Red Moon Rising—The Rapture and the Timeline of the Apocalypse
Chapter Six:
___________The Magog Invasion of Israel
The Apostle Paul gives a description of the coming of the Day of the Lord that is very important to our study of Bible prophecy:
“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4)
The first thing that Paul tells us is that the Day of the Lord will come like a “thief in the night.” The Apostle Peter says the exact same thing in 2 Peter 3:10, and this metaphor simply tells us that the Day of the Lord will come as a complete surprise to those who are not prepared.
The second thing that Paul tells us is that prior to the Day of the Lord people will be saying “peace and safety,” and that these same people “will not escape” when the Day of the Lord begins.
The third thing is that the Day of the Lord will come with “sudden destruction.” The sudden and destructive nature of the Day of the Lord is also mentioned by many Old Testament prophets including Isaiah (13:6): “Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty,” and Joel (1:15): “Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.”
When these prophecies that describe how the Day of the Lord is to begin are combined with what we learned in the previous chapter about the sixth Seal, then we find that they match up extraordinarily well with one of the most important prophecies given by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel. It is a prediction of an end-times invasion of Israel by a coalition of armies that provokes God to once again physically intervene on a global scale to protect His people.
The Regathering of Unbelieving Israel
The prophet Ezekiel lived in the sixth century BC, and he witnessed a number of terrible things happen to Israel. In his early years Ezekiel watched the majority of Israel’s religious and political leaders slide into apostasy and paganism and he saw the nation grow weak and fall under the domination of the powerful kingdom of Babylon. In 597 BC Ezekiel was among 3,000 Jewish captives taken to Babylon, and in 586 BC the city of Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by Babylonian armies.
The message of Ezekiel was primarily a message of accusation and warning to Israel predicting captivity and desolation for Israel’s crimes against God. There are forty-eight chapters in the book of Ezekiel and this message of judgment upon Israel lasts up to chapter 25. The next eight chapters deal with the Gentile nations that surround Israel and God accuses them of taking pleasure in Israel’s misfortunes and decrees a judgment upon each one of them as well. After giving messages of judgment and predictions of punishment to Israel and to her neighbors the prophet Ezekiel then gives some very provocative messages regarding Israel’s restoration as a nation in chapters 34, 36 and 37.
Because of the time in which Ezekiel lived the prophecies of Israel’s restoration are misinterpreted by many commentators to be messages concerned with the restoration of Israel that followed the Babylonian captivity. However, this is clearly not the case. Chapter 34 of Ezekiel does not predict Israel’s return from exile in Babylon, but instead gives a prophecy of Israel’s final and complete restoration at a point after the resurrection, when David himself will be Israel’s king.
Ezekiel 36 is also clear that a return from Babylon is not the focus, because Israel is referred to as having been scattered among all the nations, plural. Israel is referred to as a “possession of the rest of the nations” that has been “plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations.” Israel is described as having suffered the “scorn of the nations” and endured the “taunts of the nations.”
Ezekiel 37 continues the theme of Israel’s restoration with a vision in which Ezekiel sees the people of Israel represented as a valley of dry bones. All hope has been lost and the people cry out “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” In spite of this hopeless situation Ezekiel watches as the bones grow flesh and stand upon their feet completely healed and whole. God says, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.”
The Jewish return from the Babylonian exile was predicted to take place after seventy years of captivity. Jeremiah made the prediction (25:11-12, 29:10) and the prophet Daniel was very aware when the time had come for the exile to be ended (9:2). All hope had not been lost and although the people were discouraged they were not without hope or at their deepest possible point of despair.
Another thing that separates the Babylonian restoration from the restoration that Ezekiel predicts is the fact that the Jews returned to Israel as believers, led by holy men such as Nehemiah, Ezra, Joshua and Zerubbabel. The end-times regathering of Israel, on the other hand, is predicted by Ezekiel (and many others prophets) to take place while Israel and her leaders are still “profaning God’s holy name.”
