The Jewish Final Solution to the World's Problem - Revelation, Part 19- Concluding Revelation Chapter 7

[0:00] We are continuing our exposition of the book of the Revelation, and we are attempting to do so in a verse-by-verse fashion. We have arrived at chapter 7, which is one of the key pivotal passages in the subject of prophecy, and it has to do with the assignment that is divinely given to the 144,000 Jews.

[0:23] And we've already considered in at least some detail what this involves, but I do feel that we have a few loose ends to try to tie up, and also an additional opportunity for Q&A from you before we exit this chapter and begin with chapter 8.

[0:42] So, in keeping with that, I want to remind you that, as we have stated in the past, there has to be, it would appear to me, some really significant monumental event to occur that would cause 144,000 Jews, who previously have not embraced Yeshua HaMashiach as their Messiah, and have gone far astray even from the Old Testament concept of Judaism, which their fathers embraced at one time, and you'll find that most Jews today have no part with that at all, apart from the Orthodox, which makes up a very small percentage, the vast majority of Jewish people throughout the world today are apostate.

[1:44] They are apostate from Judaism. They have fallen away from it. Most of them who are Jews consider their Jewishness to be primarily a matter of heritage, not a matter of religious conviction.

[2:00] And atheism is rampant in Judaism today. But what we are suggesting from the text that we will be considering from Ezekiel, and also from the Revelation, is that something extremely dramatic is going to occur in the tiny state of Israel that is going to completely reverse the attitude and actions of the Jewish people.

[2:28] And this ultimately will lead to that expression that the Apostle Paul renders in Romans chapter 11 when he talks about all Israel being saved.

[2:39] It has reference to the national conversion of Israel, which from our point of view at the present seems virtually impossible, at least unlikely.

[2:52] But what I am saying, and what I believe Ezekiel 38 and 39 is saying, is that God has something in mind that is going to reverse the fortunes of the Jewish people.

[3:04] And it is going to be extraordinary in what it will provide. I mean, really extraordinary. Earth-shaking in every sense. In Psalm 83, which you might want to turn to because we're going to ask Gary to read that psalm in just a moment, you will find a list of nations that are given there in Psalm 83 that are representative of nations today.

[3:33] Now, they've got Old Testament names, and we can assign New Testament-type counterparts to them or present-day counterparts to them because all of the nations that are mentioned by the psalmist in Psalm 83 are nations that are in existence today, and they surround the tiny little nation of Israel.

[3:57] It appears that these are going to be major players in the Ezekiel passages. And those of you who were with us some time before will remember that we related to you content in a book that was called Israel Stein.

[4:13] Some of you have copies of that book. And the authors made reference to Psalm 83 as being very, very much involved in the future, and we believe that this is going to be the case.

[4:25] So I don't want you to be thrown by the names that you are going to read there because they do have modern-day counterparts, and we can dish those out if you want them. But these are all perhaps, and I want to qualify that, they are perhaps some of those that will constitute allies to the Russians when they come against Israel to take a spoil in the passages that we've already looked at in Ezekiel.

[4:55] So I want you to keep that in mind, if you will, because if this is the case, and I think it is, things are coming together and rather quickly.

[5:09] So if you will give your undivided attention then to Psalm 83, we'll ask Gary if he will come and read the psalm for us, and then we will go from there. Psalm 83 O God, do not remain quiet.

[5:39] Do not be silent. And O God, do not be still. For behold, your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate you have exalted themselves.

[5:52] They make shrewd plans against your people, and conspire together against your treasured ones.

[6:03] They have said, Come and let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.

[6:15] For they have conspired together with one mind. Against you they make a covenant. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Haggites, Gabriel and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.

[6:40] Assyria also has joined with them. They have become a help to the children of Lot. Deal with them as with Midian, as with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon, who were destroyed at Endor, who became as dung for the ground.

[7:04] Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeb, and all their princes like Zeba and Zelmanah, who said, Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God.

[7:20] O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chafe before the wind, like fire that burns the forest, and like a flame that sets the mountains on fire.

[7:37] So pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm. Fill their faces with dishonor, that they may seek your name, O Lord.

[7:53] Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, and let them be humiliated and perish, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.

[8:12] I remember some time ago, reading verse 4, and that's Psalm 83, they have said, Come, let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.

[8:38] And that was shocking enough. And then it was shocking again, to read in the daily newspaper, a quote from Mahmoud Abbas, who is the successor to Yasser Arafat, in the PLO, and he was quoted in an article, wherein he was interviewed, that the nation of Israel, needs to be wiped off the face of the earth, so that their name isn't even remembered them anymore.

[9:11] And I thought, Did he read Psalm 83? He couldn't possibly have read that, and quote that, but that is exactly what he said.

[9:27] And those in Iran have said the same thing, a number of times. Israel needs to be wiped off the face of the earth, and their name be remembered no more.

[9:38] I thought, Man, oh man, what about this? The technology that has been developed, in the tiny state of Israel, since their inception in 1948, is absolutely astounding, and there is no human explanation for it.

