The Beginning of the End … Gog/Magog Alliance

The constant media bombardment from the Middle East covers most of the significant events in that region, but not all of them. Some things fly under the media radar, despite the ominous global implications attached to these occurrences. We’ll get to one of those sparingly reported incidents in a moment.

The one-two, left-right media punch consists of almost daily coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian struggle and the civil war in Syria. The conflict in Syria has captured world attention for over three years now. Media exposure has expanded with chain reaction intensity since Russia entered the fray a few months ago, ostensibly to wage war against ISIS; with their real agenda of gaining a foothold in the Middle East by supporting the shaky Syrian government ruled by Bashar Assad.

The multi-national and ethnically religious line-up of players in Syria is mind-boggling; not so much the numbers as the alliances. Who is fighting whom? Who supports whom, what, and why? A is fighting B who is fighting C who is fighting A … and so on.

For the most part, it’s Sunni versus Shi’ite Islam, but not entirely. Sunnis are also fighting Sunnis. Nearly all Sunnis and some Shi’ites oppose Assad and his Alawite sect of Islam. All Muslim sects loathe and persecute Christians and Jews, covertly in Israel and overtly in surrounding countries. Everyone is against ISIS, mostly because non-ISIS Muslims want to establish their own form of an Islamic Caliphate … not the ISIS’s version of world domination beginning with control of Iraq and Syria.

And lest we negligently omit Egypt from this apocalyptic scenario, recently the deposed Muslim Brotherhood reared its radical head and aggressively trumpeted the call for, “a long uncompromising jihad” to topple Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his militarily controlled government. Apparently, Jihad can be waged against fellow Muslims, not just the infidel Jews and Christians.

As Jerusalem-based well-known scholar and author Rabbi Nachman Kahana recently opined: “One needs a scorecard to keep track of the sides and the initiatives of what is now transpiring in the Arab Gehennom (Hell) of the Middle East.”

The once entrenched Syrian government still ruled by Bashar Assad is making a comeback, thanks to the economic and military support of Russia and Iran, but also Hezbollah of Lebanon. The rebel factions trying to overthrow the Assad regime are backed by the United States and a few coalition allies such as France and England. However, some rebels fight against other rebels.

A group mud-wrestling brawl, a bumper-car melee, or a free-for-all bar fight metaphor comes to mind, but only with regard to the bizarre, almost comical alignment of nations, ethnic groups, and terrorist cells. Otherwise any such analogy doesn’t come close to explaining the devastating death and destruction (over a quarter million killed thus far in Syria); nor the massive displacement of millions of Syrians into refugee status; nor the imminent threat of global war if just one of the more prominent nations like Russia, Iran, Turkey, or the United States gets truly serious about whether Assad should remain in power or not.

It is as the British are prone to say: A bloody mess … literally.

An Astounding Show of Arabian and Turkish Force

Recently, a huge multi-national military force was assembled that some major media outlets apparently kept under the global radar. This event took place in northern Saudi Arabia just south of the Iraq border in early February. The Saudis labeled it, Northern Thunder.

(Saudi Military Getting Ready for Northern Thunder)

This joint military exercise consisted of some 20 (Arab and/or Moslem) countries, which made it the largest war games undertaking in the history of the Middle East. According to Saudi sources, some 350,000 troops, 20,000 tanks, 2,500 fighter planes, and 450 attack helicopters were deployed in these maneuvers as preparation for a possible (some experts say probable) all-out attack against Syrian government forces and ISIS. The two most prominent nations in this confederacy are Saudi Arabia and Turkey. It’s all too evident that these nations will no longer rely on American coalition air raids against ISIS and against Syrian government military installations to turn the tide, especially after Russia joined the fray; since Russia is mostly dropping bombs on the rebels fighting Assad, not on ISIS.

All of which makes the recent “cease-fire” in Syria a farce. In reality it gives both Assad’s forces and even ISIS the chance to regroup and wreak more havoc on the rebel troops. Turkey will apparently honor the cease-fire but not as applied to the Kurds; the Turks will undoubtedly continue their ruthless attacks on their bitter enemy, the Kurds. Just before the ceasefire, Turkish militants crossed the border into northern Syria, supported by artillery fire from the Turkish military as they attacked a Kurdish town. In another incident, a group of some one hundred “fighters” crossed into Syria from Turkey and joined up with other militants to launch an assault on the Kurdish city of Tell Abyad. However, the Kurds successfully repelled the attack.

Thus, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and several of the Arab oil-rich countries are throwing their economic and military hats into this ring of fire; a conflagration that could engulf the entire Middle East. If they enter the Syrian war, they will do more than either the United States (or allies) or Iran or Russia have done, at least up to this point. There will be Saudi and Turkish boots on the ground … a lot of them.

Though menacing in its scope, the civil war blaze in Syria and the brush fire Northern Thunder operation that could add enough fuel to the Middle-East fire to ignite the region into an inferno hot enough to melt any restraint currently exercised by all those who are trying to extinguish the fire; it is NOT a prelude to World War III. That comes later, well over half-way through the Great Tribulation when the ten-nation coalition led by Antichrist will launch an enormous campaign against Israel and, in the process, take on the Oriental Kings of the East.

