Bush’s Re-Election And The Middle East–What’s At Stake

Garrick D. Augustus

November 6, 2004

“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Es 4:14. Like the kingdom of Persia, receiving another Royal appointment in the person of Queen Ester, the United States has received another endorsement for president—the much disliked and controversial George W. Bush. Rising from western Texas, Mr. Bush has paved his way to the White House under circumstances that can only be best described as providential. As we recount his first election, the vote was so close, that for over a month no one was sure who the next president of the United States would be. It took a court decision to declare Mr. Bush as the new president. In the second election, there was another weighed in the balance situation, after which a sigh of relief was breathed when the Ohio votes were counted and found in his favor. In my view as a bible student, God is causing the world to take pause and ponder the results of these two elections! As we will later see, it is by no mere chance that Mr. Bush has won the White House for a second term; he has a divinely important task to accomplish—to be the chief architect in laying the final pegs in place for the coming of “The New World Order”—an idea first envisioned by his father, former one-term President George W. Bush senior.

At the outset, we must realize that the governments in the world do not exist apart from the God of the universe, for He it is Who “ordained” them. Rom. 13:1. Daniel informed the king of Babylon that God “changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding. Dan. 2:21. Because Nebuchadnezzar did not believe this salient fact, he was driven from his throne, to become like a wild beast—eating grass like an ox “till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.” Dan. 5:21. He died being a converted man, because his life was touched by the King of Glory. This world is at such a political cross-roads in its end-time experience, and God is willing that His waiting ones gather hope as the momentum of the final assault of evil against his Church is whipped to a new tidal height. To promote the agenda of the Republican majority, or the Democratic minority, is not the object of this article. Its sole purpose is to enlighten the people of earth that Jesus Christ is “taking the reigns in his own hands”(Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 300), and that He is about to set up his pre-millennial kingdom here on earth—(Dan. 2: 44-45), which will usher in the long awaited “blessed hope,” the second advent of the Desire Of All Ages.

The Judicial Significance of this Election

The constitution of the United States vests the President to appoint judges to the Federal and Supreme courts. These are lifetime appointments, meaning that once appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate, these judges carry out a free reign, so to speak, until they have resigned from office, or died in office. The Supreme Court “stands as the ultimate authority in constitutional interpretation and its decisions can be changed only by a constitutional amendment… This power, known as judicial review, enables the Court to invalidate both federal and state laws when they conflict with its interpretation of the Constitution. Judicial review thus puts the Supreme Court in a pivotal role in the American political system, making it the referee in disputes among various branches of government, and as the ultimate authority for many of the most important issues in the country.” http://www.usconstitution.com/SupremeCourt.htm. It is very necessary therefore, that a president uses the highest degree of judicial scrutiny when making such appointments, and set in these offices individuals who are balanced in their views, and who are consistent with the values he (the president) holds dear.

High on the list of “things to do” for this second term of president Bush, is to make up to four new appointees to the Supreme Court—the nations highest court, and several dozens or even hundreds of lower (Federal) court appointments. The president himself, in addressing this question, has stated without equivocation “that, whenever an opening does come, he would select someone ‘who knows the difference between personal opinion and strict interpretation of the law.’ Bush told reporters to look at his record of appointments, saying it shows he selects ‘well-qualified people who know the law, who represent a judicial temperament that I agree with and who are qualified to hold the bench.’” CNN News, Saturday, November 6, 2004, http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/bush.court/index.html.

Middle East Peace

President Bush’s second-term presidency has with it not only domestic aims, but far-reaching international challenges as well. A centerpiece of his final presidential tenure is to chart a “roadmap of peace” in the Middle East, wherein he proposes to have two states of Palestine (Israel and Palestine) living in peace and harmony. America’s closest ally and partner in the war against international terrorism is Great Britain, and President Bush has said of England, “America has no truer friend than Great Britain.” The Washington Post, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2001. Both these leaders seem to have a purpose-driven determination to bring peace to the Middle East through their international policies. In his press address Mr. Blair said: “Two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in an enduring peace, would do more to defeat this terrorism than bullets alone can ever do.” AFP: 9/28/2004, http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=28851.

