Universal Truth of Scripture
“For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4).
This amazing verse is one of many in Scripture that declares a universal truth for individuals, peoples, and nations whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12)—those who sincerely seek after God, and who believe and trust his Word as recorded in the Bible. However, like most passages and prophets in the Old Testament, Isaiah is first and foremost speaking directly to Israel, which God calls his “special possession,” and to the Jews … God’s “chosen people.”
For instance, in the preceding chapter, Isaiah writes: “Lord … return and help us, for we are your servants, the tribes that are your special possession … Sometimes it seems as though we never belonged to you, as though we had never been known as your people” (Isaiah 63:17, 19).
Then Isaiah Chapter 64 begins with: “Oh that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence! As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame! When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began…. (Isaiah 64:1-4a).
Isaiah is referring to God’s presence on Mount Sinai and before that the Lord’s deeds in the form of mighty miracles to deliver the Jews from Pharaoh and from Egyptian slavery.
There are many things that separate the Bible and the true and living God of the Bible from all other so-called sacred texts and the man-made gods of those religions, but two features stand out: (1) Only Biblical God-given prophecies come to pass with 100% accuracy—hundreds of them. What God says he will do, he does. What God says will happen, happens.
(2) Only God’s Word (the Bible) offers salvation as a free gift by simply believing and receiving the substitutionary sacrifice of God’s Son (Messiah Jesus) to forgive our sins and pardon the penalty of those sins. All other religions promote a form of self-righteousness based on good works.
God Does Take Sides
History confirms the following premise: God has providentially intervened in individual battles and the outcome of wars that eventually determined the destiny of entire nations, especially the nation of Israel. There are numerous examples of divine interdiction through the accounts of soldiers, civilians, generals, and national leaders trying to explain mysterious events that led to rescue and/or victory. The ultimate (only) conclusion: there had to have been purposeful providential participation.
As an example, here are some excerpts (in italics) from the Eye of Prophecy article, The Reign of Terror (posted 9-13-14), concerning the three major wars of Israel’s modern-day history and God’s divine direction that directly led to Israel’s victories. But still, the Jews had to fight.
On May 15, 1948, the day after Israel became a sovereign state, five Arab nations led by Syria and Egypt attacked with armies that vastly outnumbered and outgunned the hastily assembled, rag-tag Jewish army. National leaders the world over, including US President Harry Truman, gave the Jews no chance whatsoever of winning; Israel would die a national death within days or weeks after its rebirth. Instead, it was the Arabs who were soundly defeated in Israel’s War of Independence. Even hardened Israeli officers and soldiers, some of whom had abandoned the notion that God any longer cared about Israel’s destiny, attributed the victory to divine intervention. The miracle of this victory was transparently obvious: there’s absolutely no way that Israel could have or should have won that war. Perhaps God was on their side after all.
The Six-Day War in June, 1967 was equally stunning. Not because Israel didn’t have (by that time) a much stronger military than in 1948; but because of the sheer brilliance of the Israeli Defense Force’s strategy and execution of those plans. Which accomplished a feat that has never in military history been achieved: A massive rout of an enemy that was still much stronger (on paper) in men and material in only six days! Strong evidence that God was on their side.
Finally, the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Because the Arab nations struck without warning on one of Israel’s high holy days (Day of Atonement), they caught Israel woefully unprepared. It was the bloodiest war with, by far, the highest casualties on both sides. Yet, Israel’s victory was no less miraculous for the very reason that such a sudden attack from an enemy that still boasted a clear military superiority should have by all rights defeated a foe that was caught completely off guard. It would be similar to the United States rebounding in a short time and actually defeating the Japanese at Pearl Harbor or soon afterward; rather than taking another four years to finally conquer Japan. There’s no doubt that God was on Israel’s side!
Although there have been a handful of battles won “without firing a shot” (such as British Field Marshal Edmund Allenby capturing Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks during World War I), invariably they were part of a larger series of local, regional, national, or international conflict (war).