The Syrian situation is, however, a terrible and traumatic tune-up to the first massive attack against Israel as found in Ezekiel Chapters 38 & 39, called the Gog/Magog invasion. Never before have the nations identified in this well-known prophecy announced over 2,500 years ago been aligned together as they now are, and only in the past few years.

The two most powerful nations referenced in Ezekiel’s predictions are Russia, by clear inference, and Iran, by actual name. Once enemies by virtue of the Iranian’s (Persians) national adherence to Islam, directly opposed to Russia’s atheistic communism, Iran is now an ally of Russia. They have set aside their differences for the common cause of establishing a footing in the region, under the pretense of supporting Bashar Assad and his Syrian government. Russia’s main agenda is to take over the gas fields off the coast of Israel and newly discovered oil reserves in Israel. Iran’s objective is much less subtle. Their hatred of Jews and Israel has been repeatedly voiced by their leaders with genocidal threats to: Wipe Israel from the face of the earth.

*Note: For more details on Russia, Iran, and their anti-Semitic agendas leading to fulfilment of the Gog/Magog prophecy, please see Eye of Prophecy articles entitled: Beware of the Bear (posted 3-22-14); Russia & Iran Versus Israel (10-4-14); Gog, Magog & Leviathan (1-3-15); The Russians Are Coming! (11-14-15).

Although diplomatic relations between Turkey (the third most prominent nation in this Gog/Magog confederation) and Russia are currently strained, that will change dramatically when Russia covertly, then openly declares its intention to invade Israel. In the classic mode of “if your enemy is also my enemy,” Turkey will go all in with Russia and Iran if it means conquering Israel.

There is no doubt that the end of this age is upon us, with the magnificent and imminent Rapture of believers in Messiah Jesus the catalyst for a seven-year series of events that will stun the world with an apocalyptic magnitude never before or ever again experienced by mankind.

The signs are unmistakable. The developments are undeniable. The implications are indisputable.

The Gog/Magog configuration against Israel is taking shape on a daily basis. Although it is just one of twelve major signs of the last days—identified in the Eye of Prophecy article, Look Up Redemption is Near, Part II (published 7-18-15)—it is one that several Eye of Prophecy articles have focused on with varying degrees of emphasis and explanation, including the main four articles listed earlier. The remainder of today’s article will center on the issue of whether the Gog/Magog assault is one and the same as the final battle of this age (Armageddon) before Messiah appears and intervenes. Or, if Gog/Magog is a separate offensive against Israel at a different time (during the Tribulation.

Gog/Magog: The Same As or Different Than Armageddon?

Let’s begin by answering that question; then examine passages from the Bible to support this conclusion.

Answer: No, they are not the same.

Obviously Scripture doesn’t give us exact dates when these two enormous events will take place. But there are enough descriptive details to provide a timeline by contrasting prophetic descriptions of Gog/Magog and Armageddon one with the other; then correlating them with contemporary developments right up to the present day. With, I firmly believe, the Gog/Magog campaign taking place not long after the Rapture (within a year or two), and the final battle of Armageddon occurring in the last months and weeks of the seven-year Tribulation.

Most Jewish Rabbis contend that Ezekiel’s Gog/Magog prophecy is the same as Daniel’s and Zechariah’s prophecies about the end day’s events pertaining to Israel, which include what we commonly refer to as Armageddon. As do some Christian Bible scholars. Non-Messianic Jewish scholars unfortunately do not acknowledge the amazingly detailed Book of Revelation in the New Testament or any other New Testament book including Messiah Jesus’s astounding description of the last days as found in Matthew and Luke. However, there is sufficient evidence just in the Old Testament to differentiate between these two apocalyptic occurrences.

Although there is one similarity between the Biblical descriptions of the Gog/Magog invasion and the climatic battles of the last days before Christ returns, there are far more variances. The similarity can be found in Ezekiel 39:17-20 and Revelation 19:17-18.

For sake of time/space in today’s article, only three of these differences will be scrutinized. In these points of dissimilarity I will abbreviate Gog/Magog with G/M … that is not General Motors!) and Antichrist Armageddon with (A/A … not to be confused with Alcoholics Anonymous!). The slash (/) between the letters will remind you!

First Difference

In response to the Russian led conquest of Israel, Ezekiel Chapter 38 tells us that certain cities/countries will challenge both the validity and success of the G/M campaign against Israel (verse 13); however, their opposition will be passive, without active intervention. The places listed in Ezekiel are representative of contemporary Western nations, including, I believe the United States. The reason that these nations will not interfere with the Russian coalition is because they cannot; particularly the United States, as its population will be decimated by the loss of many Christians in the Rapture. They will not be strong enough to contest the G/M invasion.