The reader must understand however, that peace in the Middle East will be achieved on God’s terms, not on Bush’s and Blair’s’. What then does the Bible have to say regarding the Middle East conflict and last day events? It should come as no surprise to the student of prophecy that Israel is God’s time clock of the world. What happens in Israel affects the political balance in our world. The precipitating conditions which led to the historic September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States of America, are deeply rooted in the political conditions within the state of Israel. The terrorist mastermind of Osama Ben-Laden, in his own words unfolds to the word the bare facts as he sees them:

“I say to you, Allah knows that it had never occurred to us to strike the towers. But after it became unbearable and we witnessed the oppression and tyranny of the American/Israeli coalition against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, it came to my mind.

The events that affected my soul in a direct way started in 1982 when America permitted the Israelis to invade Lebanon and the American Sixth Fleet helped them in that. This bombardment began and many were killed and injured and others were terrorized and displaced.

I couldn’t forget those moving scenes, blood and severed limbs, women and children sprawled everywhere. Houses destroyed along with their occupants and high rises demolished over their residents, rockets raining down on our home without mercy.

The situation was like a crocodile meeting a helpless child, powerless except for his screams. Does the crocodile understand a conversation that doesn’t include a weapon? And the whole world saw and heard but it didn’t respond.

In those difficult moments many hard-to-describe ideas bubbled in my soul, but in the end they produced an intense feeling of rejection of tyranny, and gave birth to a strong resolve to punish the oppressors.” Full transcript of Bin-Ladin’s speech, Aljazeera Network News

Monday 01 November 2004 http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/79C6AF22-98FB-4A1C-B21F-2BC36E87F61F.htm

It is now clear that the link to the internationalization of terrorism as we have now come to know it, finds its genesis in the handling of the Israeli-Palestinian affairs. Let’s now look to the Bible for answers to the finality of these pressing issues.

Bible Prophecy And The Middle East

From the earliest of times, the Middle East has been on God’s mind. Indeed, long before it was even dubbed “the Middle-East” God had His eyes on that place. “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.” Gen. 2: 10-14. You will note that we are now in the beginning of this Earth’s history, and then God made beautiful Eden. Now, Eden was not like a rose garden you take a stroll in on a typical Sabbath afternoon, rather it was an immense piece of real estate covering an area much larger than the geographical boundaries of the United States! From East to west Eden extended from modern-day Iraq to Egypt, and from north to south, it extended from modern-day Turkey and Syria in Asia-minor, to Ethiopia in Central to Northern Africa (Please use a good Bible Atlas, the map in the back of your Bible will do, to see the expanse of this terrain). That is an immensely large garden!

When Abraham, by faith responded to God’s righteous invitation, he was promised “the land of Canaan, the lot of your [Israel’s] inheritance” (Ps. 105:11), and so it became known as the Land of Promise, or “the Promised Land.” Then God confirmed to Abram, by an oath, and changed his name to Abraham to confirm (seal) the promise. While in a “deep sleep,” Abraham was divinely transported to hear the divine pronouncement on his posterity, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Gen. 15: 18-21. (Use a good Bible Atlas to chart out these territories.). In harmony with the terms of this promise, Abraham’s descendants—the Children of Jacob (Israel)—did endure hardship in Egypt, but were later freed to enter Canaan (Palestine), and they did possess that land, but not according to the terms of tenancy that God had in mind for Abraham. You will recall that they were a most rebellious set, but the Lord in His great mercy and loving kindness, allowed the obedient Israelites under 20, save for Caleb and Joshua, to enter and possess the Promised Land.

On their final march to victory to possess Canaan, the divine reversal of terms was pronounced on Israel: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.” Deut. 4: 26-27. What a sad moment that must have been! To hear Moses declare that one day in their future Israel would become mere fugitives and vagabonds—a people without a homeland—must have been a devastating blow to their sense of “special favor” with God.

