Subduing the Earth

The Scriptures show that Christ will establish a kingdom in Jerusalem which will expand to cover every inch the earth. These two classes examine how this will be accomplished. Below you will see the two recorded class, and beneath this you will see the full readable document for those who prefer to read.

Class 1

TGP Prophecy Letter - October 17, 2024

Part 1 examines the processes leading up to Christ's return and the first of Christ's campaigns - the saving of Israel and the inheritance of the land of promise. 

Class 2

TGP Prophecy Letter - October 25, 2024

Part 1 examines the processes leading up to Christ's return and the first of Christ's campaigns - the saving of Israel and the inheritance of the land of promise. 

Readable Version Subduing the Earth

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Part 1

We’re going to discuss a subject which is usually one of great excitement with brothers and sisters of Christ – the conquering of the earth by Christ and the redeemed. The return of Christ a central first principle, and like all other first principles of the truth, it has heavy ramifications on other principles. This particular subject gets to why Jesus is returning.

He’s coming back because man’s hope beyond this life does not lie in the mystical heavens above, but on this very earth (Psalm 115:16). This planet is where the issue lies, and it’s on this planet that the issue will be fixed. Man is cursed and sin reigns without restraint. Even the animals and the rest of creation “groaneth together in travail” and awaits his return, for our hope is one of restoration – restoration of Eden, in fact, a better-than Eden. Part of it is the completion of the very first task which was given to the first Adam – that he should “replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28). While this somewhat true of today, Paul and the Psalmist explain that this subduing of the earth has yet to be fulfilled and will be accomplished by the second Adam (Psalm 8, Hebrews 2:8, 1 Corinthians 15:25).

There are many things which will occur upon his return – cleansing of Israel, nations to come and learn/worship, highway from Egypt to Assyria, remainder of Jews to be brought back to the land, restoration of the earth, curse removed from animals and creation, potential realignment of the continents themselves, and many other things. We have only two classes though, so we will be focusing strictly on the core principle in all of these things – that of conquering. We’re basing our comments on the declaration of victory which shows the end of Christ’s military campaigns:

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The Kingdom itself will have the borders which were promised to Abraham and his seed, yet the empire will extend to every corner of the earth. We know that he will conquer and subdue the earth, but how will this be accomplished? This will be our focus. There have been a wide array of views on prophecy, but no prophecy is of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20), and there is only one way in which things will actually happen. I doubt that anyone has everything exactly right, but I believe that if we truly allow the Scriptures to answer its own questions, we can get the basics down.

What we’re going to do is go through what I’ve found to be the order of events of how Christ will conquer the earth. What we will see is that the Kingdom will start in Jerusalem, and through series of conquests, will expand its empire outwardly from there, eventually to cover the entire planet.

Preliminaries

There are a few things we must recognize before we delve into this. One is that real events do not develop in a strictly linear fashion separate from other events in the world. One event affects countless things which impact each other continually. We see this today as we see how Israel’s current tension with the Psalm 83 nations is in fact helping to create the Ezekiel 38 confederacy.

Another thing we must mention are the principles on which Christ will conquer. As we know, this will not be the first time the people of God have conquered the land of promise. In the days of Moses and Joshua, Israel was brought into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 6:8, 33:1), and that conquering was a shadow of Christ’s conquering in a number of respects. It was Joshua (the same name as Jesus) who brought them into the land, and the Lord gave instructions on how they would conquer not only the promised land, but all other lands. Note here the distinction between peoples and how they must be dealt with:

Deuteronomy 20:10-17 – When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.  (11)  And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.  (12)  And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:  (13)  And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:  (14)  But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.  (15)  Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.  (16)  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:  (17)  But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

We note a couple things which were to be done. For the nations which inhabited the promised land (those named), they were not “proclaimed peace” to. They were to be utterly destroyed because they inhabited the land of promise – they MUST be removed, plain and simple. Yet, for other cities and nations which are “very far off from” Israel, they were first to proclaim peace to it. If they submitted to Joshua’s rule, they were made tributaries and servants. If they refused to submit, they were utterly destroyed and spoiled. We’ll find that these same principles are used by the Greater Joshua, the man Jesus Christ, when he returns to conquer the earth.

This is important to our subject for a number of reasons. Firstly, it tells us that not every nation is to be dealt with the same. Secondly, it shows clear distinctions in how nations are referred to. The nations which inhabit the land and directly surround Israel are referred to as “nigh unto” or “round about” Israel. All other nations are considered “very far off”. We see this more clearly shown in

Deuteronomy 13:7 – Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;

Here we have Scriptural definitions for these terms. Nations who are “round about” are those which are “nigh unto” Israel, and nations who are “far off from” Israel are all the rest of them, “from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth.” When we read of latter-day prophecies, these terms are utilized and help us sort through which prophecies relate to what.

Thirdly, Deuteronomy 20 (among others) shows us the mindset of Christ as he conquers. It is true that the earth will have filled up the cup of her indignation, and the wrath of God will undoubtedly be unleashed. Yet here and throughout the prophecies we’ll consider, we see that one function of Christ’s campaigns is to teach and warn the other nations. God is not willing (or desirous) that any should perish today, and the same will be true when Christ returns. It is true that the earth with have filled up the cup of iniquity and many will not submit to Christ, and they must be removed as would a cancer, but there will still be mortals in the Kingdom Age who comprise the nations, so we know that some peoples/nations will submit.