[10:01] While these people have been absolutely, literally fighting for their lives, they have engaged in, and maintain, a cutting edge technology, that is absolutely astounding.

[10:15] Now, it's entirely possible, that they would not have been able to do that, if it had not been, for what the, radical Islamic world, calls the great Satan.

[10:28] That's the United States. And, we have contributed mightily, to the existence, and the perpetuity, and the defense of the nation of Israel, with money, and arms, and things of that nature.

[10:42] So, from a human standpoint, it is true, that we have been their kind of, international sugar daddy, that has kept them going. But, we have taken a position, from the outset, when Harry Truman, was the first, to recognize, the state of Israel in 1948, that, they are a people, worth protecting.

[11:03] They are human beings, and, the United States, as far as I'm concerned, has elements of embarrassment, in its past, in the way, that we treated, some of the Jewish people, who were seeking refuge, at the end of World War II.

[11:17] Many of these, were Holocaust survivors. And, the United States, along with a lot of other countries, turned a deaf ear, to much of their need. And, I don't know, to what extent, Harry Truman, was trying to make amends for that, but it was a wise thing, that he did, in establishing them.

[11:34] And, I say all that, to say, that they have gone on, and from the standpoint, of medicine, and, electronics, and weaponry, and things of that nature, while, trying to simply, maintain their existence, being surrounded, by hostile forces, they have engaged, in technological advances, that are absolutely, mind-blowing.

[12:01] And, we know this to be true, because many Americans, have benefited, from the medical technology, that has been developed, in the land of Israel, as well as, engineering technology, and things of that nature.

[12:17] So, these are people, who are on the cutting edge, and by virtue of, their history, and what they've been subjected to, they have no right to be there.

[12:28] But, they are there, technologically, they are there. They, in many ways, they are advanced, over so-called, developed nations, of the world. And, one wonders, when you read, what we will be sharing, with you, from Ezekiel, whether, Israeli technology, may have even, succeeded, to the extent, where it will make, weapons, of metal, impractical, and unusable, when they come against them.

[13:05] Think of that. We already know, the capabilities, of the, EMP, the electromagnetic pulse. We know what that can do.

[13:17] And, this is, a nuclear charge, that is detonated, in the atmosphere, over a given, geographical area. It could be, the United States, could be Europe, could be Israel, could, who knows what.

[13:29] But, what the electromagnetic pulse, does, is, it immediately, fries, and renders, inoperative, anything, and everything, that is electronic, and electrical.

[13:44] Nothing, that has a computer chip, in it, will work. Everything, is dead. Your car, won't run. Your furnace, won't run.

[13:57] Your factories, won't run. Communication, won't run. There won't be, any television. There won't be, any radio. There won't be, anything on the air. Because, everything, electric, and electronic, is just fried, with this EMP.

[14:11] And, for all practical purposes, those who are subjected, to an attack like that, will immediately, be reduced, to a, 19th century, existence.

[14:25] And, as I've said before, the only people, who would be at home, with that, and not have to make, major adjustments, would be the Amish. Because, nothing else, is going to work.

[14:37] Now, we don't know, to what extent, that's going to be in play, or whether it ever will be. But, I do know, and I have, read, articles, and I'm sure, many of you have too, from some of our, defense experts, in the United States.

[14:56] And, this is one of the things, that they say, keeps them awake at night. Just, dealing with the possibility, of that. And, we all know, that our, electrical grid system, is seriously, outdated, and is very, very vulnerable.

[15:13] And, it wasn't more than, maybe, what, 15, 20 years ago, that, that, squirrel was, fried, in some lines, up and around, Niagara, and it put the whole, northeast in the dark, for several hours.

[15:28] And, that was, something, something by a frisky, little, bushy-tailed squirrel. So, we are very vulnerable, when it comes to these things. And, we all know, the dangers, of terrorist attacks, and how, some of these, power plants, could be vulnerable.

[15:45] We know, that there is, the possibility, of homegrown terrorists, right here, in our own United States, who, unlike you, do not love America.

[15:55] And, they see America, as being the world's problem. And, they, are given to, acts of violence, and sabotage, and things of that nature. That's just something, that we may be dealing with, in the future.

[16:08] That our security forces, are very much, concerned about. So, what we've got, developing, as you turn, to Ezekiel, if you will please.

[16:19] And, this is all, I think, tied in, with the, 144,000, that are going, to be assigned, as special, responsibility, in the tribulation period.

[16:30] And, that's depicted in, Revelation 7. And, we will see, the 144,000, surface again, in Revelation chapter 14. And, as you read, these passages, may I remind you, they, absolutely, do, sound, fanciful, far-fetched, unlikely, some would even say, impossible.

[17:01] But, as I, informed you, when we began, this study, a number of months ago, that one of the, chief things, that will characterize, this time, of Jacob's trouble, the 70th week of Daniel, the great tribulation, whatever you want to call it, the principal thing, that will characterize it, will be, a very, evident, obvious, up front, undeniable, expression, of the supernatural.