Conversely, the A/A armies of the ten nations and other countries who align themselves with these ten kingdoms will launch their war against Israel opposed only by the King of the South (Daniel Chapter 11) who and whose armies will be crushed by Antichrist. Then at the very end of the Tribulation, Antichrist (Nero) and the False Prophet will be confronted militarily by the Kings of the East (Revelation 16). These two colossal coalitions will then unite to fight against Messiah, himself, in the valley of Megiddo.

“And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with Hebrew name Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16).

Whereas, Ezekiel 38 & 39 say absolutely nothing about actual military action by either Israel or other nations against the G/M alliance. Rather, complete victory is achieved by God alone.

Please see Eye of Prophecy article One Ring to Rule Them All (posted 11-21-15) for a likely list of the ten “kingdoms” that will give their allegiance to the Antichrist leading to Armageddon.

(Depicts Messiah’s Victory at Armageddon)

Second Difference

Those who consider the G/M and A/A onslaughts against Israel as one and the same have apparently overlooked or dismissed or lessened the (significance of) fact that the leaders of these alliances are individual men who originate from different nations and geographical regions. If these two megalomaniac rulers are not the same man, then neither can the G/M and A/A events be identical, nor are the nations in their coalitions the same.

The leader (a man, as the leader is identified as, “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal” and also referenced as a man with the personal pronoun, him in Ezekiel 38:2)) of the G/M grouping of nations cannot possibly be the little horn, king, ruler, man of lawlessness, and beast—all names of the man most commonly referred to as Antichrist—of Daniel, II Thessalonians, Revelation, and I John, respectively.

For one thing, the Gog leader of the principle nation in the G/M coalition comes from “the distant north” (Ezekiel 39:2). This combined with the designated areas of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal provide persuasively strong evidence that the man (Gog) from the land of Magog is or will (soon) be a powerful leader from Russia. Does Russian President Vladmir Putin come to mind?

Conversely, the little horn/king described in Daniel Chapter 7 originates from, “…the fourth world power that will rule the earth … It will devour the whole world, trampling and crushing everything in its path” (Daniel 7:23). Much has been written about these four kingdoms, including a lengthy examination in my book, Out of the Abyss … can the number of the beast be solved, 666? Also several references in some previous Eye of Prophecy articles.

Nearly all Bible scholars and teachers agree that the fourth kingdom was the Roman Empire (future in Daniel’s time and, of course, past tense in our time). Daniel Chapter 7 goes on to predict that in addition to the ten kings that will arise (during the Tribulation) another king will arise from that 4^th kingdom, as further described in Revelation 13 and 17.

But then Daniel Chapter 9 gives an even more stunning disclosure about this man who will come from the 4^th world power, Rome. This passage is one of several that I quote and analyze in Out of the Abyss and several Eye of Prophecy articles to support my Biblical premise that the Antichrist is none other than the ancient Roman Emperor, Nero, who will reappear from the Abyss (Revelation 17:8).

(Depiction of the 8th horn of Daniel 7, which is the 8th king of Revelation 17 … Antichrist)

Revelation 17:9-11 provides more conclusive evidence that this ruler/king-beast comes directly from the Roman Empire (of the 1^st century). Because today’s article focuses primarily on differentiating between the G/M and A/A attacks of Israel, I will focus on Daniel Chapter 9.

“After a period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple…” (Daniel 9:26). I will simply summarize this verse by stating that it was the Roman Legions who destroyed the 2^nd Temple at the direct orders of Nero … which was to crush the Jewish revolt that had begun in 66 AD. Thus, this passage in Daniel (and others) provide what I maintain is convincing evidence that this ruler (who is the same ruler/king of Daniel 7, Daniel 11, Zechariah 11, II Thessalonians 2, Revelation 13, 16, 17, 19, & 20 … the Antichrist) comes directly from the ancient Roman Empire (not a Revived Roman Empire). Therefore, he cannot be the same “prince” or ruler from the distant north (Russia) who is called Gog, who leads the G/M invasion.

Third Difference:

Another major difference between the G/M and A/A incursion against Israel is the means in which these two huge coalitions are defeated. Concerning the G/M grouping, Ezekiel is clear that God and God alone will destroy the massive armies aligned against Israel.

Conversely, Scripture indicates that the Jews will fight alongside the Lord (Zechariah 12) with Messiah inevitably vanquishing Antichrist and his ten-kingdom alliance.

In the final victorious battle, “The armies of heaven (believers, both Jew and Gentile), dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations … He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this tile: King of all kings and Lord of all lords” (Revelation 19:14-16).

Also, “…his title was the Word of God” (Verse 13).

Let’s defer to the Eye of Prophecy article, Russia & Iran Versus Israel, to reinforce two significant contrasts between the epic G/M and A/A battles of the fast approaching end days. First: to establish the clear evidence in Ezekiel that Israel simply observes while God supernaturally defeats the G/M confederacy. Second: although the exact time is unknown, to emphasize that the G/M attack occurs during the first half of the Tribulation, as two of Revelation’s seal judgements are unleashed during the G/M campaign against Israel.