Christ’s campaigns are carried out in part so that men might have clear evidence to teach them to submit instead of rebel. Throughout the prophecies, we read that certain things will be done so that God “will be known in the eyes of many nations” and that “men may know” that God rules over the earth (Psalm 83:18, Ezekiel 38:23, 39:6-7, Revelation 14:7-10). These phrases are often not given much weight in our interpretations, but their frequency and repetition will show us that they must have some direct effect on the nations. People are given evidence to teach them to submit, and the earth will not be conquered in a single day. People wouldn’t be able to process what was going on.

Lastly, one of the primary ways we can discern sequence of events in these prophecies is by assessing the state and nature of Israel. We will see her position and state change from prophecy to prophecy.

The Sequence of Events

To begin with the war of Christ with the nations, we must actually go back in time, for the processes which we’re told will gather the nations against Christ began before any of us were born. Revelation 16:12-16 talks about three unclean spirits like frogs which would go forth to the kings of the earth and “gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty”. These would begin their work after the Euphratean power dried up, which refers to the shrinking and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire to make way for the kings of the east (Psalm 83 entities of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq). The Ottoman Empire was defeated in WWI and completely dissolved in 1920, and ever since then the world has changed drastically in the ways of morality and values (a subject for another time). For the past 100 years, the nations have been prepped by these deceptive “frog-spirit” teachings so they will oppose Christ when he declares himself. This deception-process is where we are right now, and if we read through verse 16, we see that it is during this process that Christ returns and gathers his saints.

Each phase is markedly different than the other, and while I wish we had time to examine these particulars, we’ll focus simply on the general sequence. This first class is going to focus on this first phase of Christ’s conquering as it sets the groundwork for the others and initiates a number of important processes. The second class will focus on the latter two phases.

PHASE 1

As we said, the nature and state of Israel is a key to sorting out these prophecies. In those which show Christ’s return to Israel, we find that they are a regathered (but ignorant) nation in trouble with a particular set of enemies. There are many prophecies on this subject, but the primary ones are Psalm 83, Zechariah 12-13:6, 14:3-21, Obadiah 17-21, Joel 3:9-21, and others.

This first main goal of this phase is to establish the Kingdom in the borders which were promised to Abraham so long ago and (mostly) ruled over by Solomon. Christ, as the seed of Abraham, is to inherit this land forever, and that promise is the same for those who are in Christ. As we have seen, the nations concerning this land are called “the people/heathen round about”, a term which has often been overlooked. Psalm 83 is particularly helpful to us on this subject, for it actually names all of the inhabitants of this confederacy, thus showing what lands must be conquered by Israel for the Abrahamic lot to be inherited.

Psalms 83:1-18 – A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.  (2)  For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.  (3)  They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.  (4)  They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.  (5)  For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:  (6)  The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;  (7)  Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;  (8)  Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot (referring to Ammon and Moab – see Genesis 19:36-38). Selah.  (9)  Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:  (10)  Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.  (11)  Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:  (12)  Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.  (13)  O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.  (14)  As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;  (15)  So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.  (16)  Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.  (17)  Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:  (18)  That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

This chapter does not include the term “round about”, but it shows us this. If we look at a map, we see that these nations literally surround Israel.

These nations are to be confederate with one another, and it would appear that this attack will be much like that of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. One important thing we see here is that this is not a war of spoil or greed, but one of religion and hate. These nations are not motivated by the desire for Israel’s riches. They “hate” Israel and want to wipe them off the map, or in the words of these Muslim movements, to “push the Jews into the sea”. No other conflict we read of is motivated by hate, and this distinguishes this conflict from the others.

But the end of these nations will be like the end of those individuals mentioned in verses 9-11. What happened to them? The Midianites were destroyed and utterly defeated (Judges 7:22-25), Sisera was killed by a tent peg being driven through his head (Judges 4:17-21), Jabin was destroyed (Judges 4:24), Oreb and Zeeb were killed and beheaded (Judges 7:25), and Zeba and Zalmunna were slain (Judges 8:21). This is destruction. Yet it’s interesting that all of these examples are taken from the book of Judges, which indicates to me that the prophecy will be fulfilled in a time similar to that of Judges, for “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25, 17:6). So it is in our day.

But how will these things transpire, what will happen, and when does Christ appear to Israel? For more details, we go to parallel passages. We find that Israel is in trouble with these nations and requires saving, and this gets to an important prophecy concerning the Jews and their current state of blindness.

We recall that Christ looked over Jerusalem and warned them of the impending destruction of AD70, and he told the city, “Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39). This means that once Christ ascended, the Jews would not see him again until they said this. What does this mean though – “blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”?  The only other place we find this phrase in the Bible is a few chapters back in Matthew 21, and it is here that Christ was riding into Jerusalem with the Jews crying and cheering, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9).

Hosanna literally means “O, save!”. We don’t have time to delve into this, but it shows Israel welcoming Christ as their King and recognizing him. The meaning of Christ’s prophecy is that the Jews would not see him again until they humbled themselves and were ready to cry to him for salvation (Hosanna!) and welcome him as their King. This is what we find in the prophets: the humbling of Israel by these Arab hoards and Israel’s salvation by Christ. Let us go to Zechariah 12 where we will see some of these things:

Zechariah 12:2, 5-8 – 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 against Jerusalem…  (5)  And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.  (6)  In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.  (7)  The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.  (8)  In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 

This passage has often been used to refer to every nation on earth and particularly Gog, yet we see that the subject is more focused here. Jerusalem will not be a cup of trembling to EVERY NATION, but to all of these “people round about”, and specifically “when they shall be in the siege” against Judah and Jerusalem. This is not Gog or his confederates, but the Psalm 83 nations. Therefore, when it says “all nations” in this context, it’s referring to all of these nations, not all on the face of the earth.