[17:29] There's going to be, a lot of, angelic involvement. Angels are going, to be assigned, to various things, we've already seen that, in chapter 7, of Revelation, how that opens, about the angels, who are custodians, of the four winds, holding them back, until the seals, has been affixed, to the servants, these 144,000, and so on.

[17:51] And, all of these things, are coming, upon this world. The only question is, when? How soon will it be?

[18:02] How far away, are these things? And I just want to pose, something right up front, so you can, kind of be germinating, about this, in the back of your mind, as we examine, these things. And, if we are correct, and I don't want to be, super dogmatic, about this, but I really do believe, I really do believe, that the Bible teaches, a pre-tribulation, rapture.

[18:26] I know, there are some good scholars, who disagree with that, and some are mid-trib, and some feel, that we'll be here, through the tribulation period, up until maybe, the last couple of years, and then we'll be raptured out.

[18:38] That's called, the pre-wrath rapture. So, there are various positions, involved, and we are more comfortable, and believe that the Bible, more consistently, teaches, a pre-tribulation rapture, which could occur, at any time.

[18:53] And, that simply means, that everyone, who is a true believer, in Jesus Christ, no matter where they live, on the planet, what their language, or race, or background, or whatever, if they have a personal, relationship with Christ, they are going to be, supernaturally, removed, caught up, to be with the Lord, in the air.

[19:14] And, we do not understand, the details, as to how that's going to happen, but that's God's purview, and he'll take care of it. The question, of course is, when will that happen?

[19:24] Well, we believe, that this rapture, is, imminent. That means, it could happen, any moment. It also means, there is nothing, that needs to be fulfilled, before this rapture, can take place.

[19:42] Now, let me explain something, about that, just briefly, if I may. We believe, that the Bible, identifies, two distinct, classes, or programs, of God, whereby he has been, dealing with humanity.

[19:57] prophecy. And, the first, we refer to, as, prophecy. It is, peculiar, to the nation, of Israel. It is, not, peculiar, to the church, the body of Christ.

[20:15] We, who are, of, the church, in the dispensation, in the age of grace, we, we do, not, fit, into, the prophecy, picture, at all, period.

[20:30] We're not there. Now, that's a bitter pill, for some to swallow. We are not, a subject, of prophecy. We, are a subject, of mystery.

[20:45] And, what that means is, as you go through, all of the prophecies, of the Old Testament, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, all of the minor prophets, as you look at the Psalms, as you look at, further back in the Old Testament, you will not find, the church, the body of Christ.

[21:06] It isn't even hinted at. It just isn't there, at all. It's just non-existent. And, when you come into the Gospels, it isn't there, either.

[21:18] The only time, the church is referred to, in Matthew 16, when Christ said, upon this rock, I will build my church. He's talking about, a Jewish assembly. And, the word, church, Ekklesia, simply means, a called out assembly.

[21:30] So, it could be, a called out assembly, for anything, as in Acts 19, it was a called out assembly, of a bunch of rabble rousers, in the temple of Diana, in Ephesus. So, the term is very loosely developed, and very loosely defined.

[21:44] And, I say all that to say, that, because, we are a subject, of mystery, and not of prophecy, we are not, in that prophetic picture.

[21:56] We don't come, on the scene, until, God has set, Israel aside. They are taken, out of the, main part, of the program of God, and set aside.

[22:13] They remain there, in unbelief. This is what Romans 9, 10, and 11, is all about. And instead, God has brought in, something that is, completely new.

[22:24] That just, blindsided, everybody. Matter of fact, it really, blindsided, the very man, that God called, to establish the thing.

[22:36] And that was Paul, Saul of Tarsus. When he was encountered, on the road to Damascus, and God revealed himself, to him, as the God of Israel, on that Damascus road.

[22:49] Paul was just, absolutely, dumbfounded. He was, smitten blind. He was so traumatized, he couldn't eat or drink, for three days. He was in shock.

[23:01] And when he finally, came to himself, and, and it was, explained and understood, what had really happened to him, and who had encountered him, and he put it all together.

[23:11] Then he, of course, became, an enthusiastic, proponent, of this gospel, that had been, given to him.

[23:23] That he later, is going to identify, as, my gospel. And the reason, he calls it, my gospel, is because, it's different, from the gospel, of the kingdom, that was preached before.

[23:36] Something is, really different. And Paul is going to have, a real hard time, selling this. Especially, to the Jewish people. Many of whom, will look upon him, as a turncoat, or as a traitor.

[23:48] Because, he used to be, one of our, go to guys. He used to be, an outstanding Pharisee. And now, he's going after, this Jesus of Nazareth. Can you believe that? The guy's, worthy of death.

[23:58] And some even, took a, took a note, that they would, not eat, until they killed him. And, that's the message, that Paul is called upon, to deliver. And this message, has, nothing to do, with prophecy.

