of antisemitism, Russians and their southern border allies seem to be intent on destroying every vestige of Judaism from the face of the earth. What would initiate such rage? Russia has been supplying Iran with nuclear supplies and missiles for years. Will Israel finally come to her senses and kick out all the so-called Palestinians, as you can read of in Ezekiel 35? Will she then remove the Dome of the Rock, and destroy the El Aqsa Mosque from the Temple Mount? I think that would please God. But God has His own plans and we just read Ezekiel's description of the results of the battle.

Whoever Meshech, Tubal, Gog, Magog, Togarmah and Gomer are, we know they are from the north and will attack Israel. They may very well be Russia and her southern border allies, but they may be only Russia’s southern border Muslim countries. Press reports also indicate an increasing alliance between the Chinese and Russian military, and, as we said, China and India, with one third of the world’s population, are now establishing trade agreements and military cooperation, and are ending border disputes.

Whoever these nations are, the fate of these invading armies is obvious. The intervention of God is also obvious. Some think this happens after Christ’s return but we may be seeing the beginnings of these armies today. What was the attitude of King David to such momentous prophetic events?

These Psalms can certainly apply to the miraculous deliverance from the northern armies we have been reading about.

Two verses from Hosea 13 also describe the dire situation Israel will find itself in shortly:

The Hebrew word translated "destroyed" (H7843) also means "corrupted." The present government of Israel is often charged with being very corrupt, but Hosea shows that God will still help them.

Sounds like much of Israel will be destroyed or corrupted before God intervenes. But intervene He will. Let’s turn to Zechariah to see the results of His intervention..

(Zec 14:12 NKJV) And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.

But this verse describes the armies fighting against Jerusalem, not Israel or Judah. Will Israel gradually give away all her covenant land until there is nothing left but Jerusalem?

As we have read, Ezekiel also mentions an invading army from the north. We have read parts of Ezekiel 38 and 39 before but now that we are zeroing in on the Muslim nations south of Russia, and the alliance between India and China, let me walk you through more parts of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Before we begin, let me remind you that Gog can be a symbolic name for the peoples north and east of Canaan including Syria and Iran, but is most likely more descriptive of the general region extending along Russia’s southern border, toward central Asia and Mongolia. That’s a lot of land and a lot of people.

(Ezek 38:1-6 NKJV) Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, {2} "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog [a son of Japheth, the father of the Oriental race ], the prince of Rosh [this name seems to point to Russia], Meshech, and Tubal [both are descended from Japheth (Gen 10:2)], and prophesy against him, {3} and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. {4} I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. {5} Persia [Iran], Ethiopia [Nubia or Cush in the Tanakh], and Libya [Put or Phut in the Tanakh] are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; {6} Gomer [living north of Turkey and descended from Japheth (Gen 10:3)] and all its troops; the house of Togarmah [Armenia] from the far north and all its troops--many people are with you.

In verse 5, we described both the Hebrew and its translated names Persia, Ethiopia and Libya. Cush (called Ethiopia in the KJV) is considered to have been an area east of the Caspian and Aral Seas, north of Afghanistan but also included India and central Asia. Cush and Phut were descendants of Ham per Genesis 10:6 and hence were a dark race. This gives credence to the inclusion of India and possibly Pakistan, and their huge populations. India itself, however, is only 11% Moslem.

Put or Phut (called Libya in the KJV) were residents of the Nile delta, and were usually identified with Egyptians and sometimes with people along the Red Sea as far south as Sudan, Eritrea, and Yemen.

In each of these countries there are Muslim terrorists who are acting in cahoots with international terrorist organizations and who are committing horrifying incidents of terror and heavy casualties. In Sinkiang the separatist forces make use of religion and their slogan is to "defend Islam, oppose heretics and liberate East Turkistan." The same theme is used in other countries where Islamic terrorists are attempting to expand Islam worldwide. It is reported that in Sinkiang, the Chinese have collected and destroyed huge quantities of firearms, bullets, and other explosives

Islam has been obsessed with conquering the whole world and converting it to Islam since Islam’s beginnings. They call it world-wide jihad. As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently stated, "We must believe in the fact that Islam is not confined to geographical borders, ethnic groups and nations. It’s a universal ideology that leads the world to justice. We don’t shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world … We must prepare ourselves to rule the world and the only way to do that is to put forth views on the basis of the Expectation of the Return."