But the same God who had promised them shame, because of their inveterate transgressions against his commandments, in his great love and mercy, promised them hope, and a second chance. Thus head pleads, “if from thence [in the lands of the heathens] thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” Deut. 4: 29-31. Dear reader, please take pause to note that the promise made to Abraham, though the conditions were not fulfilled by Israel after the flesh, are still on record, and are sure and secured to be fulfilled in “the latter days,” for Israel after the spirit. In other words, if it takes up until the “last days” of earth’s history for His people to acknowledge Him with all their heart and with all their soul, God will “not forget” His covenant which He swore unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He will then “remember the Land” (Lev. 26:42) of Canaan.

The Middle-East A Last-Day Time Clock

Over the past 50 and more years, the subject of Israel and Palestine has dominated the evening news. From the days of Hitler’s onslaught to rid the earth of everything Jewish, unto the present day, the one thread that has been unbroken in modern news reporting is Israel in conflict with her neighbors, and with the passage of each successive year, the outlook seems more and more bleak that there will ever be peace in the Middle East. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in agreement with all other world leaders, has declared that “the need to revitalize the Middle East peace process is the single most pressing political challenge in our world today.” I hope you caught that. Modern political thinking is that if there is no peace in the Middle East, there will be no peace on earth, thus “the single most pressing political challenge in our world today” is Israel—God’s time clock! What this up swell does therefore is to make Israel the centerpiece of international politics, and thus of last-day Bible prophecy.

“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you.” Zeph. 2: 1-2. Here we are clearly told that “a nation” that is “not desired” amongst the nations, is to “gather together,” and this gathering must precede “the day of the Lord’s anger,” hence it must occur in the “latter days” when “the fierce anger of the Lord” will befall the sinners on Earth. And while He is thus preparing to destroy the wicked, he entreats his people—the meek—to “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.” The only such nation that answers to this prophecy is the undesired, and once homeless nation of Israel. Indeed, prior to 1948, the Jewish people were a people without a homeland. “In 586 BC, Judah itself ceased to be an independent kingdom, and the earlier deportees found themselves without a homeland, without a state, and without a nation.” World Civilizations, Washington State University, http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/HEBREWS/EXILE.HTM

From the historian’s pen, it is very evident that the people and “nation not desired” is the Hebrew people—the nation of Israel. The prophet Hosea was not silent on this matter either, for he said: “the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” Hosea 3: 4-5. The Bible is singularly clear that “in the latter days” of this present world, somewhere in the end of time, there is to be a gathering together of Israel, and prior to this time, they were to have existed “without” a government—without a nation home. The historian is in full agreement on this matter, for as it is now clear, after their return from Babylonian exile, the Hebrew (Jewish) people were finally driven from the Promised Land (Jerusalem) at the hands of Titus’ brutal and avenging army, and nineteen centuries have passed over them, seeking refuge in other nations which have wasted them. Ellen White, with her indefatigable pen, sums up this thread of history in sublime focus:

The hour of hope and pardon was fast passing; the cup of God’s long-deferred wrath was almost full. The cloud that had been gathering through ages of apostasy and rebellion, now black with woe, was about to burst upon a guilty people, and He who alone could save them from their impending fate had been slighted, abused, rejected, and was soon to be crucified. When Christ should hang upon the cross of Calvary, Israel’s day as a nation favored and blessed of God would be ended. The loss of even one soul is a calamity, infinitely outweighing the gains and treasures of a world; but as Christ looked upon Jerusalem, the doom of a whole city, a whole nation, was before him; that city, that nation which had once been the chosen of God,–his peculiar treasure. {GC88 21.1}

Prophets had wept over the apostasy of Israel, and the terrible desolations by which their sins were visited. Jeremiah wished that his eyes were a fountain of tears, that he might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of his people, for the Lord’s flock that was carried away captive. [JER. 9:1; 13:17.] What, then, was the grief of Him whose prophetic glance took in, not years, but ages! He beheld the destroying angel with sword uplifted against the city which had so long been Jehovah’s dwelling-place. From the ridge of Olivet, the very spot afterward occupied by Titus and his army, he looked across the valley upon the sacred courts and porticoes, and with tear-dimmed eyes he saw, in awful perspective, the walls surrounded by alien hosts. He heard the tread of armies marshaling for war. He heard the voice of mothers and children crying for bread in the besieged city. He saw her holy and beautiful house, her palaces and towers, given to the flames, and where once they stood, only a heap of smouldering ruins. {GC88 21.2}