[24:14] It is not prophesied. You will not read, in the Old Testament, where God is going to put, Jew and Gentile, on one plane. Because, all you read about, Jew and Gentile, in the Old Testament, is their, separateness.

[24:27] And, God called his people, to be separate, from the world. You shall be holy, for I am holy. That literally means, you are to be, separated, and distinct, from all of the masses, of humanity, because I've called you, to be a peculiar people, unto me, and you're going to be, different from everybody else.

[24:44] And that characterized it. And now, now, Paul is saying, that's all done away with. Now, there is neither Jew, nor Gentile.

[24:56] Doesn't make any difference, which you are. Bond or free. Male or female. Male. We are all children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. And all the distinction, has been done away with.

[25:07] That means, no more animal sacrifices. No more physical circumcision. No more water baptism. No more speaking in tongues.

[25:20] No more of the miracles. Those are all gone. They all belong to the Jew. They were all part of prophecy. They do not belong to the church, because we are mystery.

[25:32] Now, when this church, which is the body of Christ, that is not a subject of prophecy, is removed, what's left?

[25:48] Just, a reversal, to what was. Prophecy, comes right back on line again. And who's leading the charge with prophecy?

[25:59] Israel. Israel. The nation of Israel. God takes them up again, and picks up where he left off. They abandoned the true God of Israel, back in the book of Acts, when Stephen remind them, reminded them, you do always resist the Holy Spirit.

[26:21] And they stoned him to death. And shortly after that, we believe God set that nation aside. Now, they are coming back on track, because God has unfinished business, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their seed.

[26:36] So, with the church gone, body of Christ is absent, and the resumption of Israel, comes into play.

[26:49] They are back on center stage again. Something dramatic is going to take place, to bring them online.

[27:01] And what will it be? I think Ezekiel 38 and 39 has that answer. So, if you will turn to that, please. And in verse 1, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, and by the way, I want you to keep in mind this.

[27:17] Let me say this. The events that are going to be described, in these two chapters, have absolutely, no connection, with anything, that has ever happened, in history.

[27:32] No one can look back, on any historical event, hundreds of years ago, and say, well, this is when that was fulfilled, in Isaiah 38. There is nothing that answers to this.

[27:44] This is all future. This is all prophecy. Set your face, toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, thus says the Lord God, behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubal.

[28:02] Now, we've identified these before. I'm not going to belabor the point, and go into this here. But, suffice it to say, what God is going to do, I will turn you about, and will put hooks into your jaws, and will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them, and all of them, and all of them, and all of them, and all of them, and all of them, and all of them, and all of them, and all of them, wielding swords, Persia.

[28:26] Persia, as you well know, is the ancient name, for the modern state, of Iran. The Iranian people, Tehran, the capital, Iran, is not, an Arab state.

[28:42] They are not Arabs, at all. The Iranians, are Persians, and it goes all the way, back several centuries. Persia, Ethiopia, which is presently, in northern Africa, and put, and with them, all of them, with shield and helmet.

[28:58] Now, we do not know, if, Ezekiel, is speaking prophetically, here, and using, and referring, to implements, of war, as the only things, with which he was familiar, or, whether these, are going to be, representative, of more modern, appliances of warfare, that will greatly, outstrip, these ancient things, that are mentioned here.

[29:24] I do not have a clue. Some are of the opinion, that through, the effects, of something like, the EMP, the electromagnetic pulse, that we referred to, that will render, all electronics, and all electrical, anything, unworkable.

[29:47] That means, you're not going, to roll in with tanks. Tanks won't move. Armored cars, won't move. Nothing is going, to move, if it's electric, or electronic.

[29:59] And, in order for man, to make war, he's going, to have to reduce himself, to what is available. And, it may be, bows and arrows, and, and, and, and spears, and who knows what.

[30:15] But, I'll tell you what. Mankind, has demonstrated, such a penchant, for shedding blood, he will find, some way to do it, no matter, what it takes.

[30:28] we have, through modern technology, we have devised, more ways, of killing more people, in a shorter period of time, than anyone could ever imagine.

[30:41] And, there have been times, when it has been put into practice. Wouldn't it be something, wouldn't it be ironic, if all of this, sophisticated, electronic technology, and everything that goes with it, and we're talking about, guided missiles, they're worthless.

[30:54] None of that stuff works. None of the rockets, they don't work. If you've got an ICBM, you can't launch it. Nothing works. Wouldn't it be something, if man is reduced, at this primitive kind of warfare?

[31:06] And, I'm not saying, that's the way it's going to be. I'm just saying, sometimes, truth, is stranger than fiction. Hmm. Well, I will turn them about, all of these that are mentioned here, and by the way, many of the same ones, are in that Psalm 83, that Gary was reading about.

[31:27] And, in verse 8, and after many days, you will be summoned, in the latter years, are these, present years, the latter years?

[31:42] Well, I'll tell you one thing. they're not the early years. You will come into the land, that is restored, from the sword.