Verse 5 is one which has not been translated well in the KJV, so we here show the RSV and ESV versions which have a better rendering. These say, “Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.'” The people of Jerusalem realize strength in God at this time. They see HIM as their savior, and indeed, we are here told in verses 7-8 that it is the LORD who will SAVE the tents of Judah. It is the Lord who will DEFEND them. This is corroborated by Joel 3:16 which says that “the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”

So how does the Lord appear? The prophets illustrate Christ and the saints marching from the scene of judgment northward to Israel’s salvation. The two main passages on this are Habakkuk 3 and Isaiah 63. As we mentioned, it’s believed that Mount Sinai will be the scene of judgment for many reasons, one of which being these prophecies as they tell us the places they’ll pass through on their way to saving Israel.

Habakkuk 3:3-14 – God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.  (4)  And his brightness was as the light; he had horns (rendered “beams of light”) coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.  (5)  Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.  (6)  He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.  (7)  I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.  (8)  Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?  (9)  Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.  (10)  The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.  (11)  The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.  (12)  Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.  (13)  Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.  (14)  Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.

What we see here is the Holy One of God going “forth for the salvation of thy people” Israel. This not only shows the beginnings of his wrath being poured out on these nations, but it shows us from which direction Christ comes. He comes from Teman, a word which literally means “the south” but is also a location which is south of Israel. Either way, this shows that Christ does not light from the heavens and first plant his feet on the Mount of Olives, he comes from the southern regions – from the regions of Teman and Mt. Paran. Many believe that Mt. Paran is another name for Mt. Sinai. Even if it isn’t, it’s indisputable that Christ comes from the regions of Midian where Mt. Sinai is. Verse 6 says that they are indeed in “the land of Midian.”

Verse 4 shows us that while he is executing vengeance, his power is still largely concealed, for “he had horns (beams of light) coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.” Yet still, “Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.” This is Christ with his recently immortalized, glorified host progressing from the scene of judgment to an Israel in need of salvation. As Zechariah 14:5 says, when Christ sets his foot on the Mt. of Olives, “the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”

Of this host, it is written, “Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger” (Habakkuk 3:13), and they destroy the enemy along the way to Israel. Note verse 14 and how the enemies are destroyed. This is just one of many ties to Psalm 83 and the other parallel passages. “Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages”, just like the example of Sisera used to describe how these nations would be destroyed. A tent peg was driven through his head. There’s a lot more in this chapter, but let’s briefly look at Isaiah 63, for it is here that we see their progress fully connected from the regions of Midian to the Mt. of Olives:

Isaiah 63:1-6 – Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.  (2)  Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?  (3)  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.  (4)  For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.  (5)  And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.  (6)  And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

We just saw Christ and the saints coming from a region further south than Edom, and here we see that Christ comes from Edom with his garments dyed red! His raiment is stained with the blood of Israel’s enemies which he encountered on the way from Sinai. We note all of the same factors – Christ is glorious in his apparel,  traveling in great strength, and coming for what purpose? “to save.”

One question we might ask is why it says that “of the people there was none with me”, and they see this as contradicting the fact that Christ has his saints with him. Yet this issue disappears when we realize that this is the multitudinous Christ, and it is common to refer to the armies by the name of the one commander. So it is said of the first Joshua who “took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain” (Joshua 10:28, 33, and others), though it’s obvious that it means that Joshua and all his men smote the cities. The same will be true of us and Christ.

In Revelation, Christ is shown as the man on the white horse with a sword proceeding out of his mouth with which he will “smite the nations” (Revelation 19:15). The sword coming out of his mouth shows that he speaks orders of war like all commanders do. But the saints, on the other hand, are shown as the soldiers carrying out those commands.

Psalms 149:5-9 – Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.  (6)  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;  (7)  To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;  (8)  To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;  (9)  To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

The saints have the sword in their hand, showing that they are the ones carrying out the commands. The bind kings and nations and carry out “the judgment written”, which is the judgment which we are currently reading about. What is meant here in Isaiah 63 is that no carnal nation is coming to Israel’s salvation. Israel is alone.

We then come to the point when Christ sets his feet on the Mt. of Olives:

Zechariah 14:4-5 – And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east...  (5)  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

While we could read many passages which go into more detail about how these nations are destroyed, time only allows us to cover some of the broader concepts. Yet this whole sequence is recorded in Obadiah 17-21:

Obadiah 1:17-21 – But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.  (18)  And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it…

The next verses continue on to show that the destruction of these local enemies results in the Kingdom of God being established:

(19)  And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.  (20)  And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.  (21)  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.

“Saviours”, or the saints, are the ones judging (meaning executing vengeance) on Esau, and “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” One thing we’ll note in passing is that Israel is allowed to have a hand in exacting vengeance on their enemies, for we’re told in Zechariah 14:14 that “Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem” (see also 12:8), but Christ and the saints are the main forces here. The Kingdom of God will therefore be established in the Abrahamic lot, and it will never be moved.

Now, there are many things which we don’t have time to discuss like the building of the temple, the road built from Egypt to Assyria, the cleansing of Israel, the rejuvenation of the land, and so on, but that can be for another time. As for our purposes here, what is the result of all of this? Where does the ending of this conflict leave things? There are three things we’ll point out. One is that

1. Israel Is Greatly Increased With Riches

The rules of war are that the victors take spoil, and so it is here.