Looking down the ages, he saw the covenant people scattered in every land, “like wrecks on a desert shore.” In the temporal retribution about to fall upon her children, he saw but the first draught from that cup of wrath which at the final Judgment she must drain to its dregs. Divine pity, yearning love, found utterance in the mournful words: “‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!’ [MATT. 23:37.] Oh that thou, a nation favored above every other, hadst known the time of thy visitation, and the things that belong unto thy peace! I have stayed the angel of justice, I have called thee to repentance, but in vain. It is not merely servants, delegates, and prophets, whom thou hast refused and rejected, but the Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer. If thou art destroyed, thou alone art responsible. ‘Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.’” [JOHN 5:40.] {GC88 21.3}—The Great Controversy, 1888 Ed, pp. 21-22

Zephaniah continues in his chilling prophecy, declaring that “Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.” Zeph. 2: 4-5. It is impressive to note that one of the oldest cities in the Middle East, dominates the newscast of our times—Gaza! Think of how many times you’ve heard of “Gaza and the West Bank” in the evening newscasts. They are mentioned for a reason, and prophecy declares that they will be desolated—before the “day passes as the chaff”—before the days of the Lord’s “fierce anger.” I now invite the reader to trace along the southwestern coast of the map below, to see the proximate location of these Biblical cities mentioned above. This entire area is currently known as “the West Bank.” The Lord here announces that after this destruction from the Almighty, “there shall be no inhabitant” left in Canaan—Palestine. Yet, in the following verses He gave hope, that there will be inhabitants of a different character in Palestine, which forces the question: Why this dichotomy?

“And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.” Zeph. 2:6-7. The simple truth to the question above is that Jesus Christ is removing the rebels from amongst His people, so that He can use them to glorify His holy name. Note that this place will be inhabited by “the remnant” of Judah, and at this time they are called “shepherds,” and their converts “flocks. After the destruction, therefore, sometime after the rebels have been removed, the God of Heaven will set up a kingdom of righteous believers right there in the promised land, in fulfillment of his covenant to our fathers. And rather than being relegated simply to the identified Jews of our times, these promises are inclusive of all who name the name of Christ, for saith the Apostle to the Gentiles: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3: 29. Now the word “heirs” as herein used, carries with it the meaning of “legitimate beneficiaries of a covenant, a will or a promise.” The Arab-Israeli conflict will end in desolations, to clear the land of the rebels, and then the Lord will plant his own people there.

Text Box: The reader should recall that in Deuteronomy the Lord promised that he will not forsake the covenant which he made to the fathers because of the rebellion of the children, but that “in the latter days” he would ratify this promise. He told Moses to inform Israel that their scattering was the Lord’s punishment on their backsliding, but that He would again gather them in His time and under his direction. Thus Zephaniah concludes: “For the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.” Zeph. 2:7

In the language of Ezekiel, the Bible says: “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.” Ezek. 34: 12-15. To this day, these verses have never been fulfilled, and they will before Jesus returns the second time, for the mouth of the Lord who cannot lie has spoken them.

These prophecies are seen by many in the Christian world, as merely “conditional” and because ancient Israel has broken their terms of stay in the Holy Land that God has completely abandoned his “oath unto Isaac” to give his descendants “the land of Canaan, the lot of [their] inheritance” (Ps. 105:6, 11). The Lord reminds us through the Gospel Prophet that, “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isa. 55:8-11. God’s words are dependable, His promises are secure, His oath is everlasting, this Truth is eternal and His ways exalted, therefore he does not make empty promises and vain speeches to tickle our ears, but as the one who changes not, will renew his promises for great is his faithfulness. In the language of Jeremiah we hear: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lam. 2: 22-23.