[31:55] What does that mean? The land that is restored, from the sword. Well, Israel, as of 1948, is a land, that has been restored.

[32:07] sword. They didn't do it with swords. They did it with, weaponry. They did it with, rifles, and machine guns, and whatever else they had, that was, something that they could, cobble from World War II, out of which they had just, survived.

[32:27] And, the land of Israel, was restored. And, it was restored, from the sword. That means, from violence, from combat. And, every Jew, knows what that is.

[32:41] That was the war, for independence. Started in 1947, and continued up, into 1948. When they were fighting, for their survival. And, the very first, airplane, in the Israeli Navy, was a Piper Cub, that threw, homemade bombs, out of the cockpit.

[33:08] They've come, a long way, since then. That was being, restored from the sword. The land of Israel, came into being, in 1948, through violence. Through them, fighting, all of their, Arab neighbors, for that nation.

[33:25] And, they prevailed. And, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion, declared them, to be, a national state. And, that's when, President Truman, recognized them.

[33:38] From the sword, whose inhabitants, have been gathered, from many nations, to the mountains of Israel. These, are refugee, Jews, that have come, home to Israel, from all over Europe, and Asia, and even some, from the USA.

[33:57] And, they are now, living in Israel. Which, have been a continual waste, the mountains, which have been a continual waste. But, its people, were brought out, from the nations, and they are living, securely, all of them.

[34:12] Israel, is one of the most, secure places, in all the world. Now, I know they deal, with rockets from Gaza, and what not. But, let me tell you something. When we spent, six weeks in Israel, in 1990, and I'm satisfied, to be no different today.

[34:25] We had, absolutely no qualms, at all, about walking around, the streets of Tiberias, up on the Sea of Galilee, at 11 o'clock, at night. And, everybody felt, perfectly secure.

[34:37] And, families were out there, with young children, celebrating the Sabbath, and so on. And, it's one of the most, secure places. If, if, if you know anything, about El Al, that's the, Israeli airline.

[34:54] There is, a 747, that leaves, JFK, every night, at midnight. And, it's usually, filled.

[35:09] And, the security, on El Al, is just, something to behold. There has never been, a hijacking, of an El Al, airliner. And, I doubt that, there ever will be.

[35:20] Because, they have a security force, that is absolutely, second to none. They are used to, dealing with issues, of security. And, it is, a very secure land. I have often said, and I believe this, with every fiber, of my being.

[35:34] I would much rather, walk down the streets, of Jerusalem, at 12 midnight. Unarmed, and strolling, around the sidewalks, and I'd feel, a lot safer, than I would, in either New York City, or Chicago.

[35:49] Either one. These people, were brought out, from the nations. And, we know of course, that they've come, from all over.

[36:00] And, they are living, securely all of them. And, you will go up. That is, these mentioned, in verse 2. And, you will be like, a cloud covering the land.

[36:11] You, and all your troops, and many peoples with you. These are their allies. We do not know, who all these allies, are going to be. But, the likelihood is, that they consist of, several, of the Arab nations, whose desire, is to completely, eliminate Israel.

[36:28] And, they don't want to pass up, an opportunity, to get in on it. And, they are going to be, allies of Russia, when they come against them. And, the thoughts will come, into your mind, and you will devise, an evil plan.

[36:40] And, you will say, I will go up against, the land of unwalled villages. I will go up, and to those, who are at rest, that live securely, all of them, living without walls, and having no bars, or gates. And, Israel is, relatively secure today.

[36:52] It, it actually is. I know people, tourists who say, they are afraid to go over there, this, hot spots, and what not. I would feel safer there, than I would in lots of places, in the USA. To capture spoil, to seize plunder.

[37:05] We don't know exactly, what that plunder is going to be. Turn your hand, against the waste places, which are now inhabited, against the peoples, who are gathered, who have acquired cattle, and goods, and live, at the center of the world.

[37:19] Did you know, that Israel is the center of the world? It is, as far as God's concerned. He refers to them, as the apple of his eye, and as the very center of the earth.

[37:30] And, it is no larger, than the state of New Jersey. Sheba, Diben, merchants of Tarshish, all these villages, have you come to capture spoil?

[37:43] Have you assembled your company, to seize plunder, carry away silver, gold, take away gallant goods, capture much spoil? We don't know what all of this, I'll tell you what, it isn't likely that Putin, if he's going to be involved in this, and I'm not saying that he is, I'm just saying if, it isn't likely that he's going to, Israel to wrestle cattle.

[38:01] I don't know exactly, what all the stakes will be, but they are going to be, really significant. And verse 15, you will come out from your places, out of the remote parts of the north.

[38:16] And all you have to do, is look at a map of Europe and Asia, and see who's there in the north. There's just one, that's in the north, really, and that's Israel, and Syria.

[38:26] And by the way, where is Israel today? Or where is Russia? Russia today? They're all over Syria. They are in Syria, helping Bashar Assad, to remain in power.