The end-times regathering of Israel to her land, from throughout the entire world, is actually predicted by the prophets to take place in two stages. The first stage is a regathering in unbelief which has resulted in the modern nation of Israel, which was born partly out of the ashes of the holocaust during which the Jews were indeed almost completely discouraged and without hope. The second stage is the final regathering and restoration of Israel from throughout the world, and also from throughout time, because it will come after the resurrection. In this final restoration unbelievers will not be included.
It is the first stage of Israel’s regathering that is important for our world today. The prophet Ezekiel explains why this regathering will occur and why Israel was dispersed in the first place in Ezekiel 36:19-24,
“I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the LORD's people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.
Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.’”Israel was dispersed and scattered from the land because of her conduct and actions, and she will be regathered again to her land despite her bad conduct and despite the fact that she continues to profane God’s holy name. The passage above continues to state that one day Israel will remember her “evil ways and wicked deeds” and repent of her “sins and detestable practices,” which reinforces the conclusion that modern-day Israel is not a political entity that should be blindly and wholeheartedly supported in everything that it does.
Another text that clearly predicts a regathering of Israel to her land while in a state of unbelief is Zephaniah 2:1-3,
“Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's wrath comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.”
Israel, that shameful nation, is predicted to be gathered together in preparation for the judgments that will occur within the Day of the Lord. This is the context through which the modern nation of Israel should be understood. God loves Israel and will always honor His promises to her, but today she is characterized by adjectives such as evil, wicked, detestable and shameful. Because of this she must first pass through a period of judgment that will bring her to repentance. Only then will she finally and completely be regathered (a second time—Isaiah 11:11-12) to enjoy the fulfillment of God’s promises to her.
The Invasion of Israel
The prophet Ezekiel predicts a major military invasion of Israel that will take place after Israel has been regathered from the world in unbelief, but before her repentance and complete restoration.
According to Ezekiel 38 the invasion of Israel will be led by a man named Gog, from the land of Magog, who is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He will lead a coalition army that will include the nations of Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer and Beth Togarmah.
In modern terms really the only identification that scholars can agree upon is Iran for Persia. Magog is identified as either Russia or Turkey; Meshech and Tubal are viewed as either places in Russia or places in Turkey; Cush is viewed as either Sudan or Ethiopia; Put is viewed as either Libya or Somalia; Gomer is viewed as Germany and Togarmah is viewed as Armenia, while both are also viewed by some scholars, once again, as places in modern Turkey. As political events change in the world today Russia is increasingly being downplayed as the possible anchor of the alliance, while Turkey is emerging as a new favorite.
After Ezekiel introduces the coalition army, he then gives a description of Israel at the time of the unexpected invasion,
“After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, ‘I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people--all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.’
Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?’
Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.’” (Ezekiel 38:8-16)
By far the dominant theme regarding Israel is the fact that she will be existing in a state of “peace and safety” prior to the invasion. Israel will be peaceful and unsuspecting, prosperous and wealthy, and living in safety in villages without walls and without gates or bars. This peacefulness and lack of awareness on Israel’s part adds to the confidence of the invaders who will believe their victory is assured. Ezekiel continues to tell us that this will prompt God to act in defense of his people,
“This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.” (Ezekiel 38:18-20)
The feeling of safety and security in Israel prior to the invasion will be followed by chaos and destruction when God causes an earthquake to strike. First it will be felt in Israel, but then it will quickly expand to be felt worldwide, causing the fish, the birds, the beasts, every creature on the ground and every human being on the face of the earth to tremble at the presence of God!
Before we move on we should pause to consider the importance of what happens here according to Ezekiel. Israel will be invaded by a group of nations, none of which directly border her, in a sneak attack, and God will respond to this aggression with anger and wrath. However, the first outburst from God will not be directed at the invading armies or upon the invading nations, but will instead be felt in the form of an earthquake in Israel that will quickly change into a globally-felt event. The destructive nature of this global event is described (and hopefully exaggerated) by Ezekiel who writes that as a result of it “mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.”
Let’s return again to the words of Paul, who described how the Day of the Lord would begin, and also to the sixth Seal of Revelation that includes within it the beginning of the Day of the Lord,
“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)
“I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:12-17)
There are at least five similarities between the events described in Ezekiel 38:1-20 and the accounts of the beginning of the Day of the Lord according to the sixth Seal and the words of Paul:
1. Both sources mention “peace and safety” prior to the catastrophic events. Ezekiel describes Israel living in peace, safety and security, while Paul simply tells us that “people” will be saying “peace and safety” prior to the outbreak of the Day of the Lord.