With exception of three extraordinary events, there is no record, Biblical or secular, of God (alone through direct intrusion) supernaturally defeating an enemy of Gentile nations involved in a righteous justified war, without the necessary fighting and dying of those whom God helped to accomplish their worthy cause and God’s ultimate plan. Each of these three exceptions involve Israel. All three validate the Lord’s ultimate authority and power over nations. It is God’s demonstration to Israel and Gentile nations that his ultimate plan and purpose for all peoples will be accomplished despite the evil and terror that the Lord has allowed to exist for millennia.
No one can completely understand the thoughts and ways of our great God or the entire scope of his purpose for mankind.
We know that for believers in Christ Jesus, God causes all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28). What we don’t even come close to grasping is how he carries out this promise and many other majestic promises and prophecies in Scripture. Or how he circumvents the innumerable bad decisions we all have made and the adverse consequences of those regrettable choices, not to mention the evil in this world, to accomplish his plan for the human race. The how and sometimes the why of it all is for God and God alone to know. Our job is to simply trust and obey him.
But throughout Scripture, the Lord does give us a panoramic view of why he has permitted individuals and nations to exist despite the incessant evil that men do and the perpetual death and destruction that results.
A Biblical Overview: After the Great Flood, God gave the human race another chance (and a lengthy one at that, i.e. some 5,000 years) to follow him and his ways; OR to demonstrate that individuals, governments, and nations can bring peace and stability to this world without God. We don’t have to read much history or look very far in today’s world to comprehend the obvious: Mankind has failed miserably to establish any kind of paradise whatsoever on earth.
Even God’s chosen people/nation wouldn’t and couldn’t accomplish this noble objective. They, too, abandoned the only One who had assured them that they and all nations through them would be richly blessed and protected if they would simply love, listen to, and obey the Lord their God.
The other reason that God has allowed societies to continue on a path of apocalyptic ruin is so that many will come to a saving knowledge of God’s magnificent design of redemption through Messiah (Jesus) who came at the appointed time. Ultimately, however, God will need to unilaterally intervene in the affairs of Planet Earth on a scale that will affect every man, woman, and child. Thereby, fulfilling God’s prophetic plan and purpose for his creation; while, at the same time, saving the human race from self-extinction.
Let’s look at the three improbable exceptions and the reasons for these departures from the normal course of human events, particularly involving war; in which God fought for Israel, winning an awesome victory without his people so much as lifting a finger in battle.
*Note: I am not including God’s miracle of splitting the Sea, allowing his people to cross on dry land, and then drowning Pharaoh’s army when they arrogantly pursued the Israelites. For two reasons: The Hebrews were not yet the nation of Israel. And, they did not yet have a standing army.
The Backdrop of the First Major Exception Made by God
For the most part, Jehoshaphat was one of the better kings of Judah, which along with the tribe of Benjamin comprised the Southern Kingdom of Israel. He was the fourth king to rule Judah (872 BC to 848 BC) after the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms when King Solomon died.
“Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel” (I Kings 22:43-44).
Good News: Jehoshaphat “made peace with the king of Israel.” Bad News: That king of Israel (northern kingdom) was none other than the infamous Ahab, husband of the very wicked Jezebel.
In fact, Jehoshaphat agreed to go to war with Ahab, who enlisted Judah’s help to defeat the armies of Ramoth-gilead in particular and the nation of Aram in general. Jehoshaphat agreed but only if they first consulted a true prophet of God (Micaiah) instead of the false prophets of Baal whom Ahab preferred. Ahab agreed, but when Micaiah predicted that the combined forces of Israel and Judah would be defeated and that Ahab would be killed in battle, Ahab became furious. He ordered Micaiah put in prison. Even though Jehoshaphat had recommended Micaiah, he went along with Ahab’s decision. Bad mistake.
Nevertheless, Ahab was more than a little concerned about Micaiah’s prophecy. To the extent that he came up with a “brave” plan to lead their respective armies into battle. Said Ahab to Jehoshaphat: “…As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes” (II Chronicles 18:29).
What a magnanimous gesture on the part of Ahab! Not! Equally pathetic is that Jehoshaphat went along with it. Many students of Scripture know the rest of the story: An Aramean soldier randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit Ahab (disguised as one of his soldiers) between the joints of his armor. Later, Ahab died from this wound. Jehoshaphat barely escaped with his life. God was angry with Jehoshaphat for ignoring the words of God’s prophet; but also, as asked rhetorically after the battle by another prophet, Jehu, “Why should you (Jehoshaphat) help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” (II Chronicles 19:2).