[38:41] And they are fighting, against the rebel insurgents, that tried to, dethrone, Assad, and take over the country. And he has succeeded, in eliminating, 500,000 Syrians.

[39:03] That's the number, that have been killed, already, in this civil war. And who is it, that is right there, smack dab in the thick of it? Russia.

[39:15] They're already there. Are they going to move, south with Syria, and be joined with others, to fulfill this prophecy? I do not know.

[39:26] But all I'm saying is, it looks very ominous. And verse 16 says, you will come up, against my people Israel, like a cloud. My people is, do you know that the nation of Israel, is the only nation, in all of the world, that God refers to, as my people.

[39:49] Do you know, that the tiny little land, of Israel, is the only place, in all of the world, that God ever refers to, as my land. Well really, isn't the whole planet, God's land?

[40:02] Well, in a sense it is. He owns it all. He brought it into existence, and he owns the cattle, on a thousand hills. But he still designates, that tiny little land, of Israel, as, my land.

[40:15] My land. Hmm. In order that the nations, may know me, when I shall be, sanctified through you, before their eyes, O Gog.

[40:31] This is Russia. Does Russia know it? What's the official position, of Russia? Russia is, atheistic. That's their official position. That's one of the central, tenets of communism, which begins, with the expression, there is, no God.

[40:49] Okay? Point number two. Now that we've got number one, out of the way, and they go on, to state their, point number one is, communism, is officially, atheistic.

[40:59] atheistic. And that's true of Russia. And that's true of Russia. Never mind the fact that they have allowed a lot of evangelical missionaries to come in, and teach some of the pastors, and hold meetings.

[41:11] Their official position is still atheistic. And what is it of China? The People's Republic of China. Do you realize there are over one billion, that's with a B, one billion people living in China.

[41:26] And the official position there is, atheism. Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years, that I would bring you against him?

[41:45] And it will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, that my fury will mount up in my anger.

[41:56] And boy, let me tell you something. You don't want to be anywhere around when that happens. When God unleashes his fury, that is something to behold.

[42:09] And it's something you will not likely survive. And you know what? These are not going to survive it. When God unleashes his fury, in my zeal, and in my blazing wrath, I declare that on that day, there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.

[42:32] And the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth, will shake at my presence.

[42:44] The mountains also will be thrown down. The steep pathways will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. And I shall call for a sword against him on all my mountains, declares the Lord God.

[42:58] Every man's sword will be against his brother. Most scholars are of the opinion that this time of calamity, and this is going to be God-induced, it's going to be a physiological thing.

[43:12] It's going to be earthquake of enormous proportions, and it is going to disrupt the whole area. These mountains of Israel, this is the chain that runs right down through the mountain, right down through Israel.

[43:24] This is where this army is going to actually be destroyed. An earthquake, and the confusion that is going to result from it, is actually going to result in these invading armies turning on each other.

[43:43] So great will be the confusion, and the conflagration, that every man's sword will be against his brother. That is, the allies of this invading force are going to end up fighting each other.

[43:57] And with pestilence, that's disease. Who knows? Typhus, whatever it might be. With pestilence, and with blood, I shall enter into judgment with him, and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain with hailstones, fire and brimstone.

[44:20] This is going to be Sodom and Gomorrah all over again, only on a much bigger scale. And I shall magnify myself, sanctify myself, and make myself known in the sight of many nations, and they will know that I am the Lord.

[44:38] And I don't know whether they will recant from their official position of atheism then or not, but it's going to be pretty hard to maintain it. And chapter 39 continues on, and it tells us that this is going to be a time of slaughter, the likes of which no one has seen up until that time.

[44:57] And I'm not going to belabor the point by reading verse chapter 39, but you can do that at your leisure, and I would recommend that you do so. This is a time when it's going to take, in verse 12, seven months for the house of Israel to bury the dead and cleanse the land.

[45:15] The amount of carnage is going to be unbelievable, and there will be no survivors of this invading force. None.

[45:27] They're all going to die there on the mountains of Israel. Now, what effect is that going to have on the Jewish people?

[45:43] It's going to have a very profound effect. They are going to swallow hard and say, you know what? We have been avoiding and ignoring the God of Israel for a long, long time.

[46:01] And it's time for us to come home to our God. And they will. There will be a massive revival among the Israeli people to return to the faith of their fathers.

[46:19] And I'm not suggesting that this is going to be a full-blown Christianity. That may come later. But this is going to be the first step. And they are going to recognize the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

[46:34] They're going to get in line with the program. And out of all of those Jewish people, there are going to be 144,000 of them specially selected for a special mission.

[46:54] And this is what John is talking about in Revelation 7 when he tells the angel to withhold the winds so that 12,000 of each of the 12 tribes of Israel can be sealed with the seal of God that will make them virtually indestructible.

[47:18] I have no idea what that seal is going to be or what it's going to look like or how they're going to be identified. But these 144,000 are going to be virtually indestructible.

