Many say the ONLY thing holding back Ezekiel 38s’
End-Time Magog Invasion of Israel is this—
”Israel must first be ‘Secure’ & ‘at Rest’ .
THEY MUST—AND
THEY ARE!
Statement given at Various Conferences 2014-16
Today, Russia and Iran have created a power hegemony encompassing Iran, Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah-Lebanon, centered in Syria, directly to the North of Israel. None of the prerequisites for the Magog invasion of Ezekiel 38:1-8 are missing. When the real event stacks up to the North of Israel, it will look very much like it does Today.
(Statement on the Events North of Israel given at the Lake Charles Prophecy Conference in Sep. 2014 and the Pre-Trib Prophecy Study Group in Dec. 2014, and the Mid-America Prophecy Conference in Tulsa, April 14-16, 2016)
Ezekiel 38-39 prophesies that In the latter years Israel will be Supernaturally Rescued from the massive Invasion of the Magog Coalition in an Event that will Magnify God’s Name across the World.
The Timing of the invasion is keyed to two (2) statements...
1. Eze. 38:8—"After many days you will be summoned [to Israel when] …they are living securely, all of them.”
2. Eze. 38:11—"and you will say…I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely..."
In the Ezekiel passage, the Hebrew word for "secure" is “betach”, and for "rest" it is “shaqat”. As demonstrated below, the use of these same words elsewhere in the Bible, in conditions which parallel modern Israel,, show that TODAY Israel can be said to be "secure" and "at rest."
Four (4) eras of Israel’s history illuminate the meaning of Israel’s state of “Security” (Eze. 38:8) and “at Rest” (Eze. 38:11) which trigger the future Magog War. In four graphic-sets below 1 we show Old Testament events that affirm the terms "Secure" and "At Rest" in Ezekiel 38 actually match the condition of Israel TODAY.
GRAPH 1--DURING THE EXODUS:
Israel was “Secure” while engaged in Multiple Wars.
TODAY
Israel is in the same condition.
GRAPH 2--DURING THE JUDGES:
Israel experienced periods of “Rest” while enduring Threats and Oppression.
TODAY
Israel is in the same condition.
GRAPH 3--DURING THE REIGN OF ASA:
Israel was “at Rest” while maintaining an “Armed Camp” state of readiness.
TODAY
Israel is in the same condition.
GRAPH 4--DURING THE REIGN OF SOLOMON:
Israel was “Secure” while enduring intense Border Conflict.
TODAY
Israel is in the same condition.
The false assumption of a Millennial-level Security 2 imposed upon Ezekiel 38:8 & 11 is the basis for rejecting Israel’s state of Security and Rest in that “Magog” passage.
This is the underlying error of the Psalm 83 Theory. This false application of a Millennial-level Security leads to a logical—but erroneous—conclusion that Israel is NOT Secure today. But Israel is not in the Millennial age today. Nor is it so in Ezekiel 38. In the Millennial age all war will cease as “swords are turned into plowshares.” (Isa. 2:4)
If Millennial-age Security were the criteria for a Secure-Israel in the four examples below, then Israel would NOT have been Secure during the Exodus, or during any of those events, and the Bible would be self-contradictory. But in the 4-Graphs below we see that Israel IS in God-given, but CURRENT-AGE, 2 Security during those events. Current-age Security means security from defeat, destruction or conquest. It is not Millennial-age, “no more war”, perfect peace-level security.
Current-age Security and Rest is the subject of Ezekiel 38 and the coming Russian-Islamic Invasion Of Israel—the “Magog” event. As virtually all “literal-prophecy” experts agree, since 1948 Israel has experienced multiple “Miracle-Wars.” 12 Why would we insist on the truth of Israel’s miraculous survival, and then on the other hand bemoan Israel’s UN-security? If Israel was Secure in the Exodus, they are Secure TODAY! Four (4) Proofs follow.
How can Israel be “Secure” in the shadow of Multiple Wars?