The First Exception … King Jehoshaphat & Israel’s Victory Won Exclusively by God
“After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites (Aram) declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army from Edom (Aram) is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea’ … Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance … So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help” (II Chronicles 20:1-4).
Commentary: Good response. Not only the king, but representatives from all of Judah sought the counsel and help of the God of Israel. Once again, the Bible is crystal clear on this principle: If we sincerely call on the Lord to rescue us and with equal sincerity listen to him through his Word and obey him, he will hear us. If we exclude the Lord and certainly if we expel him from the affairs of our nation, individually and collectively, then we’re on our own.
O that these words of Jehoshaphat speaking for the entire nation of Judah could be heard in our Halls of Congress, in the White House, in the seats of our Supreme Court Justices, and throughout the Pentagon:
“…O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!” (II Chronicles 20:6).
Jehoshaphat then goes on to honor the Lord by acknowledging and remembering (reminding the people) how the Lord stood with the Jews when they entered the Promised Land, when they were faced with “war, plague, or famine.” This prayer and others like it in Scripture could easily apply to the United States of America in our times of adversity and uncertainty. Also in our times of prosperity!
He goes on to say: “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance” (Verses 10-11).
Make no mistake: There are many in America who, given any legal and even illegal means at their disposal, would like nothing better than for all those who think and live by the Judeo-Christian values of the Bible, especially believers in Jesus Christ, to be gone from this country. At the very minimum, to relieve us of our God-given right to worship, publish, and proclaim the everlasting universal absolute truths of God’s Word.
Whether now or later—preferably now because later could be too late; whether it is those from within who recklessly abandon and ruthlessly attack all that is good and right in this country; or those from without such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Muslim terrorists who would gleefully applaud and (when they think the time is right) enthusiastically participate in the demise of the United States, we and our leaders need to echo the words of Jehoshaphat:
“O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help” (Verse 12).
Biblical fact: Any nation, including what many think is the invincible United States of America, is powerless to help themselves if God is not with them. Period. End of story … end of nation.
Immediately, we realize that the Lord heard and honored Jehoshaphat’s plea on behalf of Judah. We know because of the astonishing miracle that followed—beginning with God’s Spirit poured out on one of the men standing nearby when Judah called out to God. This man, Jahaziel, boldly proclaimed what he knew would happen, because the people had opened their hearts to the Lord.
Said Jahaziel, “…Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” (Verses 15-17).
Then Jehoshaphat and all the people bowed and worshipped the Lord. The next morning, Jehoshaphat said to the people as they prepared to meet the invading enemy:
“…Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed” (Verse 20).
When Jehoshaphat said, “believe in his prophets,” he was referring to all of God’s Word spoken and written down by the prophets at that time, not the least of which were the greatest prophets, Moses and Samuel.
Here’s what happened next:
“After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!’
“At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped” (Verses 21-24).
Stunning!
Many of us remember the wartime slogan, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.” We all know that to mean: Seek the Lord’s help for a righteous cause and praise him for all he has done and will do; but we must still fight and some will die to win the victory. That is a maxim for armies that the Lord has aided down through the years.
Not so with Jehoshaphat and his people. All they did was to praise the Lord! No bows, arrows, spears, swords, or ammunition of any kind. The Lord did it all. There have been documented cases in war when an army or militia turned on one of its allies. Yet they are few and certainly didn’t result in total annihilation of each other, before they even began to engage their real enemy. Nothing like what happened to the armies of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Aram. All the people of Judah had to do was trust the Lord, praise him for a victory already guaranteed against a massive coalition that would have annihilated Judah, and then, “…gather the plunder” (Verse 25).
This monumental miracle of a victory ends with: “When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side” (II Chronicles 20:29-30).
You think!
Second Historical Incident … King Hezekiah and Judah
In the year 701 BC, during the reign of one of Judah’s greatest and most godly kings, Hezekiah, God on a massive scale once again delivered his people from national destruction; and did so without any fighting on the part of Judah’s army. Let’s look at this astounding event, paying special attention to the pattern and parallels of what happened with Jehoshaphat some 140 years earlier. In terms of time-comparison, think of the gap between our Revolutionary War and World War I. And once again remember: our ancestors had to fight in both of those wars (and of course World War II) in order for God to providentially guide us to victory.