2. Both sources describe the judgment as a surprise and causing great destruction. Ezekiel describes Israel as “unsuspecting” and the destruction that comes afterward causes mountains, cliffs and walls to fall down. Paul says the Day of the Lord will come like a “thief in the night” and that it will bring “sudden destruction.” The sixth Seal explains that this destruction comes in the form of a shaking of the entire earth.
3. Both events begin with a local earthquake that is followed by a global shaking. The first event of the sixth seal is simply a “great earthquake” and the area affected is not specified. Ezekiel does specify, however, when he says plainly that Israel will be the location of this preliminary earthquake. In both sources the shaking of the entire earth comes after the preliminary local earthquake.
4. In all of the accounts the reaction from humanity is very similar. Ezekiel recorded the very words of God who said that during the shaking of the earth “all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence.” In Revelation everyone flees to the mountains and caves to hide and the people cry out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” In Isaiah’s description the people know that God has acted and they flee to the caves to hide from the “splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.”
5. The fifth similarity concerns the specific reference to “God’s wrath” in both accounts, and the fact that this wrath is felt on a completely global scale. Every human being on earth will be affected when the Day of the Lord begins. In Ezekiel the judgment begins after God says “In my zeal and fiery wrath...” and in Revelation the people who flee to the caves admit that they flee to hide “from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come...” The usage of the term “wrath” is closely connected with the many prophecies of the Day of the Lord, which is always described as a completely global period of testing and judgment.
These similarities are very provocative, but should they lead to the conclusion that each of these sources—Ezekiel, Isaiah, Paul and the book of Revelation—give similar descriptions of the same event? In a previous chapter I argued against the automatic assumption that similarity equals sameness with regard to some of the Seal, Trumpet and Bowl judgments. However, in this case I believe that the similarities are so precise and so overwhelming that it would be foolish to dismiss them without a closer look.
The question to ask is, could the event described by Ezekiel be a description of a similar event that will take place at a different time, either prior to or after the “Day of the Lord” events of the sixth seal? We will return to this question at the end of the chapter, but first we must continue with our study because we are not finished pointing out the similarities between Ezekiel’s prophecies of this event and the book of Revelation.
In Revelation there is a precise sequence of events after the global shaking that marks the beginning of the Day of the Lord. First, the angels who blow the first four Trumpets are told to wait, and then 144,000 Jews are mystically converted and sealed with the seal of God. After the sealing of the 144,000 is described on the earth, then the heavenly scene is described, of a vast body of joyful believers congregating before Jesus and before God’s throne (see the next chapter). After these events take place then the seventh Seal is opened by Jesus and the judgments upon the earth continue,
“When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” (Revelation 8:1-7)
In Ezekiel there is an event very similar to the first Trumpet event that affects a large portion of the earth after God first vents his wrath by shaking the earth. Here is the entire description from the beginning of God’s angry declaration,
“This is what will happen in that day: ‘When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused,’ declares the Sovereign LORD.
‘In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.
I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'
Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel.
Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the LORD.’” (Ezekiel 38:18 to 39:6)
God will deal directly with the army that invades Israel, but only after His wrath is first vented on a completely global scale by shaking the entire earth. Only then will God focus on the invaders that sparked His wrath in the first place, smiting them with a plague of hail and fire from the sky. The manner in which the invading armies are destroyed is strikingly similar to the first Trumpet judgment of Revelation,
Ezekiel: I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur...
Revelation: The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth...
Both sources describe blood or bloodshed, hail or hailstones and fire or burning sulfur, which is poured down or hurled down upon the earth.
Ezekiel continues to state that it is not only the invading troops that will suffer from the burning plague from the skies, but the “many nations” that are members of the alliance will be struck by this deadly calamity as well. At the end of the description the area that is included within the judgment is expanded even more to include the “coastlands” where people live in “safety.”