The answer is found in THE EXODUS 3
EZEKIEL 38:8’s “betach” Security IN LIGHT OF THE EXODUS’s “betach” Security
And He led them safely (“betach”/Securely)
But the sea engulfed their enemies. Psa. 78:53-54
(refers to the entire Exodus event)
1. Since the Israelites enjoyed a God-given "(betach) secure” condition while enduring the Red Sea entrapment and attack of the Egyptians, and a 40-year Exodus journey marked by six (6) subsequent wars with the Amalekites, Canaanites, Amorites, and Midianites,
(Psalm 78:51-54; Deuteronomy 14:8; Numbers 14; 21; 31)
2. Then the same could be true of the "(betach) secure” condition of Israel in Ezekiel 38:8.
Was Israel Secure DURING the Exodus Wars?
The EXODUS says, Yes!
TODAY Israel is in the same condition (below).
GRAPH 2--DURING THE JUDGES
How can Israel be “at Rest” while enduring War after War?
The answer is found in the time of THE JUDGES 4
EZEKIEL 38:11’s “shaqat” Rest in light of THE JUDGES’s “shaqat” Rest
So Moab was subdued...under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed (“shaqat”/Rest) for eighty years. (Judges 3:30)
1. Since the “(shaqat) rest” periods of the Judges experienced an overlap of periods of oppression, resulting in Rest periods marked by the shadow of war,
(All major chronologies of Judges concede this overlap of rest and oppression periods), 5
2. Then the same could be true of the “(shaqat) rest” condition of Israel in Ezekiel 38:11.
Was Israel “at Rest” between—but DURING the shadow of—Wars?
The JUDGES says, Yes!
TODAY Israel is in the same condition (below).
GRAPH 3--DURING THE REIGN OF ASA
How can Israel be “at Rest” while under a state of War? 9
Can Israel be “an armed camp” and “at Rest” at the same time? 10
The answers are found in the time of KING ASA
EZEKIEL 38:11’s “shaqat” Rest in light of JUDEAN KING ASA’s “shaqat” Rest
The land was undisturbed (“shaqat”/Rest) for ten years during [Asa’s] days… and there was no one at war with him…
Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days;
1 Kings 15:16 & 32)
…and he built fortified cities...since the land was undisturbed (“shaqat”/Rest) ...gates and bars…[a huge] army...2 Chr. 14:1-8
1. Since the “(shaqat) rest” period of Asa was marked by some degree of external enemy border-war or cold-war (i.e., “war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel
all their days
i.e., threats, harassment, political, economic or military opposition), and since there was a massive
‘armed-camp’
buildup by Asa during that “(shaqat) rest” (1 Kings 15:16, 32; 2 Chronicles 14:1-8)'
2. Then the same could be true of the “(shaqat) rest” experience of Israel in Ezekiel 38:11.
Was Israel an "ARMED CAMP" under the threat of War while "at Rest"?
The Bible says, Yes--in the days of King ASA!
TODAY Israel is in the same condition (below).
GRAPH 4--DURING THE REIGN OF SOLOMON
How can Israel be “Secure” with enemies pressing at its BORDERS?
The answer is found in the reign of SOLOMON 10.5
EZEKIEL 38:8’s “betach” Security IN LIGHT OF SOLOMON’s “betach” Security
So Judah and Israel lived in [Security] and [REST; 1 Chr. 22:9 ], …all the days of Solomon.
1 Kgs 4:25
Damascus...was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon along with the evil that [Edom] did... (1 Kings 11:23-25) 11
1. Since the "(betach) secure” period which was EXISTING “all the days of Solomon” experienced military opposition from enemy states DURING “all the days of Solomon” 11 (1 Kings 4:25 & 11:25
2. Then the same could be true of the "(betach) secure” status of Israel in Ezekiel 38:8.
Can Israel be Secure DURING a time with Enemies Pressing at its Borders?
The Bible says, Yes--during the Reign of SOLOMON!
TODAY Israel is in the same condition (below).
“SECURE” & “AT REST” TODAY, Israel awaits its date with Glory
in the MAGOG INVASION of Ezekiel 38-39
The Four (4) Biblical examples above provide a solid rationale that TODAY…...