Here are the excerpts from Russia & Iran Versus Israel in italics, with non-italicized words actually in italics in the Eye of Prophecy article quoted:

Which is why God, through Ezekiel, announces in no uncertain terms exactly what God’s response will be to this multi-national attempt to destroy Israel: “…When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day … all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth … I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:18-23, italics for emphasis).

My purpose for emphasizing the italicized words is to point out that all people on earth will recoil in terror; further, that mountains, cliffs, and walls will crumble not just in Israel, but the world over. Though God’s power displayed against the hordes of Gog will indeed be impressive, people living far from the heat of the battle in Israel would have no reason to quake in terror unless they themselves were directly exposed to mountains, cliffs, and walls falling around and on them. Moreover, they will quake in terror at God’s very presence … meaning his presence in causing catastrophic natural disasters all over the earth. Does that sound a lot like what happens in Revelation? If you answer yes, you are correct, as we shall soon see.

I say this with a great deal of certainty, based on what comes next in Ezekiel Chapter 39. Let’s read it: “You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains … You will fall in the open fields…” (Ezekiel 39:4). Previously in Chapter 38, Ezekiel declared that God will, “…punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed: I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur!” (Verse 22). Obviously, this is referring to the mountains and fields of Israel, as that is where Gog (Russia) and its armies have arrived to annihilate Israel. But what comes next is often overlooked by scholars, including me at one time.

Immediately after telling Gog that his armies and allies will perish within Israel itself, the Lord declares: “And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 39:6). This is an extraordinary disclosure, one that plainly and emphatically refers not to just the destruction of Gog’s armies in Israel, but also the very motherland of Russia and citizens of other nations who were otherwise living and watching safely on the coasts.

Matching Ezekiel’s Gog/Magog Destruction with Seal Judgments in Revelation

“I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood … The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks. ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?’” (Revelation 6: 12-17).

In order, this is the sixth seal, but the first of twenty-one judgments (seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls) in which the entire earth fully realizes that the increasing apocalyptic events on earth are now directly from God and Messiah Jesus. Which is exactly what God is telling us when Ezekiel writes: “I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

That and the other correlations already discussed have convinced me that God’s mighty judgment of Gog, Magog, AND many other peoples/nations who directly or indirectly conspired against Israel is an integral part of the sixth and or seventh seal judgments. When Christ breaks the seventh seal, here’s what will happen: “Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lighting flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake” (Revelation 8:5, italics for emphasis).

Once again, this descriptive language closely matches what Ezekiel says, with the extremely strong connection that the 6^th and/or 7^th seal judgments are the world-wide catastrophes taking place at the same time that the Lord crushes the Gog invasion of Israel. “Fire will rain down on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 39:6, italics for emphasis).

The apocalyptic imagery used in Ezekiel regarding the means of God’s divine vengeance against Russia, Iran, and the other nations that actively participate in the assault against Israel, and those countries that passively, apathetically, and indifferently look on, is remarkably similar to what we find in Revelation.

(Representation of Gog’s Destruction On The Mountains and In The Valleys of Israel … Ezekiel 39:4-5)

Back to today’s article.

Zechariah’s Description of Armageddon in Contrast to Ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Gog/Magog Assault on Israel

In Zechariah, we read that the Jews will fight alongside of Messiah, which means that this attack on Israel cannot be the Gog/Magog invasion. Rather, Zechariah is describing the end of the Tribulation that will be dominated by Antichrist (Nero). This is a narrative of the very last days, as follows:

“…This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the human spirit. I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (Zechariah 12:1-3).

The armies sent to besiege Israel, that “try to move” the immovable rock of Israel is the final epic battle of Armageddon waged by Antichrist Nero.

Then, the Lord declares: “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a flame that sets a woodpile ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure. The Lord will give victory to the rest of Judah first, before Jerusalem.… On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David!…” (Zechariah 12:6-8, italics for emphasis).

Once again in this same passage/context: “Judah, too, will be fighting at Jerusalem…” (Zechariah 14:14).

Do you see the difference between Zechariah’s description and that of Ezekiel? It’s clear that the Jews (Israel) will heroically participate in this final confrontation between God’s people and the forces of Antichrist and the Kings of the East, also depicted in Daniel 11:40-45 and Revelation 16 and 19.

Not so with the G/M invasion recorded in Ezekiel. All through Chapters 38 & 39, God speaks in the first person as to what he (alone) will do to this arrogant, ungodly conglomeration that would dare invade God’s “special possession,” Israel. The only contribution by Israel in this epic battle will be: “It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 39:12-13).

Indeed, that is the very purpose for God’s sovereign intervention against the G/M armies: “In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike. And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God” (Ezekiel 39:21-22).

In just these two sentences, God uses the first person, “I” four times, plus many other times throughout Ezekiel 38 & 39; to prove beyond any doubt that he alone can and will destroy the Gog/Magog group of nations—led by Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Israel merely watches. When it’s over, and the smoke literally clears, Israel and many nations of the earth will recognize the beginning of the end of godless nations and evil. They will acknowledge the awesome holiness and power of Almighty God, and the sure fulfillment of all the prophecies, both Old and New Testament that will reach their glorious fulfilment in the remaining years of the Tribulation and the Millennium, both part of the Day of the Lord.