Zechariah 14:14 – And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

We see that these passages can only refer to this first Islamic conflict because it is only the heathen round about who are spoiled here. For those taking notes, another place we see Israel taking this spoil is in Isaiah 33:20-24. Yet another passage is back in

Zechariah 2:4-5 – Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:  (5)  For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

There are so many men and cattle (a symbol of wealth) that Jerusalem no longer has walls. Another outcome of this conflict is

2.     Israel Dwells Safely

Of critical importance is that this is when Israel will finally dwell safely. The word for “safely” here is the Hebrew betach, and it’s important because of how it relates to other prophecies. When we look at this word as applied to Israel, we see that this safety is always a result of two things:

1. Judgment being executed on these Islamic nations, and

2. Christ dwelling among them.

Let’s look at a few of these, for “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1). Back in Zechariah when Christ and the saints saved Israel from the people round about, the result is that

Zechariah 14:11 – And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely (betach) inhabited.

As we recently saw in Zechariah 2:4-5, Israel is safe because the LORD will be a wall of fire round about Israel, “For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” This is just like when Pharaoh’s army came against the Israelites before the Red Sea (Exodus 14:19-20, 24). They could not be harmed.

In another place, these Islamic nations are referred to as “pricking briers”. Israel was told long ago in the days of Moses that

Numbers 33:55 – …if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

So it was, and they were continually harassed by these nations around them. Yet we read about a time when these thorns would be removed, and mote who removes them and what results:

Ezekiel 28:24-26 – And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.  (25)  Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.  (26)  And they shall dwell safely (betach) therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

Israel dwells safely when the LORD executes judgments on those that hate Israel. Another excellent passage on this is

Ezekiel 34:22-26 – Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.  (23)  And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.  (24)  And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.  (25)  And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely (betach) in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.  (26)  And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

Again, Israel is saved and therefore requires saving. This is the conquering, Davidic phase of Christ’s reign, and I believe this is just one of many reasons why Christ is called David. The Solomon phase begins once all nations have been conquered. What’s also interesting here is that when Israel is made safe and blessed, these places round about are made a blessing as well. They’re no longer a curse to Israel.

The final and perhaps most poignant verse on this subject is one that you are very familiar with if you’ve ever read my letters:

Jeremiah 23:5-6 – Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  (6)  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely (betach): and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

See also 33:15-16. This passage shows the same sequence as we have already seen so thoroughly demonstrated. Israel is SAVED by the Lord our Righteousness, and it is then and only then that Israel dwells safely. We cannot separate Israel’s safety from the removal of the Islamists and the presence of Christ in Israel.

One last result of the war which we’ll mention is

3. Israel Will be Disarmed

Zechariah 9:9-10 – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.  (10)  And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

All of the weapons of war and defenses are removed from Israel. No more chariots, horses, or bows, for Christ is there.

Zechariah 2:4-5 – And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:  (5)  For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

This verse touches on all three of these items, for it shows the relationship between Israel being safe, being without walls/defenses, and having great spoil. The reason Israel will be a town without walls is because of the extent of their riches and the fact that THE LORD will be their wall of defense. He will not just be a wall, but a wall of fire.

Many wonder what will bring about the conditions we find in Ezekiel 38 – Israel is greatly increased with riches, they have no defenses, and they dwell in safety. Some say this state exists now, but the briefest look at Israel shows that this is not true. Others say that this will be accomplished by Israel on their own. But as you can see, the Scriptures answer this question clearly and in many places.

If we simply look up each of these factors and what the Bible has to say about them, we have our answers. A closer look at the details of all of these factors would be profitable, but we’re short on time and that’s the focus of this class. As we’ve seen, the Psalm 83 war actually creates the conditions we find in Ezekiel 38. It sets the stage for the next conflict. We see cause and effect in these latter-day conflicts, one naturally leading to the next. When we look at these confederacies on a map, we also see how there is no overlap. These are not the same conflict, and BOTH are required for the land of Israel and the rest of the planet to be acquired.

We’ll discuss that more in the next class, but let us end this class with a concise summary of what will happen from here on out now that the Kingdom has been established on the earth:

Isaiah 9:7 – Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The Kingdom will expand from the central point of Israel to cover every inch of land on the planet, and it will do so without fail. Christ’s government will ONLY increase. Once peace is established in a certain territory, so will it be forever, for peace will only increase as well.

What we will consider in the second part of the class is how the rest of the planet will subdued.  The command given to the first Adam will finally be completed by the second Adam, and the prophecy fulfilled which says, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). We likely won’t have time to talk about the Kingdom Age itself once all has been conquered, but that can be for another time.

PART 2

We saw how there were certain conquering principles given to Israel when they first came into the land, and that such will be followed when Christ returns as well, for one is a shadow of the other. We’ve seen that Israel was to conquer the nations inhabiting the promised land without compromise, but once they turned their attention to the cities/nations which were “very far off”, they were first to make an offer of peace, and if they submitted, they would become tributaries and servants of Israel. However, if that offer of peace was rejected, then Israel would conquer them through warfare. Now that the Psalm 83 nations have been dealt with and Christ has established the Kingdom in the Abrahamic lot, this is what we see. In the verse which talks about Israel being saved and disarmed, we read

Zechariah 9:10 – And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen (the Gentiles): and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

Initially, Christ focuses his attention inwardly on Israel, for he must cleanse and purify them. As we saw last time, the Lord will be a wall of fire around His holy people (Zechariah 2:5), and they will therefore no longer require these carnal weapons or defenses. Thus the chariot, horse, and battle bow are cut off.