As a backdrop, the powerful nation of Assyria had already conquered the ten northern kingdoms of Israel in 722 BC; this according to God’s warning of what would happen if Israel continued to abandon and disobey their God who created the nation of Israel (through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and protected and prospered her for hundreds of years thereafter. God’s patience ran out and he allowed Assyria to vanquish Israel.
The Assyrian King, Sennacherib, had already attacked and taken most of the fortified towns of Judah and had marched on Jerusalem to complete his conquest of the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Sennacherib proudly boasted in messages to King Hezekiah that no one, not even the God of Israel, could prevent him from capturing Jerusalem (that alone was a huge mistake … to blatantly and arrogantly defy the true and living God).
“When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the Lord” (II Kings 19:1).
Obviously Hezekiah was distraught for he knew that Judah was no match against the mighty Assyrian army. So he sent for Isaiah (again seeking God’s Word through the voice of God’s prophet). Isaiah’s response was an immediate and emphatic promise from God:
“…This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword” (Verses 5-7).
After a second taunting and threatening message from Sennacherib’s officials, Hezekiah went to the Temple again, spread the message out before the Lord, and prayed passionately:
“…O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God. It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God” ((II Kings 19:15-19).
Though it hasn’t come yet to an immediate threat of another world war, the winds of war and the rattling of sabers can be heard all over the globe in today’s world. In a matter of a few weeks, precipitated by the unparalleled and virtually unmitigated civil wars, terrorism, and unrest in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, the entire world could erupt into an international conflagration.
What would happen if either or both of our presidential candidates now or as the next President, senators and congressmen from both parties, Supreme Court justices, and other prominent men and woman (especially those who know the Lord personally) poured our hearts out to God to deliver us from our enemies and from ourselves? What if we prayed the words of Hezekiah who humbly acknowledged God’s greatness and pleaded for his sovereign intervention?
I don’t know how God would do it or how quickly; but on the final authority of God’s Word (Scripture), I can confidently say, “This nation would be great again.” Or, if you’re in the other camp, “Stay great.” For the standing of any nation is determined by God himself. Any maintenance of or return to greatness through that same divine determination is predicated on a verse quoted recently in the Eye of Prophecy article, America the Beautiful Is Getting Ugly, posted 7-9-16.
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (II Chronicles 7:14).
Turn from our wicked ways. Stop killing our babies while they’re still in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16). Stop worshiping creation and the god of evolution (Romans 1:21-23). Worship the Creator instead. Stop calling God a liar or that he’s outdated when he gives clear timeless warnings against same sex-behavior (Romans 1:24-32). Overturn immoral legislation and ungodly high court decisions that sanction and even fund abortion and same-sex marriage proponents.
Will we never listen? Will we never learn? Will we never turn or return to God?
The following verses are just a part of Isaiah’s second message to Hezekiah, because Hezekiah had prayed to the Lord. The second message was much longer, and repeats some of the first message.
“And this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: ‘His armies will not enter Jerusalem. They will not even shoot an arrow at it. They will not march outside its gates with their shields nor build banks of earth against its walls. The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city, says the Lord. For my own honor and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it’” (II Kings 19:32-34).
Do you remember what happened next? It is only the most mind-boggling event in the annals of warfare. It will remind you of what happened to the first-born of every Egyptian when Pharaoh’s arrogance had stretched God’s patience to the limit, which also happened at the hands of an angel sent by God. Read with me:
“That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there” (Verses 35-36).
Once again, you think!
Boom, just like that. Sennacherib and what was left of his decimated troops were “out of there.” And why not! This boastful king had just lost 185,000 soldiers. Scripture doesn’t give us the size of his army, but that wouldn’t matter anyway. When you lose that many soldiers in one night while the survivors slept through it, you’re not going to stick around to see what might happen next.
But there’s more, to fulfill the precise prophecy of Isaiah:
“One day while he (Sennacherib) was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria” (Verse 37).
Assyria was never the same again. In a few decades, Babylon would utterly destroy the once mighty Assyrian kingdom.