WHAT ELSE DOES THE BIBLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT

THE END-TIME EVENTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST?

Let’s read further: “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.” Ezek. 38:1-6. This nation of Gog is the Muslim-Arabic world. Geographically we are seeing a territory extending from Turkey northward throughout the Baltic states of the old Soviet Union, and southward to Ethiopia and Libya in North Africa, countries which have not lost their Biblical names over the centuries, because their roles in prophecy have not yet been fulfilled.

Persia = Iran

The main ally listed is Persia. The identification of “Persia” includes the descendents of Elam, the 1st son of Shem and is modern Iran. The name “Persia” is first encountered as Parsua in Assyrian texts of the 9th century B.C. The official name of the country became Iran in 1935, as a cognate of Aryan.

Cush = Ethiopia

This refers to the land south of Egypt, usually translated Ethiopia. Originally Cush referred to a piece of territory lying between the 2nd and 3rd cataracts of the Nile. Later it became a broader area known as Nubia. In broad, connotative usage, it is generally viewed as embracing “Black Africa”.

Phut (or Put) = Libya

The 3rd son of Ham. Josephus identifies him as the founder of Libya whose inhabitants were originally known as “the Putties.” In a connotative sense, it is associated with “North Africa” populated by the Berbers and tribes distinct from Cush, and thus, reaches from Libya to Mauratania and the Mahgreb: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco.

Gomer = the Cimmerians / Germany

In the Babylonian Talmud, the Biblical Gomer, the father of Ashkenaz, is rendered Germania or Germany. Gomer is also associated with the people referred to in nonbiblical sources as the Cimmerians. (Akkadian: Gimmiraia, Greek: Kimmerioi) who eventually established themselves in the Rhine and Danube valleys. Riphath, another son of Gomer, is identified by Josephus as associated with the Paplagonians.

Togarmah = Turkic Tribes / Armenia

Another son of Gomer. The Assyrians called them Til-Garimmu, a name derived from the Hittite city of Tegarama and carried into classical times as Gauraema. (modern Gurun), 70 miles west of Malayta. The city was destroyed by Sennacherib in 695 B.C. Josephus refers to them as Phrygians. The Armenians still refer to themselves as “The House of Togarmah” even to this day, although they are only one of the Turkic people descending from these ancient tribes. The tribal associations also appear to include Turkey and Turkestan.

Meshech & Tubal = ancient Anatolia / Turkey

Meshech: The 6th son of Japath; identified with the ancient Mushki of the Assyrians and the Muschoi of the classical Greek writers. The Assyrian inscriptions describe them as inhabiting Phrygia in Northern Anatolia (modern Turkey). Herodotus identifies the Mushki with the mountains southeast of the Black Sea or the Northeast part of Turkey. Josephus also identifies the descendents of Meshech as dwelling in Eastern Turkey. Many also link the names with Mushkovi, the old name for Russia.

Tubal: The 5th son of Japath and brother of Meshech. 9th century B.C. Assyrian inscriptions refer to it as Tabal, West of Meshech in Eastern Anatolia. Geographical neighbors, they became allies against the Assyrians in 713 B.C. The classical Greek writers called them the Tibareni and the Moschi. Herodotus also places them both along the Southeast shores of the Black Sea. Some associate it with Tobolsk of Russia.

This mustering of a combined Arab-Muslim military coalition centered upon uprooting Israel, is scheduled to unfold in latter days—the time of the end. Thus saith the Lord of God of Israel: “After many days thou [Gog] shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.” Ezek. 38: 8. From what the Bible is here saying, we are to see Israel dwelling safely, “all of them” in “the latter years” and this will inspire the wrath of Gog—the Arab-Muslim military coalition. Now, let me hasten to say that the Israel here mentioned, is not political Israel, but religious Israel, the 144,000 Israelites (Rev. 7:4) and their converts.

“ Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” Ezek. 34: 9-13.

