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) (This remains the case as of 2020, even more so)
TRAPPED
by
Arab Enemies
(Zechariah 2:5)
Is Israel Secure Today?
"Israel is not dwelling securely; In the summer of 2006, they had over 4000 rockets fired upon Haifa and other northern locations out of Lebanon from the Hezbollah. Additionally, the Hamas are still a constant threat from the Gaza area. Then of course there were the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973... No it does not appear as though Israel is presently a nation at peace in the Middle East"
Bill Salus, Prophecy Depot Website, accessed on Sep. 1, 2014.
But read on to see the fallacy of this assumption...
LEFT:
Israel seemingly trapped, the tiny nation surrounded by traditional and historic enemies on the north, east and south, bounded against the Mediterranean Sea on the west. From man's viewpoint, Israel is totally UN-secure. But is human perspective, or circumstances on the ground, the true gauge of the question "Is Israel Secure Today"?THE QUESTION IS NOT…
IS ISRAEL…
under Attack?
"4000 rockets fired upon Haifa" (see quote above)
Threatened?
"constant threat from the Gaza area" (see quote above)
at War?
"wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973" (see quote above)
not at Peace?
"not ... a nation at peace" (see quote above)
Rather, THE QUESTION IS…
Is Israel Secure from DEFEAT?
RIGHT: There are two kinds of Security--Human-based and God-based. Human-based Security is "earthly", taking man's perspective of events and circumstances (threats, attacks, oppression, terrorism, etc.) as the measure of "security." God-based Security brings God into the equation, affirming God's promises and God's providence as the true and only gauge of the question "Is Israel Secure Today"?
TRAPPED by Egypt
Exodus 14; Psalm 78:53; Was Israel Secure Then?
[ The Pharaoh ] chased after the sons of Israel …
[ with ] his horsemen and his army...
and [ Israel ] became very frightened…
But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear.”
Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord…” Exodus 14:8-14
LEFT: The passage above shows that Israel was trapped (left, against the Red Sea), terrorized and in the shadow of imminent attack and apparent annihilation by the Egyptian forces. From the human perspective they were without security--doomed! But Moses encouraged the people because he saw God-based Security transcendent to any threats or danger the Egyptians could mount against Israel.
The Israelites were…
THREATENED
TERRORIZED
ATTACKED
And He led them SAFELY [ “betach”], so that they did not fear;
But the sea engulfed their enemies.
Psalms 78:53
The Israelites were…
THREATENED
TERRORIZED
ATTACKED...
but NOT DEFEATED
They were SECURE (“betach”)
BEFORE
DURING
& AFTER
the Pharoah's army trapped them at the Red Sea.
The same Hebrew word for "secure" (“betach”) used of the Red Sea miracle in Psalms 78:53
is also the "secure" describing Israel at the time of the Magog attack in Ezekiel 38:8.
WATCH FOR THIS WORD below...
TRAPPED by Magog, Ezekiel 38-39
Will Israel Be Secure Then?
...in the latter years you will come into ... the mountains of Israel …you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you…
Ezekiel 38:8-9
RIGHT:
According to Ezekiel 38-39 Israel will be trapped by an invading coalition of Muslim nations led by Russia (Magog) at the End Time. The Russian-Islamic forces will be overwhelming. Israel will appear to be doomed. But...
The Israelites will be…
THREATENED
TERRORIZED
ATTACKED
...[But] they [Israel] are living SECURELY [ “betach”],
Ezekiel 38:8
BEFORE
DURING
& AFTER
The Israelites will be…
THREATENED
TERRORIZED
ATTACKED
but NOT DEFEATED
You [Magog] shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops…
Ezekiel 39:4
They are SECURE (“betach”)
BEFORE
DURING
& AFTER
the invasion of the Russian-Islamic forces, just as Israel was when they were trapped at the Red Sea by the Egyptians.
What we learn from both the Egyptian Red Sea Attack and the Magog Attack is that the things seen by Man as evidence of Israel’s UN-SECURITY,
are actually, in God-based Security, evidence of Israel’s SECURITY.
Is Israel trapped, threatened, terrorized, attacked?...
With God’s Security-Hand over Israel, these scary episodes actually magnify and glorify God’s safe-keeping of Israel, and in reality are proof that Israel IS Secure.
IN BOTH CASES
--Egypt at the Red Sea, Magog at the End Time--
ISRAEL IS SECURE…
NOT from threats, terror, attacks…
Israel is SECURE (“betach”) from DEFEAT!
Ezekiel 38:8—
Is Israel Secure TODAY?
THE EVIDENCE
OF THE ‘38.8 LIST’
5 Miracle Events of God
BELOW: Israel returns to its ancient homeland in waves ("alyahs") throughout the 20th century after being scattered among the nations for 1900 years. Every Bible believer recognizes the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel as one of the greatest miracles of fulfilled prophecy. Ezekiel 38:8 is one of those prophecies
THE EVIDENCE
OF 67 YEARS
God’s Miracle Wars
GOD & MIRACLES ! ! !