Meanwhile, more trumpet and bowl judgements and a second campaign against Israel will be necessary before all Jews acknowledge and accept Jesus of Nazareth as their one and only Messiah. When they see him coming to earth with power and great glory, they will first mourn for him (Zechariah 12); then they will embrace him as Lord and Savior. They will say what Jesus said they would say at his coming:

Baruch haba beshem Adonai. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39).

Things to Ponder

One of the most amazing but overlooked verses in Scripture is found in Amos 3:7:

“Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.”

All of the (major) events of the past, present, and future applicable to God’s plan for the human race are in one way or another contained in the pages of Scripture; having first been given to God’s prophets (and apostles).

Our privilege as believers, but also responsibility, is to accurately ascertain these prophecies. To, as Scripture exhorts—especially challenging those with the gift of teaching as Timothy had: “…Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).

The Scriptures tell us of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth, of all living things; that he made men and women in his image … forming our very bodies and spirit. But the originator of all evil, Satan, persuaded the first man and woman to rebel against the Lord by denying what God said was true. The grave penalty of that disobedience and rebellion was physical death and spiritual separation from God.

We need to recognize that God providentially devised a plan of salvation to reconcile (restore) men and women back to himself. Jesus, God’s own Son who was Virgin-born (fully God and fully man), said that salvation comes through the Jews. He fulfilled all of the Old Testament Messianic prophecies, culminating in his sacrificial death, burial, and miraculous resurrection. He was and is, in fact, the Messiah.

God created us. The Creator has full divine right to tell and show us what is right and what way is right. With great love for each of us, that’s exactly what the Lord has done. He has given us Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). In that regard, it is God’s way or the highway. But in light of the glorious promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal life with God in heaven, his way is far better than our low or even our high ways.

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25, New King James Version).

We all must make a decision to choose Messiah Jesus (believe and receive him as Lord and Savior) or go our own way; thereby, choosing eternal separation from God.

The proof that the God of the Bible is the only true and living God and that all other deities are man-made gods within false religions is crystal clear in Scripture. Not just many mighty miracles that only God could perform, but also hundreds of prophecies that have come to pass and many more still awaiting fulfillment. No other religion or so-called sacred texts can claim such prophecies with anything close to 100% accuracy, or anything resembling the spectacular supernatural miracles found in Scripture … still going on today, such as Israel’s miraculous rebirth as a nation.

Moreover, the very heart of all Biblical prophecy is summed up in Revelation 19:10, which I’ve chosen as a byline to the Eye of Prophecy website.

“For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

The Cross & the Curtain

Out with the old, in with the new.

We’ve all thought, heard or repeated that saying or something similar. Especially around each New Year.

It’s true, some things old should never be replaced, such as universal moral laws found in Scripture. Or time-honored Biblical traditions such as marriage between one man and one woman. In that regard, old should not be equated merely with the long passage of time. Which is, unfortunately, how many people think. Meaning that anything that is more than say one hundred years in duration doesn’t fit in today’s world. It’s Old. It’s irrelevant. It’s archaic. It’s obsolete. Something new needs to take its place. Fix it, even if it’s not broke. Change for the sake of change, even if it’s not better. Just so it’s different!

On the opposite extreme are those who refuse to give up old traditions and customs no matter what … no matter how much better a new way could be. To those folks, almost anything new is merely different, not (necessarily) better.

Indeed, new is always different, but not always better.

But never with God and his plan for Israel and the whole human race. As demonstrated throughout Scripture, whenever the Lord changes something and initiates something new, it’s ALWAYS for the better. How could it not be? The last time I checked, God is still perfect in every way. That’s the only way he does things; perfectly, though it may not seem so at the time. Ultimately, that sovereign perfection will make all things right in this woefully imperfect world of ours. The waiting time is getting shorter by each passing day.

Although God changes things (for the better), he, himself, never changes. Nor does his Son; because with the Lord the saying is eternally true: Like Father, like Son.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Among other things, this attribute of the Lord is what makes him wonderfully worthy of our trust and praise.

This is particularly true with God’s covenants to both Jews and Gentiles. Obviously, each covenant was new when initiated; yet there was only one covenant that actually replaced another one, i.e. the New Covenant of Grace for the old Mosaic Covenant of the Law.

Because God is timeless, the past, present, and future are the same to him. For that reason God’s view of what is old has nothing to do with the passage of time. Instead, what is old to God and accordingly presented through God’s Word, the Bible, is simply that which is previous … the former as opposed to the latter. And, so should it be with us. As much as our finite minds can fathom it, we, too, need to think in terms of timeless eternity when it comes to absolute ancient truth. So when Jesus Christ came to this earth as God’s chosen Messiah at the perfect appointed time, his sacrificial life, death, burial, and resurrection applied timelessly to the past, present, and future. Unlike the Levitical sacrifices that needed to be offered continually, Messiah’s atoning sacrifice of his own body was the final, once for all sacrifice. In that regard it was the new replacing the old, but still part of God’s timeless plan for mankind.

Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to a lot of folks that the Lord, who among many other divine titles is called The Ancient of Days, is not opposed to some things new.

Some New Things Are So Much Better

Here’s what Messiah Jesus says he will do at the end of the Millennial Reign, which begins immediately after the seven-year Tribulation, which starts soon after the Rapture that could take place as you’re reading this article:

“…Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5a).

And before that, Revelation’s author, John, tells us: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2).

These spectacular all things new changes that the Lord will accomplish has a purpose as magnificently promised in the following verses, three and four of Revelation 21:

“…Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Italics for emphasis).

Now that gives a whole new meaning to new and it’s so much better! Wouldn’t you agree?

In the context of God separating the Jews (Israel) as his chosen people long ago through Abraham, who are God’s people in the verses we just read? The answer is abundantly clear from dozens of other passages mostly in the New Testament, but also the Old Testament. They are both Jews and Gentiles who have entered the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah some 2,500 years ago. Over five hundred years later, Messiah Jesus—Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man—initiated that covenant with his life’s blood poured out on the Cross, then ratified the Covenant forever by his resurrection from the dead!

Among other tremendous benefits, not the least of which is redemption and forgiveness of sins simply by believing in the author and finisher of this New Covenant, we read the following (which identifies God’s people with whom he will spend eternity, as we just read in Revelation) marvelous result for all believers in Messiah Jesus:

“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us” (Ephesians 2:14-18).

I repeat for emphasis: Now that’s new and so much better! And I ask again, “Wouldn’t you agree?

For you see, there will NEVER be peace in this world between people, until there is first peace between man and God … only possible through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Change the heart of individuals, and the hearts of entire communities and nations will be changed.

Not only did Jesus make permanent peace (reconciliation) between God and man, he also eliminated the old barrier between Jew and Gentile. Both Jew and Gentile who believe in and receive Jesus as personal Savior and Lord have become one NEW man (person) in Christ.

Jew and Gentile … One in Messiah. Gentile and Gentile … One in Messiah. That’s the new way of it. And one day soon, this will be the rule, not the exception.

How Many Signs Does It Take?

As covered in last week’s Part I article, at the very moment that Jesus died on the Cross, the splendid Curtain that separated and protected the Holy of Holies was ripped in half. Some forty years later, the Temple itself and all Temple furnishings were utterly demolished by the ruthless Roman legions. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were mercilessly killed and most of the survivors scattered throughout the earth. The entire Levitical Sacrificial System ended.

Yet, long before this tragic event took place, God’s glory (presence) left Solomon’s Temple, never to return, not even in the rebuilt Temple that stood from 516 BC to 70 AD. Nor did God communicate with his people, the Jews, in any fashion for 400 years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Nor did they have a king during this period of time or since.

How many signs are enough to accept the obvious: The Old Covenant was no more. The New Covenant had begun! Moreover, the Lord began to prepare his people for the coming Messiah during this 400 year silent period. By the time that Jesus was born, anticipation for Messiah was at an all-time high in Israel. As it is again in our generation. If you haven’t, please read Eye of Prophecy articles, Great Expectations for Messiah and Amazing Anticipation for Messiah. Posted 8-8 & 8-29-15, respectively.

As indicated in those articles, just in this current generation and especially the past few years, nearly all Jews, including even the non-observant among them (secular) have expressed an amazing anticipation for the coming of Messiah. Just as they did in the immediate years before the birth of Christ. With Messianic Jews of today fully understanding (along with millions of Gentile believers) that, because Jesus is Messiah, it is his return that we so passionately long for.

Thousands of 1^st century Jews, followed by more thousands of Gentiles accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah and Savior; by doing so, they entered forever the New Covenant. But many more rejected him, which led to his crucifixion. Subsequently, that out-of-hand rejection of his Word (teachings) and his miracles then led to denial that he had arisen from the dead. A denial that absolutely contradicted all of the evidence, not the least of which was Jesus being seen by hundreds of witnesses after his resurrection.

That denial has continued to this day, with one exceptional difference. In the 20^th and 21^st century, once again thousands of Jews all over the world have come to terms with the Lord their God, by recognizing that Jesus of Nazareth is who he claimed to be … Messiah, Son of God. By and large, they are referred to as Messianic Jews … because they are Jewish Christians. For a more detailed account, I would also recommend to you the Eye of Prophecy article, Messianic Jews … Who Are They? Posted 4-25-15.

The amazing irony is that 1^st century Christian Jews were not called Messianic Jews. There was no need for that appellation because there was no need to identify them as such in order to distinguish them from Gentile Christians. And the reason for that is that all of the first few thousand believers in Messiah Jesus were, in fact, Jews! Those believers came from all walks of Jewish life, including a good many Pharisees … the most notable of whom was the Apostle Paul. Later, all Jewish and Gentile believers were called Christians … Christ ones or belonging to Christ.

