Feb 9 Gog Getting Ready To Go
The prophet Ezekiel predicted that some day, Israel will be attacked by a massive army that will come out of the north. The leader of this invasion will come from the land of Magog, and most prophecy scholars identify this ancient tribal reference as modern-day Russia. Several Arab nations will join in this military campaign.
"The word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him 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, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords"'" (Ezekiel 38:1-4).
I’ve been absolutely amazed at how rapidly world events have been shaping up to make this invasion possible. Some of the most dramatic developments have occurred in the past couple of months.
For a long time, Turkey has been an important ally of Israel. In fact, it has been the only Arab nation to have any lasting interchange with the Jewish state. Turkey was the first Muslim country to formally recognize the State of Israel. Turkey has played a major role in the indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel, and much of Turkey 's arms are supplied by Israel.
It has long been a problem for Bible prophecy to have Turkey and Israel so chummy. Several passages in Ezekiel 38 and 39 strongly imply that Turkey will be part of the invasion force. Even if Turkey could somehow be excluded from playing a direct role in the attack, you would still have this large roadblock in the way of one of the world’s largest military movements.
In recent days, relations between Israel and Turkey have suddenly soured over the fighting in Gaza. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed out of an economic meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to protest Israel 's actions. After returning home, he was widely praised by the public for standing up to “Israel ’s aggression.”
The Gaza war may not be the sole cause for this split. Turkey has long prided itself as a progressive and highly western society. Lately, its Islamic nature has been reasserting itself. In 2007, the pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party gained control of parliament in a landslide victory. With Turkey looking more like Iran than Germany, there may be no way to save the crumbling Israel-Turkey alliance.
Another major development related to prophecy was the announcement that seven former Soviet republics, including Russia, will form a joint rapid reaction force. President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia, Armenia, Belarus, and four Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — had reached the agreement to form the so-called Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) during a summit in Moscow .
Russia is clearly trying to restore influence in an area it considers to be its historic backyard. It just made a $2 billion financial aid deal with Kyrgyzstan that would oust the US from an air base at Manas. The move will make it more difficult for America to supply military operations in Afghanistan .
On the diplomatic front, Russia has been trying to assemble an international conference on the Middle East that will be hosted in Moscow. A foreign ministry official said most of the talks have been with Iran. “The Russian diplomat stressed the need for searching political solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis of internationally recognized legal norms,” the official said.
Russia has always been on the side of the Arabs, but it has never before offered to play the role of peacemaker. Russia 's willingness to step into the fray stems from a view in Moscow that America is in decline. Russia ’s new freedom can easily go the other way as it may decide to try warfare to ensure peace in the Middle East.
The thing we are now waiting for is some major event to trigger Russia to make its move against Israel. I think the most likely cause would be a conflict between Israel and either Syria or Iran. Because Russia has close ties with both of these Islamic nations, it is easy to see why Gog and company would come rushing to their aid. If the global community is in an uproar over Israel defending itself against unprovoked Hamas rocket attacks, I guess nothing would be beyond bounds if Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the destruction of Damascus were to suddenly become fulfilled.
“The burden of Damascus . Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” (Isa. 17:1). -- Todd
End-Times TV Among the most often-named prophecies that show where this present generation likely stands on God’s prophetic timeline is the foretelling by the prophet Daniel: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4).
The twentieth century almost without question saw that prophecy begin its fulfillment. The many issues and events we have dealt with in the Nearing Midnight commentaries present strong evidence that the book of Daniel 12:4 has been unsealed, and indeed has been opened. The exponential increase in knowledge during the Information Age, with the advent and development of the computer, shows beyond doubt that knowledge has increased. Mankind has gone from horse and buggy at the beginning of the twentieth century to running to and fro cerebrally at the speed of light to every place on earth, and to the moon and other planets as well.
Knowledge has increased, and speed of communication has geometrically progressed to the point, as a matter of fact, that we can now say with certainty that the capability exists to fulfill all prophecies scheduled yet future. And that brings us to a couple of specific foretellings by John the apostle and prophet that will one day–perhaps very soon—enslave every person on earth.
The first I would like to examine involves the two prophets about whom there has been much conjecture –even controversy. Argument was for centuries that it was impossible for the whole world to witness these strange men being brought to life and going into the clouds. Here is what God’s Word says:
“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves” (Rev. 11:8-9).
The bodies of the dead prophets who will have pointed the finger of God’s condemnation at the rebellious earth-dwellers in that future time of Daniel’s seventieth week will, as indicated, be seen–watched intensely for three and a half days. Then the rebels from over the earth will watch as something stupendous takes place:
“And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Rev. 11:11-12).