How can we say Israel
is NOT SECURE TODAY?
Every Bible prophecy teacher extols God’s Direct Hand in giving Israel Victory in the 4 Miracle-Wars of 1948, ‘54, ‘67 & ‘73.
THE EVIDENCE OF 67 YEARS
In every war since 1948 multi-national armies have threatened Israel…
but Israel was Secure from Defeat.
They have terrorized Israel…
but Israel was Secure from Defeat.
They have attacked Israel…
but Israel was Secure from Defeat.
Listen to DR. DAVID REAGAN on Israel's Miracle Wars...
“On May 14, 1948, the Jewish state was proclaimed, and the Arabs launched an all-out war to destroy it. And war it has been ever since...
The Arab goal will never be achieved. The Bible says that once the Jews are re-established in the land, they will never be rooted up again (Amos 9:15).
... God promises that He will intervene and make the Arab lands a desolation
(Ezekiel 35:15).” David Reagan, God’s Plan For The Ages, Lamb & Lion Ministries ,2005 p.317
IF THIS IS NOT “SECURITY”, WHAT IS IT…?
FROM 1948 UNTIL NOW ?
BELOW: Israel has been threatened by enemies since becoming a State in 1948, and has been attacked numerous times by multiple nations and coordinated overwhelming forces. Israel has never been defeated in these miraculous wars, emerging victorious in circumstances defying any normal explanation.
Listen to ZOLA LEVITT on Israel's Miracle Wars...
“The Arab’s drive to push the Jewish population into the sea has never succeeded--and it will not because God remains faithful to his promises to protect his chosen people
...He will defend and preserve the remnant of Israel...”
Zola Levitt (with Lawrence Ford), Israel At Ground Zero in Prophecy At Ground Zero, William T. James, ed., Starburst Publishers, 2002, p. 31, 40.
Listen to MAL COUCH on Israel's Miracle Wars...
“Against impossible odds, and following 5 wars of aggression against it, the nation survived. One has to call these wars, “miracle wars.” God spared His own!... Throughout it all, Israel survived and even prospered.
How can this not be the hand of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?”
Mal Couch, Revelation Hoofbeats, Ron J. Bigalke, ed., Xulon Press, 2003, “Controversy Over Prophetic Fulfillment” p. 324.
Listen to ANDY WOODS on Israel's Miracle Wars...
"Israel has miraculously survived an overwhelming attack against all odds from a coalition of nations during her War of Independence in 1948...in 1967 during Israel's Six-Day War...in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War...in 1990 during the Gulf War."
Andy Woods, The Middle East Meltdown--The Coming Islamic Invasion Of Israel, Dispensational Publishing House, Taos, NM, 2016, p.87.
JOHN PHILLIPS--RESULT OF 1948, ‘56, ‘67, ‘73 etc. WARS
“Thus Israel, reborn, has defended its national interests with courage and vigor. It is back in the land to stay.”
John Phillips, Exploring The Future, Thomas Nelson, 1983, p. 275.
CHARLIE BING—ISRAEL & GOD’S GRACE
“Israel has survived relentless terroristic attacks, bombings, and wars, yet she stands today as a testimony to God’s unrelenting grace.”
Charlie Bing, Grace Notes Number 71, Grace Life Ministries, March, 2016.
JOHN WALVOORD-- MIRACULOUS JEWISH WARS
[Refers to] “The miraculous war of 1967...”
“One thing is clear—the last few decades of Israel’s history [the War of 1973] have been miraculous...”
John F. Walvoord, John E. Walvoord, Armageddon, Oil & the Middle East Crisis, Zondervan, 1974, p. 30, 35.
DAVID REAGAN, more...
“The preservation of the Jewish people is a fulfillment of prophecy and is one of the greatest miracles of history...The rebirth of the Jewish state took place on May 14, 1948, and the birth pains began the next day when 5 Arab states attacked the new nation, determined to annihilate it. And the birth pains have continued to this day with war after war. Another prophecy fulfilled during all these wars is the preservation of the Jewish state. The book of Zechariah prophesied that… the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
David Reagan, Living On Borrowed Time, Lamb & Lion Ministries, McKinney, TX, 2013, p.132-133.
TIM LaHAYE & ED HINDSON on Israel's Miracle Wars
“In 1973 several Arab enemies launched a surprise attack on Israel...once again God delivered Israel from an Arab coalition that wanted to drive the Jews into the sea...The media had predicted the battles would be fatal to Israel because the small nation was so outmatched... it didn’t look like there was any chance of survival. But what at first appeared to be the certain annihilation of Israel turned into supernatural preservation...there is indeed a God in heaven who is watching out for Israel. [ i.e., God-based--NOT man-based-- Security; emphasis mine]
Israel’s very existence today, given the fact the nation is surrounded by hostile enemies, can only be attributed to the protective hand of God in fulfillment of His promise in Genesis 12:1-3. Israel has been supernaturally preserved multiple times when attacked by large, well-equipped armies. Yet after more than 60 years, they still occupy their land in troubled times, just as the prophets predicted… [In the 1948 war of independence] Israel miraculously was able to defeat its Arab neighbors.”