From the above verses it is clear that this “land of unwalled villages” is geographic Israel. “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” Zech. 2:4,5. The mechanization of this warfare tells us that it is fought in a technologically advanced age. Gog and his coalition are to wage their attack by aerial warfare, for they are to “ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land.” The verb “ascend” carries Strong’s Hebrew No. 05927 [hle ‘alah aw-law’], which means 1) to go up, ascend, climb; 1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon).” Clearly then, in as much as storm clouds travel in the air from location to location, so will Gog’s army be airborne, as they seek to decimate the land of Israel. But he who never slumbers nor sleeps will be the protection of His faithful ones then: “For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.” Isa. 31: 4-5. And what could these “flying” birds be, but divine angels who excel in strength? Heaven will unleash its squadron of celestial flying machines to protect and deliver God’s people during these end times!

This battle while aerial, will be a combination of amphibious assaults (from the sea), infantry (by land), and aerial bombardments (by planes and missiles). “And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” Ezek. 38: 15-16. The Bible is either right or wrong, and since the God of the Bible cannot “lie” (Num. 23: 19), whether we want to “believe [God’s] prophets” or not (2 Chron. 20:20), that thing is going to be–Jerusalem shall “in the latter days” be the headquarters for the everlasting gospel, from whence the 144,000 “servants of our God” (Rev. 7:3) will carry forth their ministry. This truth might be called “radical theology” by some, “new theology” by others, or “Shepherd’s Rod” by still more, but from the Biblical perspective it is called “covenant” theology—the everlasting gospel.

“And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezek. 38: 21-23. Although this coalition will seem invincible as they are mustering their warfare against the land Israel, they will suddenly see a common enemy in each other, and commit fratricide—“every man’s sword shall be [turned] against his brother.” In His dealings with the Midianites and the Amalekites against Israel, the Lord God of heaven caused them to slay each other on the battle fields, rather than destroying his people Israel, thus “the LORD set every man‘s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host” of Midian. Judges 7:22. The reader is encouraged to read Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 for expended details which cannot be covered in this article.

That Jerusalem will be the center for the Gospel in the “latter days,” is not a secret amongst the prophets, and it the most often discussed theme by all the prophets of antiquity. From Isaiah to Malachi, there is a common thread portending the return of the exiles to their Father’s land, not as rebellious atheists and idolaters, but as born-again believers having a purpose driven mission. Looking down the ages, Zechariah exclaims: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zech. 12: 2-3. As clear as language can make it, the Lord is informing us that Jerusalem will become the “burden” of the world, and eventually “all the people of the earth,” through their armies, will be arrayed against her. There has never been a world war centered in Jerusalem, but in this prophecy we are seeing a world war fought in Jerusalem proper, this has to be World War III!

“In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Zech. 12: 8-10. This war will be fought in the Christian dispensation, because we are told that “they shall look upon me [Christ] whom they have pierced.” This event must therefore be post resurrection, because (1) the saints are to look upon Christ’s wounded hands, an experience which can only be post resurrection, and (2) it is probationary because God will pour His Holy Spirit of grace and of supplications “upon the house of David [the purified church], and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” thereby impelling them to sound the final clarion call of the gospel trumpet to earth’s remotest bounds. That will be Pentecost Part II. Hence, “the great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening… Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers.” The Great Controversy, p. 611-612.

The battle for Jerusalem is seen through the eyes of Zechariah, in another light, prior to her possession by God’s Holy people, thusly: “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” Zech. 14: 1-2. That this event is pre-millennial is clear from the passage itself, because after the millennium, and yea before, the New Jerusalem which is above—in Heaven—has never been taken by the enemy, nor will it ever be, but the Jerusalem here on earth has and will be taken, at which time the Lord whose “name” is there, will defend this city when He returns His little ones to inhabit it for His glory and His praise.

“And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be…All the land shall be turned as a plain … and inhabited in her place…And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” Zech. 14: 8-12. The fact that “summer” and “winter” will be experienced in this Jerusalem further forces the conclusion that the time herein prophesied is both probationary and pre-millennial, because there will be no seasonal changes in the New Jerusalem—New Earth, as we now have in this cursed earth. These drastic seasonal changes were not here from the days of Eden, but were realized after the earth suffered under the dreadful curse of the Noahtic flood, and the Lord promised that as long as “the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen. 8:22.

