America and Israel from 2016 to Armageddon
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Chapter 3—Israel Attacked
The Bible explains in Ezekiel 38 that, once the Jewish people have been given back their land and they are back in Israel, feeling somewhat secure and safe, a great country from the north of Israel will attack them. From all the information given in Ezekiel 38, most scholars agree that this great northern power is none other than Russia. In Ezekiel 38:3 (KJV), the Bible mentions Meshech and Tubal, which are believed to be Moscow and Tobulsk.
According to Ezekiel 38:5 (KJV), with this great army will come Persia, now referred to as Iran, along with Ethiopia, Libya, and other northern Nile countries. Israel is to be attacked, and it is important to remember that this prophecy could not have been fulfilled prior to 1948 because, before this year, there was no Israel. This is something that is yet to take place. Because Israel is so strong, she is fairly secure with her Arab neighbors. When the Shah was in control of Iran, Iran was a great friend to the United States. We have seen this all change over the years. Today Iran calls us the great Satan, and they chant “Death to America!” and openly admit they plan to destroy Israel. They call Israel a cancer that must be removed and refuse to recognize Israel as a nation.
It is truly amazing to watch this all come together. The two major powers, Russia and Iran, have become strong allies and have been flexing their muscles in the Middle East. But what does the Bible say? In Ezekiel 38:4 (KJV), God says He would put hooks in their jaws and bring them forth. In other words, God is going to cause them to come against Israel. God is going to allow them, along with Ethiopia and Libya (Ezekiel 38:5), to attack Israel.
Ezekiel 38:9 (KJV) says, “Thou shall ascend and come like a storm; thou shall be like a cloud to cover the land. Thou and all thy hordes, and many people with thee.” It will be a massive attack. In Ezekiel 38:10 (KJV), they will devise an evil scheme and think an evil thought. This will create havoc to the world trade system. In Ezekiel 38:13 (KJV), the world trade system and their military, “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all its young lions” will ask, “Why are you doing this? Are you coming to steal?”
According to Ezekiel 38:19–20 (KJV), when this war occurs, “there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.” God says, “All the men that are upon the face of the earth will shake at My presence.” It is not just confined to Israel. This doesn’t exclude any living person! God’s judgment is sure, and He is going to bring judgment upon these countries who come against Israel, specifically Russia for its ungodly atheistic beliefs and Iran and others because of the way they have treated Israel.
I believe we in the United States will have to pay for how we have drifted away from God. He brings judgment for two reasons: to punish and to teach. When this happens, God will bring about His punishment and teaching. America needs to turn back to God!
I wrote about this in 1982, and now in 2016, thirty-four years later, I am totally amazed and overwhelmed at how things are coming together. In Ezekiel 38 (KJV), God tells us He is against these enemies of Israel. He will put hooks in their jaws and bring them down. He will egg them on. Israel, once a wasteland, has become something nice. Israel’s enemies will come like a storm or cloud. They will think an evil thought and devise an evil scheme. The world and its armies will ask, “Why?” The Middle East has been in turmoil since Israel became a nation in 1948. This war is going to change a lot of things. In Ezekiel 39:2 (KJV), we see five-sixths of this enemy destroyed. Only one-sixth will be spared. The Bible says that all men worldwide will shake or tremble when this war occurs. In Ezekiel 39:6 (KJV), we are told that God would send fire on Magog and also on the people who dwell securely in the coastlands. That could mean a lot of places in the world, including the United States. God help our country repent and turn back to Him!
Today Russia and Iran are such good friends, and anti-Semitism is growing. Iran wants Israel destroyed. In May 1948, we saw Israel become a nation, fulfilling Ezekiel 36. In November 1989, we saw the Berlin Wall come down, causing the end of the Soviet Union. This gave freedom to millions of Jewish people, fulfilling Ezekiel 37. We are told these enemies would attack Israel in Ezekiel 38. Exactly when this will happen, we don’t know. However, we do know that everything is in place. Once this war is over, it will seem like Israel could finally have peace. Some world leader will come forward and make a peace agreement (Daniel 9:27), and all will love him. This person, professing to be a Christian, is described as the rider of the white horse in Revelation 6:2.
Jesus said in John 5:43 (KJV), “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” They rejected Christ, but now with this peace agreement, they will treat this person almost like he was the Messiah. I feel sorry for this individual because he probably enters into this with good intentions, but in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–8 (KJV), we are told that the Holy Spirit has been restraining sin, and once the Holy Spirit is taken out, the evil one will be revealed by his signing of the peace covenant with Israel.
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About the Book
When the fig tree buds and puts forth new leaves, we know summer is near. How do we know when Christ’s coming and His Kingdom are near? Israel is described as the fig tree, or the clock, that we are to examine to know the time. For almost 2000 years, the fig tree, Israel, was quiet and dormant. Throughout the Church age, from A.D. 70, when General Titus of the Roman Empire destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, until Hitler and World War II, very little happened to the Jewish people.
The new leaves began to appear when six million Jews were killed in World War II. New leaves appeared in 1948 when they became a nation, and again, when their barren wasteland became like a garden. More new leaves appeared when they became a great army. In 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down and millions were freed from the Soviet Union. For almost 2000 years, nothing seemed to be happening.
Now what is left for Israel, and how fast will it happen? We are told in Daniel 9:24, they will be saved as a nation in the seventieth week of Daniel. What do we see happening to Israel on the way to Armageddon?
After almost 2000 years of silence, the fig tree started to bloom, beginning with World War II. It is amazing how much has happened since then. How soon will the remaining signs occur, and how quick will the coming of Christ’s Kingdom be?
About the Author
Scotty Dolinger attended Tenn. Temple Bible School in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Arlington Bible Institute and College in Baltimore, Md. He was a pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Grayson County, Va., for many years. He is retired, and he and his wife are living in Az.