Arguments against this not being possible because of only a limited few in Jerusalem being able to witness this foretold resurrection and ascension has long since past into history. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem can now be seen 24/7 on the Internet by people anywhere on earth.
End-times TV is here, now!
But, the prophetic implications of today’s worldwide video technologies go much deeper in pointing to where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline. Considering the phenomenal swiftness with which we witness development of globalization in economic and other areas of life in this troubling hour, let’s think on the following news brief:
“A UN watchdog is concerned about a proposal discussed at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that would create a global television channel.
Cliff Kincaid, president of America's Survival, has expressed concern about the idea of a global IRS that was part of a report known as ‘The Global Agenda 2009,’ which was discussed at the recently concluded World Economic Forum in Davos.
According to Kincaid, the report urges the creation of [a] global television network that would be far more liberal than CNN…
‘They talk about this new channel having the ability to connect the world, to bridging cultures and people, and “telling us who we are and what we mean to each other,”’ he explains. ‘I mean, it sounds like a global brainwashing system...even worse than CNN.’
Although Kincaid says he is no biblical scholar, he wonders about the end-times implications of such a channel. ‘Clearly they're talking about this global order, the new world order, global taxes [and] now global TV put at the service of some kind of global ruler of the world,’ he continues. ‘I don't know whether that would be the anti-Christ or not.’…” (Chad Groening, "Talk of "global" TV channel raises eyebrows," OneNewsNow, 2/5/2009).
My cynicism has kicked in, and I don’t think it slips over into irrational conspiracy theory kookism. Based upon movements that are staggering, when analyzed in light of what is predicted by God’s Word for the tribulation, it is more than prudent to wonder what on earth is really going on.
TV is undergoing a profound transformation, in my view, and I think that probing the changes scheduled to take place in America these days is within reason. I’m extremely skeptical about the analog-to-digital hubbub, despite a brilliant friend of mine who is intimately familiar with developing technologies trying to assure me there’s nothing sinister taking place in the process. Here’s a bit about the matter.
“WASHINGTON (AP) - After weeks of debate, Congress is giving consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.
The House voted 264-158 on Wednesday to postpone the shutdown of analog TV signals to June 12 to address growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready by the February 17 deadline that Congress set three years ago" (Joelle Tessler, "Congress postpones digital TV transition to June," 2/5/09).
Again, the cynicism raises its ugly but necessary head because of these weird times of movement toward one-world order. Talk of the revival of the “Fairness Doctrine,” whereby there is legislative inclination to force broadcasters to give “fair and equal” time to opposing views, touches a conspiratorial nerve or two. The possible implications of such regulation is frightening, should it be taken to its ultimate end.
As I see such potentiality for misuse, government regulation--through the heavy hand of censorship--could at some point become so intrusive that broadcasters would no longer allow opposing views because of the complexities involved. Government then would have the only voice in putting forth information. Dissent of any sort could be thus controlled–even eliminated--by government. One official who has similar misgivings about a revived “Fairness Doctrine” spoke out recently:
“…FCC commissioner Robert McDowell has warned that a new bill, or other efforts to regulate public affairs coverage, could go beyond TV and radio to the Internet, cable, and satellite radio, according to a report in Broadcasting & Cable…” (Frank Washkuch, "Debate renews over Fairness Doctrine," TR Week, 2/4/09).
He further expressed his concerns about the complexities involved in the matter of the FTC’s managing things under such a regime. He asked how the FTC is any better prepared today than the last time a Fairness Doctrine was tried “…'to untangle the knotty problems of enforcement by assuming the role of editor-at-large for the entire country?… Even if the FCC had a large number of people to devote to such reviews, which it doesn't, and even if the prospect of government regulators scrutinizing individual editorial choices were not so constitutionally unsavory, which it is in practical terms, enforcement of the doctrine presents intellectually thorny challenges.’”
Worldwide television seems in the offing, then, according to the prophecy about the two witnesses of Revelation 11. Global TV under a single auspice is now in view, and government increasingly wants to control public discourse, if the consistent talk of a “Fairness Doctrine” is any indication of things to come.
Global dynamics are driving all nations toward a form of buying and selling that allows government and business (which are now practically the same thing because of the bailouts and strings attached) to find a monetary system that can assure world economic stability. It looks likely that such a system that will eventuate will be the marriage of the computer and television. Again, I propose that Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is likely the future, especially for the tribulation era.
Worship of Antichrist’s image, melded with buying and selling with marks and numbers, seems to comprise an end-times TV hybrid technology:
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Rev. 13:15-18).
--Terry
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