HERE IS THE SUM

President Bush has been set in the kingdom for such as time as this. He is to lead and influence world opinion and support for the restoration of Palestine—the two joint states of Palestine, living in peace and prosperity. Yasser Arrafat, the former President/Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (P.L.O.), who was seen by world leaders as a stumbling block to the Middle East peace process, died without a medically disclosed cause of his illness on November 11, 2004. This makes the way more accessible for a true break-thru “peace” treaty to be signed by the two states of Palestine—Israel and Palestine. Now, the only way there can be some semblance of “peace” in the middle east, is for there to be a wave of democratic changes taking place there. Their strict and autocratic way of ruling has to give way to democracy—government by the people, and we can hear the sound of freedom ringing throughout the middle east! After all, there has been an historic election in Iraq, and another in Palestine, with still others yet to be disclosed in the nearby future. By divine direction President Bush has won the White House and has dedicated his second term to bolster the Middle East Peace process, and take it home to completion by the end of his presidency.

The existence of the two states of Palestine will create the most interesting time bomb in the middle east, waiting to be detonated in a most lethal conflagration. “But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof.” Amos 1:7 “ For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.” Zep. 2:4. After this destruction, and desolation, the Lord will make Jerusalem, and the entire Promised Land, for this matter, the dwelling place for His own peculiar people—144,000 and their co-laborers. From here the final clarion call of the Everlasting Gospel will belt the world, and then Jesus will come and take His waiting church home to heaven for a 1,000-year vacation. At the end of this epic journey in space, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, will descend and sit squarely on the site—Kingdom, which prior to the millennium was the earthly headquarters of the Church of the First Born. We are therefore on the very verge of this promised Kingdom of God. In the language of Ellen White, “we are on the borders of the eternal world.”

When America gets world approval to sign off on the two states of Palestine, she will have simultaneously formed a stronger alliance with the protestant movement seeking the enforcement of their dogmas through civil laws. Indeed, no sooner than President Bush won the second term election did this historic alliance show its real prowess: “The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to join a new alliance that would be the broadest Christian group ever formed in the United States, linking American evangelicals and Catholics in an ecumenical organization for the first time. The alliance, called Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A., is set to kick off next year. It would include mainline Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and black and other minority churches. With about 67 million U.S. members, the Catholic Church would be the largest denomination. ‘It’s not to create some kind of megabody or megachurch,’ said Bishop Stephen Blaire, chairman of the ecumenical committee for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ‘It is a forum for participation so that we can pray together, grow in our understanding together and witness together our faith.’” AP—Headline News: Catholic bishops join Christian alliance, Wednesday, November 17, 2004. http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/17/catholic.bishops.ap/index.html

In order to form an Image to the beast, American Protestants must:

1. Form an alliance with Roman Catholicism—the Vatican—the headline above shows that this has been done and rightly on schedule.

2. Accept spiritualism—this is a most widely accepted fact, as portrayed Mel Gibson’s “The Passion Of The Christ” award winning movie, which has won national and international Christian endorsements.

3. Seek the force of the civil laws to enact her dogmas—This is what placed President Bush back in the White House—The Moral Majority Coalition, more commonly known as “The Religious Right.”

a. “Although the battle for the U.S. Supreme Court is not over, we now have the opportunity to appoint justices who will judge — not legislate — from the bench. This election sets the future course of the U.S. Supreme Court for the next 20-30 years. Marriage, morality and the sanctity of human life were the real winners in this election. The people have spoken. The politicians must now listen or seriously consider finding other employment.”– THE FUTURE OF MARRIAGE, MORALITY AND THE SUPREME COURT, By Matthew D. Staver, President and General Counsel, Liberty Counsel

Vice President of Law and Policy, Liberty University, November, 2004: http://www.faithandvalues.us/

b. “This groundswell of support for marriage will carry us forward in the quest to amend the United States Constitution to preserve traditional marriage”—ibid.

c. “President George W. Bush received more popular votes than any other presidential candidate in history, with more than 60 million popular votes. One of the most important issues for voters nationwide was marriage and morality”—ibid.