They and believers today ardently acknowledged that the New Covenant foretold by Jeremiah was implemented by God the Father through his Son, Jesus. They believed and received the atoning sacrifice made not by animals, but by the human blood and body of Jesus, who is also God. They and we have believed the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“…And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved … Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:8-13, quoting Joel 2:32).

The New and Better Covenant between God and Man

As begun in last week’s article, let’s examine a few more crucial verses from the New Testament book of Hebrews written by a Jewish author inspired by the Holy Spirit, to demonstrate how and why the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant.

Starting with:

“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshippers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God:

‘You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said. Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as it is written about me in the Scriptures’” (Hebrews 10:1-7).

Here, Jesus is quoting part of Psalm 40, which applies to the coming Messiah, written hundreds of years before his arrival on this earth. This is an utterly amazing announcement, because the sacrificial offerings were the cornerstone of atonement for the Hebrews. But, according to God, only because it was direct faith in and obedience to the Lord that made the burnt offerings (at that time) acceptable to him. If the Jews complied with the Lord’s commandments and regulations, but did so out of rote ritualism without loving obedience or a repentant change of heart and mind, then the sacrifices were unacceptable to God.

We know this from several Old Testament passages, such as:

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well! But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward” (Jeremiah 7:21-24).

And in Verse 26: “But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.”

What most observant Jews and even many Christians who actually read and study Scripture forget or never learned in the first place is that Israel’s (the Jews) doing everything God instructed them to do was not a condition for atonement of sin (redemption). Rather the promised result of God’s people listening to and obeying him was entering, occupying, and staying in the Promised Land of Israel. Conversely, if they continually disobeyed the Lord (which they did for hundreds of years), they would be exiled from the land by their enemies. That’s exactly what happened to the ten northern tribes when they were conquered and expelled from the land by Assyria; then the southern tribes by Babylon. Finally and tragically, in 70 AD, the Romans completed what the Babylonians began.

Here is what the Lord said to the people through Moses:

“If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors. He will love you and bless you, and he will give you many children … You will be blessed above all the nations of the earth…” (Deuteronomy 7:12-14).

And, “Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors” (Deuteronomy 8:1).

Yet, even if God’s people had loved, obeyed, and trusted him faithfully and constantly as a nation that would ensure their continued occupation of the land, there still would have been a need for individual and national sacrificial offerings to pardon intentional sins of disobedience and inadvertent transgressions throughout the year. Same is true of all people of all time. We’ve all sinned and the wages (penalty) of that sin is death, both physical and spiritual (Romans 3:23 & 6:23).

Which is why all of the Levitical Sacrificial requirements were given separately to the people by Moses, as a matter of fact, foregone necessity. God knew and the evidence clearly confirmed this sad, but universal truth: None of his people, even the High Priest, could keep all of the Law all of the time. That was truly, Mission Impossible.

Loving, serving, obeying, worshipping the Lord was conditionally vital to remain in this wonderful Land of Promise, but not ultimately for personal redemption. Individual and national faith (especially on Yom Kippur) in the atonement for sin by shedding the innocent blood of animals was the ONLY way to get right with God, i.e. salvation. And only then if their hearts were truly in the sacrificial offerings.

But the Levitical system was only a shadowy preview, a pattern preparation of what would be the once for all redemptive sacrifice by Messiah Jesus to pardon our sins and to satisfy God’s justice for the penalty of those sins … Jew and Gentile alike.

Then the Lord through Jeremiah states: “This is the nation whose people will not obey the Lord their God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips” (Jeremiah 7:28).

Remember, Jeremiah was a prophet some 700 years after Moses. God’s patience is extraordinary, but not inexhaustible. It was time for change. It was time for announcement of the New Covenant.

Jeremiah was God’s main prophet before, during, and a few years after the catastrophic Babylonian assault against Israel, resulting in complete razing of Solomon’s Tempe and exile to Babylon. This was the beginning of the end of the Old Covenant. Before the New Covenant began, it would be another 500+ years after the partial return of Jews to Israel from Babylon and Persia. Four hundred of these years included no communication from the Lord to his people, with the last prophet Malachi warning them yet again of consequences of rebelling against God.

It was the same prophet Jeremiah who proclaimed the New Covenant that God, himself, would initiate with his people (and the whole world). The New Covenant that began when Christ shed his blood on the cross, thereby, dying for the sins of all people. With God’s only requirement: that of every man and woman to believe in the Son of God who sealed this Covenant when he rose from the grave, and receive him as personal Savior.

“After supper he (Jesus) took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:20).

In less than 24 hours after this last supper with his disciples, Jesus would, indeed, shed his precious blood on a cross to pay the debt (of sin) that we owe and the penalty that we deserve.

This was all part of God’s majestic plan of salvation for the Jews first, then to the Gentiles. The only way the Jews could be a light to the Gentiles was through the very light of the world, Jesus the Messiah. The Old Covenant was broke, beyond repair. God’s people simply wouldn’t and couldn’t keep the requirements of the Law of Moses. Not in Moses’ time, nor Jeremiah’s time, not now.