But once this is done, he turns his attention outwardly as the lion of Judah plans to expand his territory. But what does it mean for him to “speak peace” to the nations? What will he say? Again, we know from the Old Testament that this is not speaking words of kindness and acceptance, but is rather an opportunity for them to submit or otherwise be conquered. As to what these words will be, I believe we’re told this very thing in the book of Revelation. This has been called the mid-heaven proclamation:

Revelation 14:6-7 – And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,  (7)  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

This proclamation is made to every people and nation on the planet. Christ will state his identity and his purpose to conquer the earth and rule it with a rod of iron in perfect righteousness, and the nations will be given opportunity to “Fear God, and give glory to him”, and therefore submit. Some, it seems, will be wise and refrain from rebelling. Unfortunately, we’re shown that the majority of nations refuse.

Before we talk about their response, I believe it’ important to discuss the factor of time. We briefly noted many things which will go on just with the rescuing and cleansing of Israel, and it’s unreasonable to conclude that all will be accomplished in a day or two. How much time passes before the next conflict cannot be know for sure, yet there must be time for Israel to gather at least some of the spoils of the nations, for they are wealthy when Gog comes down (Zechariah 14:14, Ezekiel 38-39). I suggest the possibility of weeks or months, though I feel that years would be too long.

The nations will likely need some time to try and absorb what has happened and plan their response, though I believe they are in ignorance of many of the true facts. We’ve seen that the false prophet is one of the deceptive entities which causes the nations to war against Christ, and I believe it’s certain that this deception will include a mislabeling of Christ as the anti-Christ – the Devil himself. While the spoil of the Psalm 83 nations is being gathered and other things are going on in Israel, many of these other things will be developing.

Yet the time will come when Christ will require their answer to his Gospel dictate, and in their response, we see the work of the frog spirits of Revelation 16 we talked about last class:

Psalms 2:1-3 – Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?  (2)  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,  (3)  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

We see a few things here. We see their rage at Christ, and they conjure up a “vain” plan: they will do away with this new Jewish King. This suggests that they are ignorant of his true identity and nature, largely thanks to the frog-spirits. We also see that the nations take counsel together, meaning that they are conferring with one another. Nations will be frantically discussing with each other to determine who this man is and what they should do. It’s likely that they will perceive Israel’s victory as strictly that – Israel’s victory. Perhaps some will know there is something Divine in their success, but many are likely to say that the Jews have finally shown their true colors and wiped out their Islamic neighbors for spoil and riches. We see the vilification of Israel today for responding to terror attacks against her – can we imagine what it will be like in that future day? Yet we have the Lord’s response:

Psalm 2:4-12 – He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.  (5)  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.  (6)  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.  (7)  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.  (8)  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.  (9)  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.  (10)  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.  (11)  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  (12)  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

We first saw Christ speaking peace to the nations, but with their rejection of his offer, we see him speaking wrath. Also, we see what nations this includes who will  be conquered and dashed to pieces. It is clearly not those “round about Israel” as they are gone, but those in “the uttermost parts of the earth”. This correlates to those nations which are “very far off”, “from the one end of the earth unto the other”. This helps us see what stage this conflict relates to. This chapter ends with another word of wisdom for the rest of the nations – “Be wise, be instructed, kings of the earth. Kiss the son lest he be angry (like the kissing of the royal ring), lest ye perish.”

Another passage we could look at which shows the response of most of the nations is

Jeremiah 25:32-33 – Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.  (33)  And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

We cite this here to again show how the nations are conjured up. We see that a great whirlwind goes throughout the earth from nation to nation, it this seems to me to correlate to the frog spirits. As we know, the core meaning of “spirit” is “breath/wind, a gust of air”. It conveys the same idea as a whirlwind. The only difference is that a whirlwind is more agitated.

Now, at this particular stage, none of the nations have engaged with Christ in battle, but they are “consulting together”. While the rest of the nations are still coordinating and determining their response, it seems that Gog, motivated by misunderstanding and greed, will see what he believes is a window of opportunity. This brings us to

PHASE 2

This subject has been debated for some time as it is not the traditional view of prophecy held by some of the Pioneer brethren, yet time has shown that some of their projections and interpretations are no longer tenable (a subject for another time). The rise of the Arab nations was not foreseen to be what it has become, and it therefore didn’t factor into their sequences. The independent state of Israel has heavy implications on these early ideas as well. Yet as we saw, such prophecies concerning these nations “round about” have yet to be fulfilled, and they will perfectly set the stage for the Gogian conflict (see list and map).

Much has been made of this event, yet very little of it is actually found in the text. The primary passages of the Gogian affairs are Ezekiel 38-39. It’s also mentioned in a parallel passage in Revelation 20 (a subject best explained at another time) where the same elements are seen. We don’t have time to discuss it here, but I have come to the very solid conclusion that Daniel 11:40-45 and Ezekiel 38 are not parallel prophecies. We could talk about that later, but I wanted to mention it in brief in case anyone wonders why that chapter is not being cited.