The descriptions in Revelation explain that the judgment of hailstones and fire from heaven results in the intense burning of one third of the earth’s surface. In Ezekiel’s description, if the land area of all of the nations that are involved in the attack upon Israel is added up and the enigmatic reference to the “coastlands” is included, it cannot be denied that a third of the earth could be affected. This vast area would include the nations of Iran, Turkey, a great section of northern Africa, and perhaps even part of Europe if Gomer is indeed Germany. Additionally, if Magog is Russia then a huge section of the Eurasian landmass would be included as well. This almost adds up to a third of the earth’s land surface without even bringing the unknown area of the “coastlands” into the equation.
As we have explained, Ezekiel’s description of this end-times invasion of Israel and the subsequent destruction of the invaders and of a large portion of the earth has many parallels that appear to connect it with the sixth Seal and first Trumpet of Revelation. In addition to these descriptions Ezekiel goes on to describe the clean-up procedures after the invaders have been destroyed and after the devastation from the sky has ceased. These descriptions of the aftermath are important because they include a major clue that allows us to connect this series of events with the seventieth week of Daniel.
Before we move on to the descriptions of the cleanup we must make a decision about how the series of events in Ezekiel are related to the similar series of events that are described in Revelation. Recall that in the last chapter we pointed out that a massive shaking of the earth is predicted in Revelation twice: once within the sixth Seal, and again at the very end with the pouring out of the seventh Bowl,
“The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake... Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.” (Revelation 16:17-20)
The sixth Seal is similar to, but distinct from, the seventh Bowl, because the sixth Seal marks the beginning of the Day of the Lord, while the seventh Bowl marks the point when “It is done!” This tells us that the Day of the Lord both begins and ends with a great cosmic/global catastrophe.
The events in Ezekiel 38-39 also contain such a catastrophe, but it could only be related to the sixth Seal event and not to the ending event at the seventh Bowl. One of the reasons for this is that Ezekiel describes a limited invasion of Israel composed of just a few specific nations, whereas the seventh Bowl is preceded by an occupation of Israel that includes the armies from all the nations of the world.
The Ezekiel event is indeed similar to the sixth Seal and first Trumpet events, but is this similarity enough to conclude that they are both descriptions of the same single event? If not, then we must imagine that these events are repeated. This would mean that there would be two series of events that begin with a local earthquake, that is followed by a shaking of the entire earth, and culminates with a destructive shower of burning hailstones from the sky. Each event is described as a sudden and unexpected outpouring of God’s wrath, and each event catches humanity by surprise and affects every human being on a personal spiritual level, causing great fear and anxiety. These two similar but separate series of events would then be followed by a third similar event at the end of the Day of the Lord.
I believe that the hypothetical scenario above is redundant to the point of absurdity, and that without any other Biblical support for three similar catastrophes we should stick with the two that are described in Revelation. This would mean that the similarities between Ezekiel 38-39 and the sixth Seal/first Trumpet events are indeed enough to conclude that they are descriptions of the very same event. The similarities are just too precise and too many in number to conclude otherwise.
Seven Years
The description of the cleanup procedures following the invasion of Israel is given in Ezekiel 39:9-16. The tens of thousands of dead bodies will be gathered and buried and the initial cleanup will last for seven months. After the initial cleanup is over bodies will still be found in the land here and there and Ezekiel says that when this happens markers will be set up next to the remains and the authorities will be called to retrieve the bodies and bury them properly.
This peculiar description leads some Bible commentators to believe that the bodies are somehow toxic and that this is evidence that chemical or biological weapons will be used in the battle. This is possible, but I would say much too speculative. Dead bodies are always a health hazard, and their deaths are clearly depicted by Ezekiel to come from God, rather than from other human agents.
The most important aspect of the cleanup, however, is the cleanup of the captured weapons of war that will be used by the villages of Israel for fuel. The language used by Ezekiel is archaic and the meaning must be reinterpreted in a modern setting, but the most important point is clear,
“I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the LORD. I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel. It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD. This is the day I have spoken of.
Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up--the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign LORD.” (Ezekiel 39:6-10)
Ezekiel used his limited Old Testament Hebrew vocabulary to explain how Israel will be able to use the captured weapons of the invading army as a source of fuel. In a modern context the fuel source is probably not wood, but perhaps petroleum, nuclear energy, or some other fuel instead. The size of the plundered supply of fuel is not specifically given (perhaps it is a ten year supply or even a fifteen year supply), but Ezekiel does tell us that it will be used by Israel for exactly seven years. I believe that this seven year period corresponds exactly with the seventieth week of Daniel and now I will explain why.
There are three possibilities for viewing this specific seven year period that follows the catastrophes described in Ezekiel and Revelation, as it relates to the seventieth week, but there is only one that makes sense. The seventieth week, as the reader may recall, is the final seven year period that will begin when a Roman prince (perhaps a Roman Catholic Pope) signs a covenant or treaty with Israel. The Temple must be rebuilt somewhere during this time because the renewed Temple sacrifices and offerings are stopped three and a half years after the treaty is first signed. The seventieth week then ends at the Second Coming of Jesus, when the Antichrist is destroyed and afterwards Israel and the earth will be renovated to prepare the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah.
The first possibility is that the seven years of Ezekiel begin sometime after the seventieth week of Daniel has already begun. The single insurmountable problem for this view is that this would mean that Israel would continue to burn the weapons captured from the Magog invaders for a time extending into the Messianic Kingdom. It is absurd to think that this source of fuel would be needed by Israel after the earth has been renovated and the Messianic Kingdom has begun, and in fact two Old Testament prophets give proof that this simply cannot be the case. In Isaiah 2:4 and in Micah 4:3 the prophets very clearly tells us that if any weapons do make it into the Messianic Age they will not be used for fuel or any other purpose, but will instead be transformed into agricultural equipment!
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
“He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
This is but one reason why it is highly unlikely that the seven years of Ezekiel begin any time after the seventieth week of Daniel has begun.
The second possibility is that the seven years of Ezekiel begin sometime before the seventieth week of Daniel begins. This is the view held by many prophecy scholars who do not place the beginning of the Day of the Lord within the sixth Seal. An argument for this view is that Ezekiel’s burning of the captured fuel supply could not continue into the second half of the seventieth week because at the midpoint of the seventieth week Israel flees into the desert to escape the Antichrist. This view maintains that the Magog invasion must then occur at least three and a half years before the signing of the covenant that begins the seventieth week, to allow for the seven year period of burning the captured fuel to expire prior to the midpoint of the seventieth week.
This view is problematic because it concludes that there will be two separate sequences of events prior to midpoint of the seventieth week in which God will surprise mankind with a global outpouring of wrath in the form of a shaking of the earth and a plague of burning meteors from the sky. For me this is simply too absurd and illogical to accept.
This view can also be refuted by showing that the problem that it highlights is really no problem at all. It depends upon the premise that Israel could not burn its captured fuel supply into the second half of the seventieth week, but this premise is simply false. It is true that Jesus warns Israel to flee to the desert at the midpoint of the seventieth week, but this does not mean that all of Israel will obey. There will still be Israelites within Jerusalem and within the villages of Israel even during the final 42-month period when the Antichrist reigns from Jerusalem. These are the inhabitants that would continue to depend on the fuel captured from the Magog invaders to power Israel’s infrastructure all the way up to the end of the seventieth week.
This leads us to the final and most reasonable conclusion, which is that the seven year period, during which Israel burns the fuel plundered from the invading armies, is the very same as the seven year period of the seventieth week that begins with a covenant between Israel and the Roman prince. Here are two reasons why this conclusion makes sense:
1. The destruction of the Magog invasion will create the proper political climate allowing for the seventieth week covenant to be signed. The coalition that invades Israel is predominantly a Muslim coalition with Iran and perhaps Turkey being most prominent. Sudan is also a Muslim nation and so is Libya and Somalia, which are all potential members. When this coalition invades Israel she will be existing in a state of “peace and safety” that implies that her closest Muslim enemies have already been neutralized. This successful war against Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinians and perhaps Egypt will be discussed in a future chapter, but the point to be made is that the destruction of the Magog alliance will bring to an end the power of Islam, at least with respect to it being any sort of threat to Israel.