So Great a Sacrifice to Purchase So Great a Salvation

Continuing with Hebrews to demonstrate that Jesus’ death on the cross was the final sacrifice that would satisfy God’s holy and just requirement that innocent blood must be spilled in order to be made right with God:

“…He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy (set apart) by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Hebrews 10:9-12).

Then, the author of Hebrews concludes this passage with, “And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices” (Verse 18).

These and many other Bible passages are telling us that:

• The Old Covenant couldn’t and didn’t take away sins; rather the sacrifices could only cover sins (temporarily). Accordingly, the sacrifices had to continue year around.
• What God really wants is complete love, trust, and obedience from a willing heart and an agreeing mind, one that is right with God. Although the shedding of innocent blood had to be done (because the very essence of life is in the blood), the ritualistic performance of these sacrifices ultimately could not clear one’s conscience nor change one’s heart.
• That’s why the Levitical system was instituted in the first place: To (temporarily) pardon the very sins caused by an innately sinful nature, a hardened heart, and a defiled conscience.
• With the New Covenant, God put the proverbial horse before the cart. First, change the human heart through complete forgiveness of sin and promise of everlasting life; then loving obedience and trust would follow—through a divine legal pardon that gives us right standing with God, as well as intimate access into God’s presence (the most Holy Place).

Ever so sadly, Jews in Judaism, Catholics in Catholicism, Mormons in Mormonism, Muslims in Islam, and the many who follow other man-made religions or cults simply won’t and don’t accept the crystal clear Biblical plan of salvation. Which is a free gift (Savior) from God; not a system of repeated sacrifices, good works, or keeping of regulated rituals. It was God doing for us what we were incapable of doing for him or for ourselves. The Lord gave the Jews hundreds of years of the Old Covenant to prove to him and themselves that they could and would successfully follow him and keep his commandments. They didn’t and couldn’t; thus, the New Covenant was necessary.

Speaking once again of Messiah Jesus, Hebrews says:

“With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant” (Hebrews 9:12-15).

Summary

Tragically, by rejecting so great a sacrifice that produces so great a salvation will eventually end with (as Jesus said) so many people dying in their sins … eternal separation from God.

The torn curtain was more than symbolic; it was a literal transitional tearing away from the Old Covenant to the glorious life-changing, eternal destiny-altering new way to and right-standing with our Creator and Savior.

And look at the incredible privilege and blessings of what I phrased in last week’s article as, The Greatest Sacrifice Ever Made, By the Highest Price Ever Paid:

“…we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Not only was the curtain torn in two, it’s now gone. As is the Ark of the Covenant, the Menorah, all other instruments in the Temple, and most of all, the Temple itself.

Thus in love, albeit tough love, for the Jewish people who are still clinging to the Mosaic Covenant for whatever right standing with God they deem possible, I would sincerely and respectfully request that they ask and seek answers to these questions:

• Why did God’s very presence, the Shekinah Glory, abandoned Solomon’s Temple?
• Why did that Glory not return (save for a few years when God’s glorious Son taught and healed in the Temple)?
• Why did the Ark of the Covenant on which the annual Yom Kippur sacrificial blood was sprinkled disappear from the Most Holy Place, never to be found or returned even to Herod’s Temple?
• Why did God no longer speak to Israel through prophets after the last prophet Malachi? (That is until John the Baptist paved the way for Messiah Jesus)?
• How was it possible (a mere coincidence?) that the huge, thick inner curtain of the Holy of Holies tore in two at the very moment Jesus died on the Cross?
• Where’s the 2nd (Herod’s) Temple? Why was it also destroyed? (Think beyond the obvious answer that the Romans destroyed it to crush the Jewish revolt).
• And, perhaps most poignant and penetrating of all: Knowing that the God of Israel mandated full compliance to not only the moral and civil laws of the land, but also faithful keeping of the Levitical Sacrificial system, how then is it possible to receive atonement for sin without the daily, monthly, and annual shedding of innocent animal blood?

Could it be that the New Covenant promised by God through Jeremiah has been put into place?

Don’t you owe it to yourself to look into the possibility that the Jewish authors of the New Testament, and thousands of other Jews then and today who became Jewish Christian believers in Messiah Jesus have indeed experienced the once for all individual redemption promised by God to:

All who call on the name of the Lord.

Is it the Curtain that leads to the Holy of Holies?

Or is it the Cross of Christ that gives access to the Most Holy Place, the very Presence of God?

It has to be one or the other. Else there is no hope for redemption.

Things to Ponder

One day soon, the amazing national restoration of Israel will take place when that same Messiah returns in great glory and power to preemptively rescue Israel from destruction at the hands of their enemies.

And to Gentile believers, don’t forget the Lord’s warning and promise through the Jewish Apostle Paul:

“I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, ‘The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27, quoting Isaiah 59:20-21).

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ…” (II Corinthians 5:17-18).

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (Verse 21).

Out with the old … in with the new!