In examining Ezekiel 38-39, we note a few things that are unique to this prophecy and set it apart from others. Like Psalm 83, we are given an exhaustive list of the nations involved. The list is long enough to convey that everyone involved is mentioned. There are not others that have been left out of the text. We’re told that Gog, Persia, Ethiopia (Cush), Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah will unite together. Gog is Russia and Persia is Iran (and was called this until 1935). Ethiopia here is actually the name Cush, and it does not relate to the modern Ethiopia. Cush correlates to Sudan. Libya is still Libya. The land of Gomer is somewhat debated, but it seems clear that it is around the Black Sea. This can relate to Bulgaria or potentially even the western part of Turkey. Some believe Gomer inhabited what is now Germany. Either way, it’s clear that it relates to the territories northwest of Syria. Togarmah is understood to refer to Turkey. These nations are united in a confederacy, and I believe this is the first group of nations from Psalm 2 who have consulted together and devised their own plan.

Another unique thing is that this war is not motivated by hate or religion. We’re told in multiple places why Gog comes down:

Ezekiel 38:11-12 – And thou shalt 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,  (12)  To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine 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.

See also verse 13. Again, we see these special situation in Israel which MUST be true for Gog to come down. I believe it is in large part what entices him, for from their satellite images and intel, they can see that there are no carnal defenses. Yet what they desire is SPOIL, and not just any spoil, but the “cattle and goods which they have gotten”. We emphasize this “have gotten” aspect because it indicates that Israel has not always possessed these riches, but has recently obtained them. They have just “gotten” them from the Islamic states, and we read last time that Israel takes from the Psalm 83 nations gold, silver, apparel, and cattle. Hence “cattle and goods”.

Interestingly, it appears that Gog begins his descend for reasons other than taking spoil. The text says that they come down with swords and shields “like a cloud to cover the land”, but it seems that it’s not until after they have already begun their journey that the “evil thought” of spoiling enters their mind (Ezekiel 38:9-10). They brought weapons with them, so perhaps the intention was merely to conquer at first? We can’t say for sure.

One thing that I believe has been misrepresented with Gog is how successful he is (or isn’t), and the main reason for this is the understanding that Daniel 11 is a parallel prophecy. We’ll note that there is no verse in Ezekiel 38 which says that Israel is harmed or conquered, yet in Daniel 11, the King of the North overflows the entire land without hardly any resistance. There are many issues with this correlation, just one being that Michael (understood to be Jesus) does not stand up until after the King of the North meets his end, whereas it’s believed that Jesus stands up and then the King of the North meets his end (Daniel 11:44-12:1). The differences are too numerous to discuss here. What we do know about Gog and his confederates is that they come against Israel like a cloud upon the land, but this does not mean they cover the land of Israel. It simply says “the land”, and it simply describes the movements of the great armies as the move toward Israel. Here is the extent of their progress:

Ezekiel 38:18-23 – And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.  (19)  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;  (20)  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.  (21)  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.  (22)  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.  (23)  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.

They are destroyed by confusion and by rain, hailstones, and fire from heaven. Note that it says this happens “when Gog shall come against the land of Israel”, not after he has overrun it. There’s no mention of any Israeli being harmed or even fearful. The enemies are destroyed before any damage can be done.

We see the same exact thing in the parallel passage of Revelation 20. Here, it shows how the dragon will play a role in deceiving them, and that Gog and his bands are destroyed after having done nothing but undergone a very long march:

Revelation 20:8-9 – And shall go out to deceive the nations which 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.  (9)  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Once they compassed the camp of the saints, they are destroyed. This is simply the surrounding of the Kingdom, not the invasion of it, and it fits perfectly with what we see in Ezekiel 38. The imagery is much like when the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s day, and the angel of the Lord smote them (Isaiah 36-37), or how Edom, Ammon, and Moab were smitten on their way to attack Judah (2 Chronicles 20). The inhabitants of the land are not harmed. We must stick to the text, and this is what it tells us.

Another important thing we see in this Revelation passage is that it is the camp of the saints which is surrounded. Bro. Thomas and others believed the Gog would come down and THEN Jesus would appear to save Israel, and one reason he believed this event took place at the END of the 1,000 years of Christ’s reign is because it’s obvious that the saints are in the land at this time. He therefore separated Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20 and saw them as the same exact event happening twice, just 1,000 years apart. But as we have seen, the Scriptures show that Israel is saved from the Islamic countries, Christ dwells among them, and THEN Gog comes down. It fits perfectly.

Now, we see that this judgment on the Gogian confederacy is purely judgment from God. Unlike the Arab conflict where we’re told that “Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:14), Gog is destroyed strictly by Divine means – turning brother against brother, and all of the things pouring down from heaven. Israel doesn’t have to do a single thing.

As another way of putting these pieces together, it’s interesting that one of the primary ways Gog is destroyed is by fire and brimstone ((Ezekiel 38:22, 39:6, Revelation 20:9). With the Psalm 83 conflict, we saw that fire is used to describe the destruction of Israel’s enemies, but this is always a figurative description of how they’d be destroyed (Psalm 83:14-15, Obadiah 18, Habakkuk 3:5, and others). Israel would be LIKE a fire and Esau would be LIKE chaff.

But with Gog, we see that it is literal fire. This is yet another distinguishing factor in these conflicts, and I find this particular aspect fascinating – for as we recently saw in Zechariah 2:5, once the Lord reigns in Jerusalem, HE “will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” A wall of fire means defense by fire, and this is precisely what we see with Gog. He comes down and is destroyed by Divine fire once he attempts to encroach on the Kingdom borders.

Let’s now look at WHY this war occurs from the Lord’s perspective and how it fits into the plan of conquering. The Islamic countries were destroyed so the Kingdom itself could be established, but we see a different thing with Gog. We’re told about two primary purposes for this conflict:

The first regards the nations of the world. All of this occurs so that God might be sanctified in the eyes of the nations:

Ezekiel 38:16, 23 –  …I will bring thee against my land, (WHY?) that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes…  (23)  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.