Friends with all these prophecies unfolding before our very eyes, it behooves us all to heed the more sure word of prophecy, and live holy lives worthy of divine approval. For when they shall say “peace and safety” then, shall they face sudden destruction.

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” 1 Thess. 5:2-10.

Breaking News!!

After the writing of this article, the following news broadcasts appeared on the Internet:

Egypt’s Mubarak Orders Election Amendment ,February 26, 2005

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050226/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_presidential_elections

CAIRO, Egypt – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (news – web sites) on Saturday ordered a revision of the country’s election laws and said multiple candidates could run in the nation’s presidential elections, a scenario Mubarak hasn’t faced since becoming the country’s leader in 1981.

In his surprise announcement, Mubarak said the country needed “more freedom and democracy,” responding to critics’ calls for political reform in Egypt. The possibility of a democratic election comes shortly after the historic elections in Iraq (news – web sites) and the Palestinian territories that brought a taste of democracy to a region the United States has urged to reform.

“The election of a president will be through direct, secret balloting, giving the chance for political parties to run for the presidential elections and providing guarantees that allow more than one candidate for the people to choose among them with their own will,” Mubarak said in an address broadcast live on Egyptian television.

Mubarak — who has never faced an opponent since becoming president after the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat — said his initiative came “out of my full conviction of the need to consolidate efforts for more freedom and democracy.” …Mubarak said he asked parliament and the Shura Council to amend Article 76 of the constitution, which deals with presidential elections. Egyptian television reported that the two bodies convened emergency sessions to begin discussing an amendment. He said the amendment would be put to a general public referendum before the presidential polls, which are scheduled for September. As recently as last month Mubarak had rejected opposition demands to open presidential balloting to other candidates, and he was obviously aware of the historic potential of his announcement. “If it happens, it would be the first time in the political history of Egypt that a chance is given to somebody who is capable of shouldering the responsibility to protect the people’s achievements and future security to come forward for presidential elections with parliamentary and popular support,” he said. Egypt holds presidential referendums every six years in which people vote “yes” or “no” for a single candidate who has been approved by parliament. Mubarak has been nominated by his ruling National Democratic Party to stand in four presidential referendums, winning more than 90 percent of the vote each time.

I will have more to say on this and similar newscasts in my upcoming article on exposing the King of the North in Daniel 11:40-45. Friends, the world stage is warming up, from China and North Korea in the Far east, to the political epic-center in the Middle East, from Tidal Waves (Tsunamis) to hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, the divine hand is writing the inscription on the wall of our world, “the end of all things are at hand, the Kingdom is about to be ushered in. Prepare ye to meet thy God—in peace or in wrath.”

Please note that in the prophecy of Daniel 11:42, the bible flatly states, “He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” Dan. 11: 42-43. We are now seeing how “Egypt” is quickly falling in the clutches of the King of the North, we have yet to see a full conformance of Libya and Ethiopia—prophecy declares they will, although politics will seek to undermine it. The term “at his steps” can be taken to mean one of two things: (a) they will follow closely behind him—be for him, or (b) be “on his heels” so to speak, following stealthily in a stalking manner. Time alone will tell which of the two scenarios it will be, but we can already see in the sweeping compromises made in Libya in dismantling their nuclear ambitions, that they are playing right in the hands of the king of the north, and consequently in the hands of bible prophecy. It will not take much for Ethiopia to come in full conformance with the democratic reforms now sweeping the Middle East. Again from the news wires we read:

Bush sees wave of democracy in Mideast “The president, in a major address at the National Defense University in Washington, echoed the lyrical optimism about ending world tyranny that he voiced in his inaugural address in January. But this time Bush seized on several recent and expected events to support his assessment that ‘history is moving quickly’ in the Middle East.” Chicago Tribune, Posted on Tue, Mar. 08, 2005.