Farther back than the time of Columbus, Spain and Portugal were dominated by Islam. Muslims can be loving but Islam is not the loving religion described by ex-President Bush. Its Koran [Sura 5, verse 51] instructs Muslims to avoid friendship with either Christians or Jews and to destroy Pagans. It is true that it is now a monotheistic religion; that is it now believes in only one god. But it is not the God of Judaism and Christianity. Critics claim it to be the one god remaining after the rejection of the other 359 gods of ancient Arabia (one for each day of the year). Some say the one god which was retained was the god of the moon, hence the crescent moon symbol on top of all their mosques and on many of their national flags. Islam insists all 360 were destroyed; that Allah is the unknown God; and quoting Fussilat 47, Muslims must worship Allah, not his sun and moon creations. Allah is also a god of war and savagery, evidenced by the Koran’s 312 verses referring to war versus 67 to peace. Their expression "Allah Achbar" does not say "God is great." It says "God is greater;" greater than the God of Judaism and Christianity. That is a spin-off of Satan’s view of himself compared to our Creator God. Like the god Molech, Allah also rewards children willingly sacrificed in acts of terrorism. It becomes obvious why Muhammad was constantly plagued by inner voices.

Knowing the hatred that Muslims have for Israel, who could stop them if they all combined their forces in an attempt to rid the earth of Israel, Jews, Christians and their supporters once and for all? The ultimate goal of Islam is to extend Islam to every country and people of the earth.

(Ezek 38:8 NKJV) After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely [confidently].

Verse 8 seems to describe a period before the millennium but after the return of Israelites to Israel. The massive army is composed of the nations described in verses 1-6, many of which are descended from Japheth, Noah’s son.

(Ezek 38:14-16 NKJV) "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "On that day when My people Israel dwell safely [confidently, due to peace agreements or ejection of Muslims or perhaps even after Christ returns], will you not know it? {15} Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. {16} You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes. [It doesn’t say during the Kingdom.]

(Ezek 39:1-9 NKJV) "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; {2} "and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. {3} "Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. {4} "You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. {5} "You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken," says the Lord GOD. {6} "And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD. {7} "So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. {8} "Surely it is coming, and it shall be done," says the Lord GOD. "This is the day of which I have spoken.

You may want to read the rest of Ezekiel 39 for more details.

Earlier we asked the question of whether the beginning years of the seventh millennium will be a time when God becomes increasingly involved in the events of humans and nations of the world in preparation for His Kingdom. We would have to conclude that we are seeing that happen now and expect it to continue into the foreseeable future.

Here are some current events which seem to be a part of the Eternal’s preparations for the end-time events we have read about:

(Gen 12:3 NKJV), I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

On their second meeting Obama couldn’t have been more condescending - probably in an effort to reattract the Jewish vote. In the case of President Bush, one may wonder how a man who claims to be Christian could violate the many scriptures condemning the give-away of God’s land to Islamic terrorists and even celebrate the Islamic Ramadan in the White House. The Muslim world has little to fear from President Obama as he continues to favor the Muslim world in deed if not words. His most recent act of directing NASA to cater to Muslim countries with their technology and his bowing before Saudi leaders shows where his heart is. However, it is the Eternal who has the last word and He will allow what is necessary to fulfill His word.

SOME IMPORTANT EVENTS TO WATCH FOR

In conclusion, let’s turn to Matt 24.

(Matt 24:32-33 NKJV) "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. {33} So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors!

If you don't gain anything else from this sermon, I hope that you will be motivated to read and know the sequence of events in the 24th chapter of Matthew. We haven’t touched much on that chapter, but it is the center-point of end-time prophecy. The Prophets, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 2 Tim 3, and Revelation are also full of evidence of where we are in prophecy. These events are beginning to happen. We don’t yet fully know the sequence of these prophetic events or their exact timing but we can surely see them being set up. The leaves are sprouting.