1. Israel has been under (betach) SECURITY since 1948, protected through multiple “miracle-wars” (EXODUS example) from the brink of annihilation amid the on-going shadow of enemy terrorists states (SOLOMON example).
2. Israel has experienced a series of (shaqat) RESTS between these wars at a level which has permitted Israel to fortify as an “armed camp” (ASA example) and become a world-class socio-economic super-state while under the ever-present shadow (JUDGES example) of another war.
The SECURITY of Israel TODAY is a sign of the imminent fulfillment of Ezekiel 38.
Who is the "Exceedingly Large Army", and WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN? HERE...
Questions About Israel “Living Securely [“BETACH”]” in Ezekiel 38-39 (the “Magog” passage)
QUESTION: How can it be that Israel is under God-Based Security, & is said to be “at rest” (38:11), when in reality they are surrounded by Muslim nations who seek to destroy Israel & “drive them into the sea”?
ANSWER: At the time of the Exodus the Egyptians also tried to “drive Israel into the sea.” Psalm 78:53 says of the Exodus that God “led [Israel] safely [“BETACH”], so that they did not fear.” Yet Exodus 14:10-15 says that during this terrorizing event the Israelites “became very frightened…[saying] to Moses, ‘Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?’“. Here, in both the Exodus-event & the Magog-event, we see that “rest” & “fear” among the people can vacillate to varying degrees. What Psalm 78:13 shows in the statement “they did not fear” is that “rest” prevails in GOD-BASED SECURITY.
QUESTION: What are some other similarities between the Exodus-event & the Magog-event that relate to Security (“BETACH”)?
ANSWER: Psalm 78:53, referred to above, goes on to say “But the sea engulfed their enemies.” The Egyptian army was divinely-destroyed as it attacked Israel. The same thing happens when Magog (Russia) invades Israel—the Russian-Iranian-Islamic army is also divinely-destroyed as it attacks Israel. Additionally, during the Exodus a pillar of fire and cloud (Exo.14:24) served as a “wall of fire” between Israel & her Egyptian enemies. In the same way, God promises to be a “wall of fire” around Israel in the latter days. (Zec.2:5) This miraculous “wall of fire” has proven itself in 4 Arab wars against Israel since 1948, and the outcome of the Magog invasion proves that Israel’s security is GOD-BASED. No HUMAN-BASED security arrangement has kept—or still keeps, or will keep—Israel secure. Was Israel secure when entrapped by a monstrous Egyptian army at the edge of the Red Sea? Of Course!
QUESTION: Ezekiel 38:11 says that Israel will be “unwalled” when the Russian-Islamic invasion occurs. But what about the massive 400-mile long security wall to protect against jihadist-Muslims entering Israel today? Isn’t that a military defense system, & thus Israel is “walled”?
ANSWER: We’ve already shown that the “UNWALLED VILLAGES” (38:11) in the context of the passage refers to modern military defenses (a missile “wall”), not to a literal brick & mortar wall. One might ask, “Did you bring your horse & buggy?” Another answers, “Yes, my car is outside.” In 1880 “horse & buggy” was a literal term for literal transportation. Today “horse & buggy” is symbolic, but still refers to literal transportation. In the same way, “walled city” today has become a symbol for a literal military defense system. Furthermore, the passage makes no sense with a literal “wall.” Today’s mega-mile wall, though offering some protection against roving terrorists, offers no protection whatsoever against a massive military assault like that described in Eze. 38-39—"you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops." (Eze.38:9)
Even a lay-person can figure out that a modern-equipped military force would simply blow a hole in the wall with one shot from a tank, or bomb it to smithereens with two or three well placed aircraft-missile explosives. When the Russian think-tank says “ 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages” (38:10-11) they are not concerned about a 20-foot high concrete wall. Rather, Israel’s modern MISSILE DEFENSE “WALL” the Russians see as breechable (“unwalled”). But God’s invisible “wall of fire” is the wall they don’t see. (Zec. 2:5; Exo.14:24)
Today God-Based Security for Israel is evident daily…and proof that our God is a Promise Keeper! As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the promise from the same God that He is also our security, & will “deliver us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thes. 1:10