Just like with Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and his army didn’t so much as shoot one arrow at the Assyrians. God did it all.
The Third and Last Event in Which God (alone) Annihilates Israel’s Enemies
Do you know which one it is? How it happens? Who is involved? If you know, then many kudos to you; because they are, in part, trick questions. Why? This final, most spectacular God-directed and God-inflicted defeat of Israel’s enemies hasn’t taken place yet. But it will, just as sure as God’s predictions for Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, the people of Judah, and their enemies came to pass.
We’re talking about the (soon to come) massive Gog/Magog invasion of Israel, which many Bible scholars have written about, including me in several Eye of Prophecy articles.
*Note: For more details on Russia, Iran, and their anti-Semitic agendas leading to fulfilment of the Gog/Magog prophecy, please see 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); Beginning of the End (3-5-16).
As indicated in some of those articles, I’m convinced (reasons given) that this monstrous campaign against Israel will occur within the first year or so of the seven-year Tribulation, which immediately follows the Rapture, which will happen any day now. Because you may be familiar with Ezekiel Chapters 38 & 39, and because of past columns on this subject, I will limit this week’s article to comments that fit today’s theme.
Which is to show that God’s autonomous confrontation of the Gog/Magog confederacy fits the same pattern as demonstrated in the first two incidents.
Ezekiel Chapters 38 & 39
“But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 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 summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord. Your men will turn their swords against each other. I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur!” (Ezekiel 38:18-22)
As we’ve seen: God’s victorious rout of Israel’s enemies in the time of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah was nothing short of stunning. For Jehoshaphat, God supernaturally turned Israel’s enemies against each other, so completely that all of the armies of that coalition were eliminated. For Hezekiah, the Lord sent only one of his mighty angels; overnight, 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were slain.
Against Gog and Magog, the Lord doubles down. He strikes this massive alliance of several nations—what presumably will be hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops aligned against Israel—by turning the forces of nature against them and also causing their troops to turn on each other.
Yes, this will be the third time in the chronicles of warfare that God alone will destroy Israel’s enemies without the Jews needing to fight at all. As with Jehoshaphat and his people, the Israelis will simply, “stand still and watch the Lord’s victory.” As did Sennacherib in Hezekiah’s time, all of Israel will watch Gog (if he survives) flee the scene with the proverbial “tail between his legs.”
Oh, the Israelis will need to contribute, but only after the fact. Here is what they will do:
“Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! They won’t need to cut wood from the fields, or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them…” (Ezekiel 39:9-10).
In today’s terms think of guns, grenades, mortars, missiles, assault vehicles, tanks, and aircraft.
Things to Ponder
Twice Almighty God directly struck down Israel’s enemies without the Jews needing to fight at all. In the near future, the Lord will do so again. What is the primary reason for this departure from the normal means of God helping Israel and nations who at least acknowledge the God of Israel as God, but with the requirement that the people participate in defense of their land and freedom?
Answer: At that critical point in Israel’s history, to get the undivided attention of both Israel and their enemies; that God’s sovereignty and glory is supreme over all peoples and nations. Which requires that both Jews and Gentiles, individually, make a decision: To turn, trust, and yield to the true and living God as Savior and Lord; OR to defy and reject him at great risk and peril, both now and throughout eternity.
For Jehoshaphat and his people: “When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them” (II Chronicles 20:29).
For Hezekiah and his people: “Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God” (Isaiah 37:20).
For wicked Gog and the evil forces of Magog: “In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:23).
And also to Israel:
By the time Russia, Iran, and the nations aligned with them in conspiracy against Israel are utterly crushed by God alone, all of Israel and all of the world will know beyond any doubt who was responsible for Gog’s humiliating defeat. At that point, both Jew and Gentile must decide whether to believe and follow God and the true Messiah, Jesus; or to ignore and defy the God of Israel and choose Satan’s false messiah, Nero.
First part of Psalm 83 says: “They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence’” (Psalm 83:3-4)
Then, “O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind! As a fire burns a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze, chase them with your fierce storm; terrify them with your tempest. Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O Lord” (Verses 13-16).
Does that sound like what takes place when God triumphs over Gog/Magog?
This Psalm closes with: “Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth” (Psalm 83:18).