Tim LaHaye & Ed Hindson, Target Israel—Caught In The Crosshairs Of The End Times, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene OR, 2015, p. 105-6, 120, 173, 180.
NORBERT LIETH
The Jewish nation cannot be defeated, not then [days of Esther] and not today, because in each instance it is about the appearance of the Messiah, back then as well as today… God will help the Jews in any case, even through the judgments which He will yet let come upon the nation.
Norbert Lieth, News From Israel magazine, June 2017, Midnight Call Ministries, Lexington, SC, p.16-17.
(Referring to Eze 38:8, Norbert Lieth writes "Israel is restored from centuries of destruction and persecution. It is gathered from many peoples. It lives in relative safety. The population is secure within its own framework, in its own state, with its own security measures." [emphasis mine ]
(Norbert Lieth, News From Israel magazine, September, 2023, Midnight Call Ministries, Lexington, SC, p.10. )
TIM MOORE: The MIRACLE WARS of ISRAEL'S SECURITY continue even through the Great Tribulation
Then [at Second Coming of Christ], as the remnant of surviving Jews marvel at their miraculous deliverance once again, their unbelief will turn to saving faith when they look upon Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10-13:1; emphasis mine).
Tim Moore, “The Yom Kippur War", Lamplighter Magazine, June-August 2017, Lamb & Lion Ministries, p.14.
DAVID REAGAN: The MIRACLE WARS of ISRAEL'S SECURITY continue even through the Great Tribulation
Remember too, that Psalm 121:4 says that He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. They are His "treasure," and He will protect them from now through the end of the Tribulation, assuring their continuing existence until that day at the end of the Tribulation when they will "look on Him whom they have pierced" and receive Yeshua as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10; emphasis mine).
David Reagan, Wars Of The End Times, Lamb & Lion Ministries, 2023, p. 39.
THE EVIDENCE OF SECURITY
Before,
During,
& After
the MAGOG ATTACK
Ezekiel 38:8, 18; 39:4-7
THE EVIDENCE OF THE MAGOG ATTACK ITSELF
The text says Israel is “living securely” BEFORE the Russian-Islamic Invasion.
They are ALREADY in security.
What kind of security is it?
1. Russia gathers multi-national forces as a threatening “cloud” to the north,
but we know in advance (38:3) that Israel is Secure from Defeat.
2. International terror arises (38:13),
but Israel is Secure from Defeat.
3. The multi-national attack comes like a “cloud covering the land (38:9),”
but Israel is Secure from Defeat.
The Point—
the “BETACH-SECURITY” of 38:8 exists
BEFORE,
DURING,
& AFTER
the Magog invasion, and is defined by the passage itself
as Current-Age GOD-BASED SECURITY.
BELOW: Israel's Security today is proven by the Miracle Wars. The same Security will apply to Israel's future Miracle War of "Magog".
THE EVIDENCE OF GOD’S
’RHETORICAL’
QUESTION…
To Russia:
“Do you know that Israel is under
GOD-BASED SECURITY?
Ezekiel 38:14-15
“…on that day, … thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan,”
Ezekiel 38:10
"On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it?
Ezekiel 38:14
The obvious answer is “NO.”
Russia will not “know” that Israel is living “Secure.”
Why?
Because it is GOD-BASED SECURITY, & Russia does not believe in God.
If Russia did believe Israel was SECURE, they wouldn’t attack them in the first place! Ezekiel 38:15
The STAGE IS SET-- Magog-Russia will attack Israel when the following conditions are met, according to Ezekiel 38 & 39...
1. God will summon Magog to invade Israel when Israel is…
2. restored from the sword,
3. to the Mountains of Israel,
4. out of many nations,
5. and living SECURELY.
WHAT’S LEFT? Number 1 Above.
The Russian-Islamic Invasion of Israel is an Imminent Event.
YES—Israel is living in GOD-BASED SECURITY TODAY— & HAS BEEN FOR 67 YEARS.
Therefore, the RUSSIAN ISLAMIC INVASION OF ISRAEL awaits no further signs except for the invading nations to take their place on the prophetic stage.
RIGHT: The fundamental mistake in answering the question, "Is Israel Secure Today?", is to look at it from Man's View rather than from God's View. As we've seen above, God's View has been declared in Prophecy and demonstrated in History.
Today the Russian-Iranian military presence in Syria is a huge step in that direction. (and continues to be even more so as of 2020)
We can't say that today's scene is THE scene for the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy of the Gog-Magog invasion of Israel…
but when those events do occur, they will look very similar to the events of today.
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