[47:30] And they are going to proclaim the gospel that is spoken of in Matthew chapter 24 when the text says in verse 14 of chapter 24 and this gospel this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world.

[47:57] Who's going to preach it? Those 144,000. They're not going to be preaching in Israel. Well, there may be some there in Israel doing that. But they're going to go everywhere.

[48:08] They're going to scatter everywhere. They're going to cover the globe. 144,000. And they are going to preach this gospel of the kingdom for a witness to all the nations.

[48:19] And during that time there's going to be an enormous ingathering of people who will be brought to God through the efforts of the 144,000.

[48:33] It will be a time of evangelization such as the world has never seen before. Someone said, Can you imagine turning loose 144,000 Apostle Pauls? That's what it's going to be like.

[48:47] And listen, make no mistake about it. Even though there is going to be huge numbers evangelized and come to faith, in keeping with that on the same track on the same wavelength there is going to be an enormous onslaught of persecution.

[49:08] that's going to make people think twice before they make a commitment. Because it's going to cost you if you do. It doesn't cost much now to be a Christian.

[49:19] It doesn't cost much at all. We've got pretty easy. But when the time comes that your life is on the line just for being a Christian and some say, Oh, now I can't see that.

[49:32] Listen, how many people's lives were on the line and taken from them just for being a Jew? What makes you think the same thing can't be applied to Christians?

[49:47] Well, it can be. And in certain parts of the world today, it is. But this is going to be worldwide. So there's going to be enormous evangelism and salvation on one hand, and there's going to be enormous persecution and death principally by beheading for those who refuse the mark of the beast.

[50:14] They will not be able to buy or sell and they will be ripe for persecution and for death. So I do not have difficulty understanding in light of the Ezekiel passage where these 144,000 are going to come from.

[50:35] If my understanding of this is correct and I'm not about to be dogmatic about it because I've long since learned that you don't do that because there are too many ways of being proved wrong, but I think I'm right in this and I think I'm right enough to be willing to teach it.

[50:54] I'm just not ready to tell you that you can take this to the bank because I'm not that certain of it but to me it fits and this is where the 144,000 are going to come from and this is why they are going to be energetic and enthusiastic and proclaiming this gospel because they are going to see with their own eyes and by the way the apostle Paul reminds us when he writes to the Corinthians where the Jews require a sign and God's going to say yeah and I'm going to give them one and they're going to respond to that and it's going to be absolutely astounding.

[51:36] Now I want to close with this. When is this going to happen? When is this Russian invasion going to take place? and I suppose it's somewhat tempting to say well they're already really close.

[51:50] I mean do you realize that Syria is Israel's immediate neighbor to the north? And Syria has got a long long history of love and hate with Israel.

[52:03] I mean they've been at war and they've been at peace and they've been at war and they've been at peace. You know Syria is where the apostle Paul went when he was persecuting his Jewish countrymen.

[52:18] He went to Damascus and I don't know if you're aware of it or not but Damascus in Syria is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world today. Damascus, Syria and they are neighbors.

[52:32] And you remember reading in 2 Kings 5 about Elisha and what was the name of the fellow who was the captain of the Syrian army?

[52:46] He was there Naaman. Naaman. And he came down to Israel and remember the seven dips in the Jordan River?

[52:58] Naaman was the commanding general of the Syrian army. And they had conducted forays and raids across the border and had a kind of like a cold war going on.

[53:11] And that's a fascinating thing. But all I'm saying is these people had essentially the same culture and they were neighbors and have been for thousands and thousands of years. And that's where Russia is right now.

[53:22] Right there in Syria. And of course it's just a stone's throw over the border until they're in Israel. And I don't know if that's what's going to happen. And I don't know if that's significant right now. But all I'm saying is it might be.

[53:34] And I am of the opinion, and again I want to emphasize I'm not dogmatic about this, but to me this thing, for me things have to fit. They have to be consistent.

[53:45] And if something is out of kilter then I just can't go with it because it doesn't fit the picture. But this fits the picture. If the rapture of the church is imminent, if it could happen at any time, and if prophecy is not part of the church's thing, but it's part of Israel, then that means that when Ezekiel 38 and 39 are fulfilled, they will not be fulfilled in the church age.

[54:23] Why not? Because this is prophecy. And if ever there was prophecy that's prophecy, this is prophecy. But the church is not taken with prophecy.

[54:38] We are a mystery. Ezekiel 38 and 39 does not belong to the church. Well, if it does not belong to the church and it is exclusive as prophecy is to the nation of Israel, when must this happen?

[54:56] chronologically then, when is this going to take place? It's going to take place after the church is gone.

[55:10] Now, some take Ezekiel 38 and 39 and put it in the tribulation period itself. I can't do that. It won't fit. It doesn't answer to it. It's just out of place there.

[55:22] So, what I am suggesting is, and this is just a wise man's suggestion, take it or leave it, the Russian invasion of Israel is going to occur after the church is raptured and before the tribulation period begins.