This situation will allow for the creation of a Judeo-“Christian” agreement between Israel and the Vatican (the Roman prince) that will not need to take into account the interests of the neighboring Islamic nations. In this way the seventieth week covenant could be signed in the aftermath of the Magog invasion, which would correspond with the seven years during which Israel would be burning the fuel plundered from the fallen invading forces.
2. The destruction of the Magog invasion will also create the proper religious climate that would be supportive of a rebuilt Temple, which is also an event closely connected with the seventieth week covenant. Today Israel is politically dominated by secular leaders, and the religious faction, even though it is very vocal, is actually a small minority that has little say in Israel’s affairs. Ezekiel predicts that this secular climate will characterize Israel as a nation up until the invasion, but the miraculous destruction of the invaders will then cause Israel to turn back to God and to her faith:
“I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel. It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD. This is the day I have spoken of...
On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel... For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I am glorified will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign LORD...I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.
And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.
Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid.” (Ezekiel 39:7-26)
After God’s wrath is provoked by the invasion of the Magog alliance He will strike out and miraculously destroy the invaders at the moment of Israel’s greatest need. Israel’s destruction will appear to be certain but God will rise up to personally eliminate the threat. In the aftermath of this miraculous rescue the inhabitants of Israel will undergo at least a partial spiritual transformation and realize a newfound faith in the God of their fathers. In this climate, with Islam neutralized as a threat, the way will be paved for the Temple to be rebuilt on top of the plateau where it once stood.
The rebuilding of the Temple is something that God expects Israel to do. After it is built it will be God’s Temple, as the Apostle Paul refers to it in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The Temple will be a good thing and it will be proof that Israel is at least trying to become reconciled with God. However, the sacrifices that will be offered in this Temple will be viewed by God in a harshly negative light, as the prophet Isaiah has written in the very last chapter of his book,
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig's blood, and whoever burns memorial incense, like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.’” (Isaiah 66:1-4)
In the text above God begins by asking where His house is, but then He goes on to condemn those who offer sacrifices and offerings in His house after it is built. These sacrifices will be viewed as an abomination and an insult in His sight, because God has already offered the ultimate and perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sins in the form of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Any sacrifice that attempts to do what Jesus has already done is irrelevant as far as the sinner is concerned, and also the greatest possible insult as far as God is concerned.
Isaiah’s words continue with another reference to the Temple, and the modern nation of Israel is also mentioned, which was indeed created in a single day (May 15, 1948),
“Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: ‘Your brothers who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy!’ Yet they will be put to shame. Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the LORD repaying his enemies all they deserve.
Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.’” (Isaiah 66:5-8)
The destruction of the Magog invasion will create the climate in which the rebuilding of the Temple will actually be supported by the majority of Israel’s citizens. It will also create a political climate that will be conducive to the signing of a treaty between Israel and the “Roman prince” that marks the beginning of the seventieth week of Daniel’s epic prophecy of the Seventy Weeks.
After all of the possibilities are considered the most reasonable conclusion is that the seven year period that follows the Magog invasion in Ezekiel is the same as the seven year period that will begin with the signing of the seventieth week covenant. The burning of captured weapons will end precisely after seven years, because at that point Jesus will return and the seventieth week will also end. The earth will then be miraculously renewed and a fuel source derived from captured weapons will no longer be necessary.
Conclusion
This chapter has been filled with a great deal of information and a number of different views and arguments have been considered. All of this material may have been overwhelming for readers who are new to the study of Bible prophecy, but the purpose of this chapter has been quite simple.
The similarities between the events described in Ezekiel 38-39 and the “Day of the Lord” events described in the sixth Seal and first Trumpet judgments of Revelation have been highlighted, and the conclusion was drawn that they are separate descriptions of the same event.
Building upon this conclusion the seven year period that follows the Ezekiel events has been compared with the seven year period that begins with the seventieth week covenant made between Israel and a Roman leader. After examining each of these seven year time periods we have concluded that they refer to the very same time period, beginning sometime after the first Trumpet judgment of Revelation.
With this chapter complete we have now pinpointed the beginning, midpoint and end of the seventieth week in relation to the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls of Revelation, and the prophetic picture that was once obscure is now becoming much more clear. The chart below shows our prophetic timeline as it has been developed thus far.