We often overlook these verses and don’t apply much meaning to them, but the point is stressed heavily. Basically, Gog is part of the Divine plan simply to be made an example of for the nations. It is to tell the nations, “While the rest of you are consulting, consider this example of what occurs to those who rebel. Choose wisely, and submit to the King.” These points are also emphasized in

Ezekiel 39:21 – And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them…

We sometimes wonder how much of Christ’s wrath is actually visible to the nations, but it’s clear that this is something the world will be able to witness, and that is because this is intended to teach them.

The second reason regards Israel, and it is to teach them an important thing:

Ezekiel 39:7, 22 – So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel…  (22)  So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.

We have seen that Christ is in their midst, but I want to suggest to you that this is not Jesus who executes this judgment, but God Himself. They saw the power and might of their Messiah Jesus in the first conflict, and while I believe Israel has been told that there is still a God in heaven who is separate from Jesus who is the Father, there will not have been any tangible proof of this. While Christ is the one worthy of the throne, it is still God’s throne which he sits upon. We know this because God was Israel’s King, and once Christ subdues ALL enemies, then God Himself will come down to sit upon it (1 Corinthians 15:24).

The purpose of the Ezekiel 38 conflict is so that Israel might know for certain that there is a God in heaven separate from Jesus Christ. It is therefore God Himself who executes this judgment, not Jesus, the saints, or Israel. This explains why we read nothing of Christ or the saints involvement in this, whereas we saw them referred to multiple times in the first conflict.

Now for the aftermath of this conflict which we’ll mention quickly for time’s sake. We not only see the destruction of this confederacy, but we’re also told that fire is sent on Magog and those in the isles – the home territory of Gog and some of his confederates (39:6). This is further judgment on the nations which might result in the destruction of the rulers of the nations themselves, for it’s unlikely that Putin or whoever the leader of Russia is will be amongst the troops descending toward Israel.

The destruction and number of slain is difficult to grasp. The fowls of the air eat the bodies of the dead, and it takes seven months just to bury them (39:12-15). This is the only place where the people of Israel are mentioned at all in this conflict, and they are the ones who bury the dead and burn their weapons.

Now we don’t have time to look at this in depth, but if you’re like me, you have a question about a particular verse and are wondering how it fits with all of this:

Ezekiel 39:10 – they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.

My question was, if, as the passages say, Gog is destroyed before they can even inflict harm, how can it be said that they “spoiled” and “robbed” the Jews? In this, we see one similarity between the Islamic war and the Gogian war. I believe Israel was allowed to fight against the Muslim hoards because of how incessantly they have harassed them since the early 1900s. They didn’t harass them just once, but for around 100 years and counting, so there is a justice in letting them give a few blows. We see a very similar treatment of the Jews by Russia during Israe’s time in dispersion, particularly in the years right before Israel became a nation. The horrible persecution they suffered from Russia is in fact one of the largest factors which contributed to the Zionist movement and the rebirth of Israel.

We’re all likely aware of the atrocities committed by the Germans with the Holocaust, but most are far less familiar with the details of Israel’s time in dispersion, particularly in the other nations while the Holocaust was going on. Russia was one of the most terrible places to be a Jew, for they were robbed, spoiled, humiliated, and killed in ways which are too terrible and numerous to talk about. One writer on the history of the Jews says that some of the darkest times for the Jews was under the rulership of the Russian czars of the 19th-20th centuries:

“For nearly a century and a half the Jews of Russia had lived in darkness under the most brutal despotism in modern history.” (A History of the Jews, pg. 322. See also pgs. 309-322).

When we learn the history, we see the fittingness of allowing the Jews to go and gather their spoil. The point is to show that Gog and his confederates have harmed the Jews terribly in the past, and justice is finally wrought when the spoiler is spoiled by his former victims. Israel is taking spoil from those who had been spoiling them for hundreds of years.

Now, we’ve seen how the Gogian confederacy is handled, and as a result of having defeated them, these lands come under the sceptre of Christ. The Kingdom has now expanded to these territories and Christ’s empire has begun. These lands are not the Kingdom of God, but are possessed by it. It’s similar to how Rome or Britain had their empires – the land of their government was relatively small, but they ruled distant lands many times their own size. Upon the conquered lands come to the blessings of a rejuvenated earth, the curse removed from animals and the earth, righteous law and governance, etc. Because these conflicts help to teach and instruct the nations to submit, I believe it’s likely that some of the other nations will submit during these periods, so it’s likely that the borders extend somewhat beyond those of Gog and his allies. I personally do not believe that many nations will submit, but some will. Either way, there is still more of the earth to conquer, and this brings us to

PHASE 3

What we have seen so far in the first two campaigns is the destruction and conquering of specific peoples and nations. The conflicts and the enemies involved are described by their names and geography. With this third phase, what we see is the warring against a system and ideology, and this is quite different. Systems are not restricted geography like nations are. Systems are ideas and constructs which can exist wherever people exist. So it is with the Babylonian harlot system. There a different facets to these latter-day systems, and they are described as the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. While some of these do have territories like the Pope in the Vatican (the false prophet), their reach extends far over the oceans and impacts every nation. Many passages refer to the destruction of this system, but we’ll focus mostly on those in Revelation. Yet we can actually trace its origins and influence back to Genesis 10 where it is prevalent from thereon out.