[55:42] Well, what is it that begins the tribulation period? It's the signing of the covenant, as we pointed out numbers of times in Daniel chapter 9, when Israel and the Antichrist signed that seven-year pact, that kicks off the 70th week of Daniel.

[56:01] So, what I'm saying is, this is not part of it, this precedes that, but it cannot and will not occur, okay, cannot and will not occur while the church is here.

[56:21] The rapture will have been history when this takes place. So, where then does that put the rapture?

[56:34] Pretty doggone close. Now, what I've said about Matthew, or what I've said about Ezekiel 38 and 39, that may not be fulfilled by Russia until another hundred years, we don't know.

[56:56] But all I'm saying is, these things need to fit the prophetic plan, the theme. God's got this map laid out, and it is up to us to figure out what goes where that is consistent, that fits, and when you run into a snag, this won't fit here, this won't work, you've got to scrap it, because it just doesn't fit.

[57:21] That's one of the things that I have come to appreciate so much about dispensational truth. It enables things to come together and fit. There is coherence.

[57:33] There is coherence in dispensational theology that does not exist in any other system of theology, to the best of my understanding. Now, having said that, I'm going to consider Revelation 7 as having been finalized, and we'll take up a new chapter next week, but I'll entertain any questions that you might have now.

[57:55] Anyone? Okay, up front here, Ron Gannon has a question, comment. Psalm 83.

[58:14] Can that be a difference than the time we're talking about the Russian invasion? I suspect that it could be. Yeah, I suspect that it could be different. It's just that it fits the Russian invasion because we know that Russia is going to be accompanied by a number of allies.

[58:33] It won't be just Russia. It's going to be multiple allies, and the text makes that quite clear, I think, in chapter 38, you and all these other nations with you. And I think those are the other nations.

[58:45] And Israel has no nations, nations that hate it like the Arab nations that surround them hate it. So, yeah, it could be, but I don't think it is.

[58:57] Someone else? Okay, Joe. I think you said that none of that parts of Ezekiel had occurred yet back in history, but then you did point out that the creation of Israel in 48 was spoken of there.

[59:16] You felt that was spoken of, so that would be an exception then to that statement? Well, I hear what you're saying, and I think that the there's no question there has been a regathering and that Israel has been reestablished.

[59:31] There's no doubt about that. But I am of the opinion, and this again is where I may be mistaken, I am of the opinion that there is going to be a lot greater resurgence of people, of Jews from all over the world.

[59:46] See, there are still millions and millions of Jews who live outside of Israel in other countries. They're all going to be coming back, and I think that's the regathering that is primarily in focus here.

[60:01] Yeah. Anyone else? Shelley, and then Bill over here has a comment or question. In Dr.

[60:14] Jeremiah's book, Is This the End? It gives the names of the countries that are going to be involved in this now, and the names of the countries in Bible times.

[60:27] It's very interesting. Thank you. I have that book, and I recommend it to David Jeremiah, and the title of it is This the End. And I think you would read it with great profit and great interest.

[60:40] Yes. Yeah, that really caught my eye when you had Psalm 83. I saw that, and I saw the Ishmaelites there. I'm like, whoa. And we know what Ishmael and the people trying to reconcile Christianity with Islam today.

[61:00] There's been that move, and it amazes me. And I saw that. It stood out like a sore thumb there. It really amazed me. I was in the military back in the 70s, and I had no idea.

[61:13] I was training Iranians on aircraft at Wright-Batterson Air Force Base. It's hard to believe, you know, and to see how this is all gone. And I work with the turbine industry, and I heard a general electric engineer say that our power grid is a loose cannon, you know, and how vulnerable we are.

[61:37] I really appreciate your messages on this and studies and that. Thank you, brother. Thank you. And I'm, you know, I stand to be corrected on everything I said.

[61:47] I'm not dogmatic about this, but I, like I said, I'm just, I'm looking for things that cohere and that fit together. And to me, this is the most plausible scenario that I've been able to come up with.

[62:00] And the Lord willing, if he tarries a couple years from now, I may have to alter it. And if I do, I'll let you know. You'll be the first to know. Thank you for your kind attention.

[62:11] Anyone else before we dismiss? All right, would you stand, please? Father, there is much here that we've talked about that we certainly would like to understand in a much fuller way than we do.

[62:29] but we believe that you have been pleased to give us enough word and enough understanding that we can be adequately prepared. And we recognize that there is no preparation that can begin to compare with having made a personal decision for the Lord Jesus Christ.

[62:48] And having done that, then whatever it is that comes in the future and whatever it is that invades in the present can have no negative impact upon those who are in Christ.

[63:00] And we rejoice over that truth. Our prayer is that each of us will see these messages as a time not only of enlightenment, but as a time of preparation and as a time of encouragement to see the truthfulness of our God played out in ways that are virtually undeniable.

[63:20] so that when this time comes, all these nations involved will know that you are the Lord.

[63:33] So be it. Amen.