This Babylonian system began with Nimrod. He is credited as the founder of Babel, which is Babylon. Concerning the name Babylon, “The name is derived from bav-il or bav-ilim, which in Akkadian meant ‘Gate of God’ (or "Gate of the Gods")” (World History Encyclopedia). We also learn that “The Hebrews called the country, as well as the city, Babhel” (Bible Atlas). Babylon has influenced every nation on earth, and from the earliest days of Babel its influence can be seen. Man puffed himself up and wanted to be equal with God, and it’s believed that one reason they may have wanted to build the tower was to have safety in case the Lord sent another flood. Either way, it was an act of rebellion.

The reason for this conflict is different than the first two. Psalm 83 is a war waged and motivated by hatred and the aim to wipe Israel off the map. Ezekiel 38 is a war motivated by spoil and riches. This last phase is neither of those things, but is a war waged over religion, ideology, and control. It is spiritual Zion versus spiritual Babylon. This is a matter of doctrine and principle. The nations want to walk in their own ways, and since the frog spirits began their work after WWI, they have grown quite comfortable with “every man doing that which is right in his own eyes.” The religious systems of the world want to teach for doctrine the commandments of men and do as they please. They don’t want to submit to Christ’s rule, even if it means blessedness and righteousness. In fact, as we look out at the world today, we see that they’ve made great progress in expelling the Word of God and the influence of the Bible from their systems. This will not be something they will let go of easily.

This is when I believe the warring aspects of these prophecies of Psalm 2 and Jeremiah 25 take place where “the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth,” because Deuteronomy 13:7 told us that only nations that are far off from Israel are referred to as “from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth” (Jeremiah 25:32-33, Deuteronomy 13:7). It’s the same exact phrase, and a tie which is often overlooked.

How will this final conflict begin, and how will it be carried out? As with any system or ideology, the system itself must be destroyed before its influence can be eradicated. We don’t have time to delve into the particulars of the dragon, beast, false prophet, but it’s known that these are rooted in the European society of today. It is Europe where the final large conflict will take place, for it is there that the heads must be destroyed. This makes sense as well considering that Europe is and has been the hub of the modern world.

Revelation 19 is just one of the places that we see this system being conquered. Christ and the saints are symbolically described as residing in the political heavens with the mission of war:

Revelation 19:11-21 – And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  (12)  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  (13)  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  (14)  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  (15)  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  (16)  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.  (17)  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;  (18)  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.  (19)  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.  (20)  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.  (21)  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

It appears possible that the dragon is destroyed in a slightly different way or time than the beast and false prophet, for its destruction is mentioned after Gog is destroyed (Revelation 20:10). But like many other things, that’s a subject for a different time. But in short, what we just read is the destruction of this system. In Revelation 17:14-16, we read of there being 10 horns of the beast which fight against Christ, yet it’s interesting that these change sides and turn against the harlot (the Papal false prophet system), “and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” I believe they do this because they finally realize that she was indeed deceiving them. In Jeremiah 16:19, we read that “the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” I believe this is that realization of having been deceived by this system.

The end of this is that “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8, 18:2, Isaiah 21:9). Yet as we learn from Revelation 18, many nations “shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning.”

Once the main source of wickedness is destroyed, I believe it is then that the rest of the nations are conquered. I do not believe this will be done in the same combative way as the papal system was destroyed, for they will have lost their leader. Perhaps they will surrender? Or perhaps they will be conquered much like the harlot system itself? I personally see this last phase as the rooting out of the remaining influence from the four corners of the earth. The precise details of this aspect are not given, but there is much that we don’t have time to discuss. But the prevailing progress will be as told in

Isaiah 9:7 – Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The Kingdom spreads over the entire earth, and only abundance of peace and increase forever and ever. NOW will the saying and the trump of the seventh angel finally ring throughout the earth:

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

This is COMPLETED, and the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord. Another place we see this beautiful victory and peace among the nations of the world is

Revelation 15:2– And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 

We no longer see the sea and waves of nations roaring, but rather a sea of glass and fire. If you’ve ever seen a body of water that is perfectly still, you know the fitness of this imagery. There is nothing disturbing the waters of the nations, for the sea is mingled with fire or judgment, and the saints stand on top of the sea of glass, showing that they had a part in conquering it. It is because of the righteous judgment and law of God that the nations are pacified and finally ruled in peace. And we have this beautiful song sung after this is done:

Revelation 15:3-4 – And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.  (4)  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

So will fully end the Davidic phase of Christ’s reign and begin the Solomon phase where he reigns in complete peace and righteousness without any more war! We don’t have time to talk about the ruling of the Kingdom Age itself, but we know it consummates at the end of the 1,000 years with the destruction of sin and death itself, for once the last mortal puts on immortality and incorruption, “then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Having subdued ALL enemies under his feet, Christ will have fully fulfilled his role, and he will give the Kingdom up to God:

1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 28 – Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.  (25)  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  (26)  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death…  (28)  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

God Himself can now come down and sit upon His throne:

Revelation 21:1-5 – And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  (2)  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  (3)  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  (4)  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  (5)  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

I wish to close by emphasizing the last phrase in Revelation 21:5. In the vision, we see God sitting on His throne and telling John to “Write” what he sees. Why? “Write them down, because these words are true and faithful”. This may seem like the distant future to us as this marks the time after Christ’s reign, yet even of this future day, it is set in stone. It will happen, and man has been given opportunity to have a part in this plan. What wondrous things await those who take on the name of Christ and remain faithful to the end!

Revelation 3:21 – To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins