Charles R. Sabo

Excellent research!!!

The Whole Armor of God 13Wherefore take unto you The Whole Armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Eph. 6:13-18) The Apostle Paul provided Christians valuable information in Ephesians 6:13-18. To understand that a Christian is fighting a spiritual war against Satan, his angels, and evil spirits is so important in a believer’s daily life in this world. Paul presented a Christian with vital knowledge about what one must do to be strong against the adversaries of God. The Whole Armor of God is presented to a Christian as if they were doing battle back in the days of a Roman soldier. In verse 14, a Christian is to “Stand” and not run away from the adversary. Please notice that the Whole Armor of God is frontal attire, without any protection to the back side. Once you flee from the adversary, you are open to their attacks and are defenseless. First, one’s loins are to be girt with “truth.” Truth is a strength that cannot be countered, but with lies and deception. Lies can enslave one to that lie that they had told. The lie can come back and destroy the liar. Once a lie is spoken, then God is not glorified. God will see to the liar being bound by the lies that they tell. The truth will keep you bound to nothing, because it is freedom from the enslavement of falsehoods. Jesus declared Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, because no one can come to His Father, but through Him. (Jn. 14:6). He also said that the truth shall make us free from God’s wrath, as well as the enslavement of the lies. The Truth is Jesus the Messiah, and any adversarial attack against Him, shall be met with death and destruction in the end. To make a stand, for the name of the Truth (Jesus Christ), is the only Way to heaven. If someone in fear denies Christ, they have no protection against their oppressors, and are doomed without God’s help. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, “If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32) To put on the “breastplate of righteousness” is to protect one’s heart. A breastplate protects the vital organs, therefore is vital to a soldier. If one’s heart becomes corrupted with unrighteousness, it will die. Righteousness will protect one’s heart from moral decay. If the Christian walks in the righteousness of Christ, Jesus will be their protection against the corruption that kills the soul. 18 Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (Rom. 6:18-19) 22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:22-23) When a Christian looks at the importance of their feet, they should realize that without their feet, they are immobile and helpless. The phrase: “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,” enables us to read the word “peace” and its importance in a Christian’s walk with God. God is not a war mongerer, nor One that wants for any Christian to suffer through a battle. He has made it known that he walks in love and encourages peace. Just because a Christian wears the Full Armor of God, does not insinuate that a physical battle should be fought; the Full Armor of God is for a spiritual battle against the adversaries of God, while God does all of a Christian’s fighting. 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15) When Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples, He made an impact on them about the His position on fighting. He made it clear that peace was what He wanted. 52And sent messengers before His face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him. 53 And they did not receive Him, because his face was as though He would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said: “Lord, will You that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned, and rebuked them, and said: “You know not what manner of Spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:52-56) Paul mentioned in Ephesians 6:16, “Above all taking the shield of faith.” Notice he says “above all” as if to say that this is a higher priority. In a spiritual battle, a Christian’s faith is attacked first and foremost; if the adversary can defeat one’s faith, they will fall hard into sin and corruption. One’s faith can be as a strong shield and block (quench) those fiery darts from the adversaries of God. A fiery dart can be: a spoken word from a non-believer, a thought fired into your mind by a fallen angel or unclean spirit, or a piece of propaganda laid in front of the believer to cause them to stumble. One’s faith has to withstand this attack, and through Christ, He will bring a Christian the faith and strength to withstand the spiritual attack. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last day. (1 Pet. 1:5) In 1 Peter 1:5, one can see that a Christian has the power of God through faith, which leads us to salvation. God has given all believers their faith; He did it! He gives a believer their faith, which gives them their salvation; with that, salvation is eternal life. In Ephesians 6:17, we see we are to “take the helmet of salvation;” this helmet covers our head where our brain is. In our brain are our thoughts. This helmet of salvation protects a Christian’s thoughts, because knowing that they are saved from God’s wrath, they can confidently fight against the adversaries of God. This is important knowing that all Christians are guaranteed an eternity in paradise with Jesus Christ our God, along with all Christian brothers and sisters in Christ. The boldness, which a Christian maintains, is a confidence and peace felt; this is felt when realizing that no matter what, their place in Heaven is secure for eternity. 20According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil. 1:20-21) The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1) As one finishes with Ephesians 6:17, they will find that there is only one offensive weapon against the adversary. It is the word of God in the Holy Bible! That is why it is so important to make sure the translation, that you study and carry with you, is an uncorrupted version; then it will be sharper than any two-edged sword and will slice the adversary with ease. Satan knew of the sharpness of God’s word, so he has been attacking it with watered-down corrupted texts, over the last two centuries. If a Christian will stand against the adversaries of God with His sharper two-edged sword, and try to stay away from a dull butter knife, they will flee! For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) In Ephesians 6:18, Paul disclosed a key for the strength of a believer in Christ: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” A Christian’s faith can depend on the power of his or her prayers. God strengthens a Christian through prayer and fasting. The term “prayer warrior” has meaning and truth to it. Prayer can remove chains, it can stop the rain, it can bring down fire from heaven, and it can heal the sick. God hears one’s prayers and through His will, He accomplishes things to His glory. The whole Armor of God has little strength, if there are no prayers being made. God is faithful and will hear His Christians and be glorified through all of them. Praise God for He has given His Christians His salvation and strength to stand against the adversary all to His Glory! Amen! 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Eph. 6:18) When Peter was taken prisoner, the church in Jerusalem prayed for the Lord to save him. They prayed, and the Lord heard and responded, because it was His will to be done. 5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 7 And, behold, the Messenger of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. (Acts 12:5-7)

Hebrews 5:4 And no man takes this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. In addition to the human requirement, a man must be “called of God” in order to take this honor stated in the previous three verses. Paul used Aaron as his example, because he was an obvious model of the High Priest, being audibly called by God into his position (Ex. 28:1). The Levite Priests would be picked hereditarily by keeping in the same bloodline as the first High Priest, being Aaron. Since God called out Aaron and his sons to be His priests, it remained in their bloodline from that point on. Hebrews lists three qualifications for such high priesthood: “every high priest is [1] taken from among human beings and [2] appointed on behalf of human beings with respect to the matters pertaining to God, [3] in order to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin” (5:1). In other words, a high priest is (1) chosen from among human beings, and so (2) not self-appointed but called by God to represent them (3) in the sacrifices he offers before God (in particular, for the expiation of sins).[1] Hebrews 5:5 So also Messiah glorified not Himself to be made a High Priest; but HE that said unto Him: “You are My Son, today have I begotten You.” Jesus did not appoint Himself as the High Priest for the sacrifice of humankind’s sins. Paul laid out the qualifier here in this, and the following verse. As I pointed out in verse 5:1, Jesus was born of the bloodline of the tribe of Judah, therefore was not part of the called out Aaronite Priests (Ex. 28:1). With that implied, one can and should ask: “How is it that Jesus Christ is a High Priest, who performs the sacrifice for the sins of another human being?” He had not qualified for the sacrificial atonement for the sins of humanity, because He is not a Levite. He would be in violation of His own decrees stated in the Mosaic Covenant. Paul, being a former Pharisee, understood this and spent some time here explaining to the Hebrews the qualifier for Messiah Jesus as the High Priest. One thousand years before Messiah was born into His incarnation, King David wrote a Psalm that has become the only possible qualifier for Messiah to be High Priest for humanity. Only one Person qualifies as GOD, who could appoint HIS Messiah as High Priest, being not HIMSELF. It has to be GOD the Father who would qualify as GOD calling upon HIS Son, so that HIS Son would not have been self-appointed High Priest for humanity. The pronoun “HE” in this first statement (but HE that said unto Him) is to be understood to be GOD the Father, while the pronoun “Him” is to be understood as Jesus the Messiah. It is important to understand what Paul was teaching, while paying attention to who the pronouns refer to, concerning what was said by GOD the Father to HIS Son; he brought his readers back to his teachings from Hebrews 1:5: “’You are MY Son, this day have I begotten You?’ And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to ME a Son?’” God the Son has always existed, created all things, and has waited until this day (today) of His begetting from His Father. On this day He officially became the only begotten of the Father (1:5), who is the first born (first in rank) of all of creation (Col. 1:15). Jewish tradition had honored a son in rank according their birth right; sometimes, the first born was not always given first rank; when a father was to anticipate his near death, he would provide blessings and assign rank in their inheritances. When Jesus accomplished His work, His Father declared His right to first rank among God’s Kingdom (You are MY Son, today have I begotten You). Hebrews 5:6 As HE said also in another place: “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” As I mentioned explaining the previous verse, Paul taught an important qualifier for the High Priesthood of Jesus, the Son of God. He quoted GOD the Father again here, when referring to Him as “HE” once again. The expression “another place,” referred to by Paul, is from Psalm 110:4. The LORD had commanded David’s Lord to sit down at HIS right hand, until HE made His enemies His footstool in Psalm 110:1. Psalm 110:4 is the qualifier for the High Priesthood of Jesus the Messiah, which was the calling of GOD the Father’s Son after the order of Melchizedek. 1The LORD said unto my Lord: “Sit at MY right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Ps. 110:1-4) Jesus was called by His Father to be High Priest. The context of the expression “after the order of Melchizedek” should be considered when qualifying according to the Mosaic System. Jesus was not a descendant of Aaron (Ex. 28:1), but of the tribe of Judah. The Melchizedek qualification is understood to be back to the time before the Laws of Moses, when Abraham honored Melchizedek as his priest and tithed one tenth of his spoils to him. Melchizedek was the king of Jerusalem (Salem) and High Priest over his kingdom (Gen. 14:18-20). God calls us to associate Messiah to the same titles of Melchizedek, without having to abide in the Mosaic Levitical requirement. Melchizedek was priest over all people of Canaan, during his era (priest of the most high God), while Messiah Jesus is High Priest over the entire human race (not just Israel); this is a major correlation between them (neither were sons of Aaron). And take unto you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. (Ex. 28:1) [1] O' Collins and Jones, Jesus Our Priest, 47-48. Hebrews 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood (because under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? Paul then provided a position of argument by first stating the criteria being regarded. In order for someone under the Laws of Moses (the law) to be considered right with God, their perfection was obtained through the Levitical priesthood. Paul asked the question, because it just would not have made logical sense that another priest would rise up after the order of Melchizedek and not be a Levite (order of Aaron). Since the Laws of Moses were established after the incident between Abraham and Melchizedek, the priests were to be required to be of the Levitical descent. Paul’s motive is yet being brought to its final conclusions, which are based first on this valuable point that the Laws of Moses were established, which was not permitting just any son of Abraham to be a priest. When implying the order of Aaron, Paul reminded the Hebrews of something that they had already known. The Levite priests were all after the order of Aaron (being a Levite). And take unto you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. (Ex. 28:1) Hebrews 7:12 Because the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. Paul then expressed that if Psalm 110:1-4 indicates that the Messiah is to be Priest after the order of Melchizedek, then there is a need (necessity) of a change of the law that required the priesthood to come after the order of Aaron. Because of the Davidic Covenant of 1 Samuel 7:8-17, the Messiah was to come from the Davidic descent, who was of the Tribe of Judah. The conflict with that covenant is that the Messiah is to become a Priest, but only Levites could be priests. Therefore, Paul addressed the change in the law, because Psalm 110:1-4 had indicated to be GOD’s ordinance for that change to occur. Hebrews 7:13 Because He of whom these things are spoken pertain to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. Since the Davidic Covenant is the ordinance that brings to mind that the Messiah is to be from the bloodline of King David, then things spoken of within Psalm 110:1-4 need to be considered. The person being spoken of in Psalm 110:1-4 is David’s Lord and is Messiah, but He is to be Priest also (pertain to another tribe). The conflict with the Old Covenant is that no man ever gave attendance at the altar from the Tribe of Judah. Even the one time that a king came to the Lord’s altar, in order to burn incense to the Lord, he was cursed with leprosy for the remainder of his life. 18And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him: “It appertains not unto you, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary, because you have trespassed; neither shall it be for your honor from the LORD God.” 19Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. (2 Chron. 26:18-19) Hebrews 7:14 Because it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. Paul provided elaboration to the reason given in the previous verse. He said because it is evident (commonly known) that “our” Lord (“He” from the previous verse) sprang (anatellō), or rose out of the Tribe of Judah. Paul considered Jesus his Lord, but the Hebrews whom he had written to, had not considered Him yet to be Lord. Paul provided an inclusivity in his statement, while hoping that they will begin to consider what he was writing to be legitimate. The preposition “of” modifies the name “Judah” with additional information. Paul indicated that the Tribe of Judah was never spoken of, when Moses wrote in the law concerning priesthood. The thought begins to come to mind, that Paul’s point concerning the Psalm 110:1-4 declaration, has to be considered. If Messiah was to come from the Tribe of Judah, because King David had come from there, then the Psalm 110:1-4 declaration from GOD the Father implies that the change mentioned in verse 7:12 is necessary. Hebrews 7:15 And it is yet far more evident, because that after the similitude of Melchizedek, there arises another Priest, Paul wrote in addition to what he had said in verse 7:14 (and). The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous clause, which explains why “it is far more evident.” It should be read as follows: “And it is yet far more evident, because that after the similitude of Melchizedek, there arises another priest.” The verse should have contained what is written in verse 7:16 as well, which completes the sentence and thought. Paul conveyed that it is “far more” evident (commonly known) that what is written in Psalm 110:1-4 implies that there is to be another kingly-Priest to rise up similar to Melchizedek. Paul used logic to teach his lesson on the theology of the prophecy of Messiah, who was to not only be King, but a Priest as well. The people of Israel should have realized that their Messiah was to be a King and Priest, which can be based upon what the other prophets had declared. Even He shall build the Temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a Priest upon His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zech. 6:13) Hebrews 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. Verse 7:15 should have included this series of clauses, which needs to follow right after the comma of the sentence which precedes it. The pronoun “who” connects to the previous noun “Priest” in verse 7:15. The translators used the verb “made” for the Greek verb “ginomai,” which also means “to arise, to become.” It would be more appropriate to say: “Who is to arise.” The Messiah is to arise not after the law of a fleshly (carnal) commandment (Laws of Moses), but according (after) to the power of His endless life. The Greek adjective “akatalytos” is translated appropriately as “endless,” which actually means: “not subject to destruction.” “It is in the power of His resurrected life, and not of His mortal life, that Christ officiates as a Priest.”[1] 9 But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Rom. 8:9-10) Hebrews 7:17 Because HE testified: “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. The reason that we know that Messiah was to arise according to the power of endless life, is because HE (God the Father) testified: “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” The key word here is “forever.” Because GOD the Father had disclosed David’s Lord to be a Priest forever, Paul is at liberty to say that it is through the power of Christ’s endless life that He arose as Priest. Hebrews 7:18 Because there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. Paul provided the reason the law of the fleshly commandment (versed 7:16), concerning the Levitical Priesthood, was inferior; he implied that it was the repealing (disannulling) of the commandment of the Levitical Priesthood (Ex. 28:1), along with the Levitical Priesthood itself from before, by reason of the weakness and uselessness (unprofitableness) itself (thereof). 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, GOD sending HIS own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Rom. 8:3) Hebrews 7:19 Because the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw near unto GOD. The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. Paul explained in Romans 7 this detail concerning the law, which brought death. Paul’s theology within the Epistle to the Romans explains in detail what the law has done for us; the law is a teacher that teaches us sin and death, but has never been able to save anyone from that death. 9 Because I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. (Rom. 7:9-10) Here in verse 7:19, Paul implied that the perfection of the sacrificial atonement by Christ has brought in a better hope. The hope is brought up here, which he has explained that it is that hope that saves us, because we hope for that immortality which was promised to us (Rom. 8:24-25). We look forward to the everlasting Kingdom of GOD (Zion), which the law does not bring, but trusting in the sacrificial atonement by Jesus Christ does bring. The two words “the which,” spoken of in the last phrase, refers to the hope that all believers have in GOD’s promises; Paul implied here that believers draw near unto GOD, because of that forgiveness and hope for everlasting life. Hebrews 7:20 And inasmuch as not without an oath He was made Priest: The conjunction “and” continues with the thought of the previous verse. Another way of saying “inasmuch as” would be “according to as much as.” The point of the matter is that the Priesthood of Messiah was not without an oath, because GOD the Father had made it clear in Psalm 110:1-4. “The LORD has sworn, and will not repent, You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps. 110:4) The sworn oath by GOD the Father makes it clear that the Messiah shall be after the order of Melchizedek, whereby He shall be both King and Priest (Zech. 6:13). Hebrews 7:21 (Because those priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath by HIM that said unto Him, the LORD swore and will not repent: “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”) The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. This passage should be connected to and part of verse 7:20, because it finished the thought started from that phrase. It is unnecessary to put the verse in parentheses, since it does finish the statement of verse 7:20. And inasmuch as not without an oath He was made Priest, because those priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath by HIM that said unto Him: “the LORD swore and will not repent: “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Paul pointed out here that the Levite Priests were made priests without any formal oath by God, nor the Priests. The conjunction “but” confirms the exception to this is concerning David’s Lord, who was made Priest by an oath sworn by GOD the Father in Psalm 110:4. Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. The two words “so much” being spoken of concerns the statement made in Psalm 110:4, which indicates that His Priesthood is “forever,” which makes the surety of the New Covenant a better testament. The next verse continues the thought from this initial statement. If the High Priest lives forever, then His atonement is to be accepted as being a forever atonement for sin, and not temporary. 19 Because as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Messiah our Lord. (Rom. 5:19-21) Hebrews 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: Paul’s point continues here with the conjunction “and.” There have been uncountable Levitical priests who worked in the Temple; the point is made clear here that there services were temporary, by reason of their death as mortals. Because Jesus is our Priest forever, His perfect blood sacrifice is counted as forever as well, thus a better covenant (testament). 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more, death has no more dominion over Him. 10 Because in that He died, He died unto sin once, but in that He lives, He lives unto GOD. (Rom. 6:9-10) Hebrews 7:24 But this Man, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Paul continues the thoughts from the previous verses concerning Jesus the Messiah (this Man). The Levitical priests had all died in their mortality, but Jesus (this Man) continues forever. Reiterating the point from verse 7:22, because Messiah Jesus continues as High Priest forever, He has an unchangeable priesthood. Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them. The adverb “wherefore” connects this verse to the previous. The pronoun “He” refers back to the noun “Man” also of the previous verse. This Man is Jesus, who is also able to save them from damnation completely (to the uttermost) who come to God by Him (Jesus). Paul reminded the readers why He is able to save them who believe, seeing that He lives forever to make intercession for them unto GOD the Father. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our GOD, and the power of HIS Christ, because the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our GOD day and night. (Rev. 12:10) The Lord makes intercession at His Father’s throne for His elect; in Revelation 12:10, we can read how Satan will someday be cast out from access to God’s throne in heaven. He had been accusing the brethren day and night in front of the throne of GOD the Father, while Christ has been testifying of their worthiness of His forgiveness (1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 8:6, 9:15 and 12:24). The Hebrews would be able to recall what was written in the Book of Job, where Satan and his angels went before the throne of GOD, and they made accusations against Job (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). A Christian has an intercessor (advocate) speaking in their behalf, which is much better than what the Old Testament Saints ever had. Hebrews 7:26 Because such a High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. The translators have misinterpreted the Greek verb “prepō” in this passage, which changes the context. The other definition for the Greek verb “prepō” is: “to stand out, or to be conspicuous.” Jesus didn’t “become us,” because we are not the many descriptions to follow, as Jesus is. He was, however, “to stand out from us;” He is conspicuous from us, because He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made (to become) higher than the heavens. An additional definition to the Greek verb “prepō” is “befitting.” It can be interpreted to say that “because it is befitting to us that we have such a High Priest, who is…” Both definitions lead us to the same conclusions. He stood out from us, and befitted us as our High Priest, who is “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made (to become) higher than the heavens.” Hebrews 7:27 Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for His own sins, and then for the people's, because this He did once, when He offered up Himself. The pronoun “who” refers back to the previous statement in verse 7:26. Paul makes a special point to remind the Hebrews reading this that their high priests have to work daily, in offering sacrifices for themselves for their own sins, then also for the people’s; Jesus the Messiah, however, offered Himself as the sacrifice once and is finished. His work was finished and He sits at the right hand of His Father in heaven, while the imperfect priests would be standing all day offering up blood sacrifices. Hebrews 7:28 Because the law makes men high priests which have infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since the law, makes the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. The Greek conjunction “gar” should be translated as the English conjunction (because), which is usually assigning a reason for the previous passage. Paul explained the reason that Jesus only had to offer Himself up once, while the high priests were continuously offering sacrifices. It was because the Laws Moses assigned Levite men as high priest, who had fallen flesh and had been guilty of sin (infirmity). Because the conjunction “but” begins the next clause, the semi-colon (;) is inappropriate and there needs to be a comma (,) instead. But the exception to the high priest is the word of the oath from Psalm 110:1-4. The oath of Psalm 110:1-4 was made (written) by King David in GOD the Father’s behalf, which was after (since) the Laws of Moses had been written; the oath of Psalm 110:1-4 makes the Son of the Father consecrated forever (for evermore). Paul was implying that the law had been changed and the Levites were no longer consecrated by God, because Psalm 110:1-4 declared it shall be Messiah as the High Priest for evermore. If Psalm 110:1-4 were not written, there would be no salvation for mankind, and we would thus, be all destined to hell. 1 The LORD said unto my Lord: "Sit at MY right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. 2 The LORD shall send the Rod of Your strength out of Zion: rule You in the midst of Your enemies. 3 Your people shall be willing in the day of Your power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: You have the dew of Your youth. 4 The LORD has sworn, and will not repent: "You are a Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek." (Ps. 110:1-4) [1] A. R. Fausset, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, (Blue Letter Bible, Hebrews, 2020), Heb. 7:16

I have written a Bible Commentary on both epistles to the Thessalonians and would like to point out something very important to ponder upon. Please do not be offended, but investigate my findings to confirm what I have concluded. The Bible Commentary includes both epistles, and my introduction is as follows: Introduction Thessalonica was the largest city in Macedonia, thus became the capital city of that province in the Roman Empire. Situated between the Adriatic Sea and the classical Hellespont, Thessalonica was found at the head of the Thermaic Gulf; its fine harbor made it a major outlet for trade in Macedonia, which brought many roads leading to and from.[1] It was originally named Therma, because of its hot springs. General Cassander had named a place next to Therma after his wife, Thessalonica (1/2 sister of Alexander the Great) in 315 B.C.;[2] eventually, the city of Thessalonica became very prosperous, swallowed up Therma, and they became one city.[3] After the Romans took control of the Greek cities, they recognized the importance of Thessalonica and named it the capital of one of the four sections that they had divided Macedonia into; then later, the Romans transformed the four provinces into just the one and Thessalonica became the capital of all of Macedonia.[4] Even while Romans were there in Thessalonica, it remained Greek in its traditions and culture.[5] Because Greek Hellenism was the dominant religion of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean coastal cities, Rome and its surrounding ports were influenced as well. The Apostle Paul had faced some of his biggest challenges in attempting to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who were already entrenched in the religion that the cultures of Asia and Europe had trusted in for many generations. With adversarial Jews following Paul just to ruin his endeavors in teaching the Gentiles of the Triune Godhead, he faced responses induced by these Jews, who attempted to make sure the gospel of Christ would be rejected. As you read Acts 16:10, you will notice that Luke included himself (we) for the first time in his writings in Acts. In Acts 16:7, Luke wrote them as the pronoun “they,” followed by verses 16:8-10, when he then included himself as “we.” It is believed that Luke met Paul for the first time in Troas and went on the journey with Paul from Troas to Philippi. Acts 16:10 also acknowledges that they immediately followed the call from the Lord to proceed to Macedonia. It is believed that Luke remained behind in Philippi, then when Paul returned back on his next missionary journey, Luke rejoined with Paul in Philippi. The Apostle Paul wrote two known letters to the church in Thessalonica, and must be read together in a story line concerning events transpiring during Paul’s missionary journeys through Asia Minor in the first century. One must understand that just because church authorities have named the letters as 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians, it does necessarily mean that this was the chronological order in which they were written (typically, the longer epistle is named as first).[6] In support of the belief that 2 Thessalonians was indeed the first of the two letters, a reader should recognize that the recipients are addressed to be enduring persecution (2 Thess. 1:4, 5, 7), while 1 Thessalonians implies that the persecution was in the past (1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14).[7] Because Paul was preaching Christ as King, the Jewish adversaries cleverly proclaimed to the Thessalonians that this was contrary to the decrees of Caesar (Acts 17:7). It seems that Paul was not in Thessalonica just briefly, because he had rejoiced in his epistle to the Philippians for their generosity in sending him gifts to him while he was in Thessalonica (Phil. 4:15-16). When persecution had begun in Thessalonica, the Christian brethren rushed Paul and Silas out of Thessalonica to Be-re’a. After the Jews followed, they stirred up the Be-re’ans, thus he was sent off to Athens (Acts 17:13-15). After Paul spoke to Athenians (Acts 17:18-34), while waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him, he left Athens and came to Corinth (Acts 18:1). During his eighteen-month stay in Corinth, Timothy and Silas came from Macedonia and joined him (Acts. 18:5-11). It is not documented anywhere concerning the delivery of the first letter (2 Thessalonians) to the Thessalonians, but it is possible that the correspondence that occurred in Acts 17:15 may have been for Timothy and Silas to join Paul in Athens; then Paul sent them back to Thessalonica accompanied with the first letter to be delivered (2 Thessalonians); this had to be before Timothy and Silas departed for Corinth, from Macedonia (Acts 18:5). 1Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone; 2 And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: (1 Thess. 3:1-2) Since Paul indicated in 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 that he sent Timothy to them from Athens, it makes the most sense that the persecution of the saints was still being endured in Thessalonica and Be-re’a. Paul wrote the first letter to the Thessalonians for Timothy to hand deliver, which is now known as 2 Thessalonians.[8] Because there were questions that the Thessalonians had after reading the letter (2 Thessalonians), Timothy delivered the concerns when he met Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:5).[9] As Paul became relieved that the Thessalonians had begun to spread the gospel, he wrote them back from Corinth, which is now known as 1 Thessalonians.[10] 6 And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. 7 So that you were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. (1 Thess. 1:6-7) Timothy’s report back from Thessalonica (1 Thess. 3:6), after the first letter that he had delivered, brought the many questions and concerns to Paul; he then felt compelled to respond back with his second letter (1 Thessalonians) setting them straight concerning the rapture (harpazo) of the church. What is now known as 2 Thessalonians, Paul had given the timing of the rapture of the church (2 Thess. 2:1-8), which had brought the concern for their deceased friends and family. Because 2 Thessalonians was written first and provided the timing of the “day of the Lord” concerning the removal of the church, it stimulated the Thessalonians questions and concerns towards their already dead brethren (1 Thess. 4:13-15). They were concerned about their loved ones, who had already died (slept), having thought that they would miss out on being “caught up together” (harpazo in Greek; rapturo in Latin) with the church.[11] “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thess. 4:13) The second letter (1 Thessalonians) answered their concerns, as Paul had explained that the dead in Christ shall rise first (1 Thess. 4:16). In addition to the concerns for the church in Thessalonica, Timothy had brought reports that the pagan sexual values had to be corrected, which Paul addressed concerning Christian purity in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7. This was something that converts from Greek paganism were having difficulty in obeying.[12] The excitement concerning the eminence of the rapture (harpazo) of the church, had caused some to decline in their responsibilities to continue in their daily work (1 Thess. 4:11-12). Paul had warned them in the first letter (2 Thess. 3:10-12) to stay away from those who were “busybodies,” who walked disorderly, and did not work. In the follow-up letter (1 Thessalonians), Paul urged them to continue to work (as we commanded you) (1 Thess. 4:13-15). Thus, Paul’s focus was different between the two letters, because the first letter commanded them to stay away from the lazy “busybodies,” while the follow-up letter commanded them to continue to work. The church of Christianity has faced challenges in the last two millenniums in understanding the interpretation of Bible prophecy from both the Old Testament and the New. The attempt in understanding biblical doctrines has been faced with adversarial attacks, which confuses the church in correct dogma. Even letters written directly to the church body have been twisted and misunderstood in their explicit details. Spiritual gifts enable one person to be capable of correct interpretation, while others without will incorrectly decipher the explanation of what God had intended. The rapture (harpazo) of the church has been debated by believers and non-believers for many centuries. The doctrine of the rapture itself has been debated, as non-believers in the rapture deny its concepts. The timing of the rapture, concerning the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel 9:27, has also been debated. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Mid-Tribulation Rapture, and Post-Tribulation Rapture have adamant followers, who argue the interpretation of certain key verses in the Scriptures. Within the letter known as 2 Thessalonians, are verses that are key in the timing of the rapture (harpazo). Many have only believed what others have preached to them, while not thoroughly investigating as I have; the Holy Spirit will lead them to the truth of the doctrine known as the rapture, if they were to investigate the Old and New Testament together, in order to see the Resurrection of Life (Jn. 5:28-29) in its intended interpretation. In writing of this commentary, I have thoroughly investigated and properly interpreted the verses, in order to reveal what the Holy Spirit has provided to me. [1] L. Morris, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991), 2. [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Bard, Mitchell. Jewish Virtual Library. webpage accessed 1/6/2015: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths3/MF1948.html, 2015. [7] F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdsmann Publishing Company, 1977), 228-229. [8] Ibid., 229. [9] Ibid. [10] Ibid. [11] Ibid., 229-230. [12] Ibid., 229.

Great verse "Alive!" That future time of the "full day" can be found in Revelation 21:23. Interesting that Solomon (Prov. 4:18) knew of this future time, which God's elect will enjoy for eternity. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: because the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Rev. 21:23)

Great question DeighAnn! I will attempt to answer that. First, the Bride of Jesus Christ are those who have believed in the gospel of Christ from the point of Him giving up His Spirit on the cross, to the time of the rapture (harpazo) of the church; these are both Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles have been grafted into this Bride, because of Israel's rejection of Christ (Rom. 11:6-25). The timeline of the seven years is to be near to the end, when chapter 19 brings to us the call to the Bride to come forth to her ceremony; it is to follow an amazing worship service in heaven. The Bride was first caught up (harpazo/rapturo) into heaven during their resurrection, as we should understand occurred according Revelation 4:1. That brought the end of the church age, and the opening of the seven seals of the seven rolls, which will have started the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel. The final event in the timeline of the seven years is declared here in chapter 19. The Marriage of the Lamb, will be the joining in matrimony with Christ’s Bride, the resurrected church body (members). Once the ceremony is complete, then the next event to come, will be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ; He will descend down to the Earth with His Bride, as well as His army of angels. This day will be on day 2,520 of the seven years, and the supernatural will be transpiring in an amazing conclusion of events. Revelation 19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying: “Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:” John said: “After these things,” which was after the destruction of Mystery Babylon the Great. After the great city (Vatican City) had been destroyed, John heard a “great voice.” The Greek text reveals the Greek adjective “megas,” which is in a singular neuter form. The Greek adjective “megas,” is translated as “a great.” It will be a single great voice of a multitude of people in heaven. It is not disclosed who these people will be, so one can only speculate; it could be all people consisting of the raptured church, the Tribulation Saints, and the Old Testament Saints; or, it could just be many people in heaven. John indicated that they will be saying, and not singing; they will say in perfect unison (one voice): Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God. The multitude continues in verse 19:2 as a continuation of the words spoken in unison. The Greek and Hebrew form of alleluia is defined to mean: “praise you Jah!” Revelation 19:2 Because true and righteous are His judgments: because He has judged the great whore, which did corrupt the Earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. This is a continuation from the multitude speaking in unison so clear that it sounded as one voice. The word “for” is interchangeable with the word “because.” The reason God is being praised and given glory, honor and power is stated. Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God, because true and righteous are His judgments. Then we must consider that true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great whore, which did corrupt the Earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. The people will be praising God because His judgments are true and righteous, when He will have avenged the blood of His servants and destroyed the great whore, who had been corrupting the Earth with her spiritual fornication (idolatry). Revelation 19:3 And again they said: “Alleluia And her smoke rose up forever and ever.” Here the same multitude of people end their praise of God in unison with an “Alleluia.” John then described something that must be taken literally. The new Earth, which will be created in Revelation 21:1, will still have the remains from the location of Rome, and the smoldering of smoke will be rising up from the ruins forever and ever. This cannot be allegory of any sort. If the people are literally going to recite this praise in 19:1-3, then the literal context of “her” must follow as well to be real and not allegorically. The context of “her” is that false church in Rome. Revelation 19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying: “Amen; Alleluia.” Here, as explained in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, the twenty-four elders are an allegorical representation of the church (Bride). In addition, the four beasts (possibly seraphim) could be an allegorical representation of the entire population of seraphim angels, who are always before the throne of God. After the multitude had spoken in unison within verses 19:1-3, the entire Bride of Christ and the entire population of seraphim will fall down onto their knees and faces and worship God the Father, while saying: “Amen, Alleluia!” (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled, praise You Jah) Revelation 19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying: “Praise our GOD, all you HIS servants, and you that fear HIM, both small and great.” It is curious to realize who it was that spoke from out of the throne. It could have been one of the potential seraphim, or was it someone who is determined to bring glory to GOD the Father? I believe that God the Son will speak to the multitude of the church, cherubim, seraphim, Tribulation Saints, and Old Testament Saints; He will encourage all to praise our GOD (the Father). Truly, all (both small and great) of the church are GOD the Father’s servants and all (both small and great) fear HIM, who is LORD over our Lord Jesus. The modern-day church has failed greatly in glorifying GOD the Father. Praying to Jesus was never explained for us to do, nor commanded of us. It was Jesus who explained that the church should pray to His Father in His name (Jesus’), if we were to ever pray (Jn. 14:12-14; 16:23). We should pray to our Father, WHO is in heaven….hollowed be HIS name…! Even in heaven, Jesus will be pointing us to His Father, who deserves infinite praise and glory. Revelation 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying: “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.” In response to the call to praise GOD the Father, the church (a great multitude), and the voice of God the Son (many waters), and GOD the Father (mighty thunderings) all saying “Alleluia,” because the Lord God omnipotent reigns.” Like the voice in 19:1, the church will respond in worship, in unison with Jesus and His Father; they will praise the Triune Godhead as the Lord God omnipotent. We should be able to confirm who the voice of many waters is from Revelation 1:15, when John heard the same voice from Jesus, while God the Father is the voice of seven thunders of Revelation 10:3-4. Yes, God the Son and GOD the Father will join us in this amazing worship service; they will both be humble and be praising the Triune Godhead, which they will feel compelled to join their children in praise. To this point, we can decipher that a great worship service will follow after the judgments have come to pass, just before the Second Coming of our Christ. But, there is one more event to come, after this amazing worship service, and before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the Earth. Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to HIM, because the Marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. The worship service will continue right into the introduction of the Bride of the most important marriage ceremony to ever come to pass. The multitude of the church, cherubim, seraphim, Tribulation and Old Testament Saints will recite verses 19:7 and 19:8, along with the Groom, and the Father of both the Bride and the Groom. Everyone in heaven will be heard saying: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to HIM, because the Marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” As all of heaven is glad and rejoicing, they will honor the Father (HIM), because the Marriage of the Lamb (Jesus the Son of God), and His wife, who had made herself ready to be joined with their Lord, God, and Savior. The Apostle Paul said: “Because I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, because I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:2) John the Baptist said concerning the Messiah: "He who has the bride is the Bridegroom; but the friend of the Bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice; so this joy of mine has been made full.” (Jn. 3:29) Jesus had told the Jews listening to Him, a concern for them to be watchful, because the remnant in the future were going to be waiting for Him to come (see Rev. 12). “And you yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord; when He will return from the wedding, that when He comes and knocks, they may open unto Him immediately.” (Luke 12:36) Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. The brides of men of the current age, will still dress themselves in white dresses, in order to proclaim their purity, when they have already given up their virginity to someone beforehand; this is a false proclamation of their purity. The significance of white raiment, shows the purity of the Bride, and is important in the context of theology. The sins of the Bride have been washed away clean like snow, when it was at one time, scarlet from their sins. Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Is. 1:18) As Jesus had been introduced by John in Revelation 1:5, John had said that the Lord had “washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Isaiah foretold of the salvation to come within Isaiah 1:18 (Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow). The Apostle Paul wrote: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Eph. 1:7) The Tribulation Saints will be in heaven, because they held fast to their salvation, because they will “have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” of God (Rev. 7:14). These expressions are allegory representing the sins of each person, after they had stained their garments scarlet red; the stain represents their offenses committed against God; when a person trusts in the sacrificial blood atonement performed by God upon His Son Jesus, the sins accumulated are washed away clean, white as snow. Knowing that the Tribulation Saints will have been in heaven (not being of the Bride), immediately after they will have been killed, we can also conclude that they will have also washed their garments clean white with the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9 And he said unto me: “Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true sayings of God. This is a verse, which we cannot link to anyone speaking previously to link the pronoun “he.” If we go to the following verse, we will find that this person that spoke to John was one of the brethren of the church. This member of the Bride of Christ said, “Write, Blessed are they, which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” He also said: “These are the true saying of God.” The cherubim angels were involved in advising John of what He was seeing in the visions, while John had been writing things down. He was obeying what Jesus had commanded from Revelation 1:19, but now the member of the church stepped in to make sure that John wrote this very important proclamation down. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is not the same event as the Marriage of the Lamb from verse 19:7. In heaven will be the Marriage of the Lamb, which will be right before the Second Coming of Christ. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be an event, which will be held on Earth, after the Second Coming and Armageddon. During His first advent, Jesus had told a parable, concerning the wedding and its guests. In the parable, there were welcome guests, as well as unwelcome guests. The parable is key to be understood as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, where a remnant of Israel will be invited to that wedding feast, while others will not be invited. In reality, the uninvited will already be dead from the seven years of wrath, while the protected remnant will all be invited. “So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.” (Matt. 22:10) The point of the parable was to Israel, when Jesus had implied that there would be a certain guest, who would be an imposter; He will order the imposter guest to be cast out “into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 22:13) This hit home with the Pharisees of that time, because they knew that He was referring to them as well. The importance of the proclamation of Jesus here in 19:9 is simply a call to those on Earth, who will be there when He arrives. The invited guests will be the remnant of Israel, whom He will have been protecting for 3 ½ years, until He will have arrived. The marriage celebration will be a glorious venue with the Old Testaments Saints (immortals), the Tribulation Saints (immortals) the cherubim angels, the protected remnant of Israel (mortals), the gathered “elect” from Earth (mortals), and the Bride of the Lamb (immortals), who will all be there with the Groom (Jesus). All will be truly blessed! “These are the true saying of God.”

Ezekiel A Bible Commentary Chapter 38 The most well-known endtimes prophecies in the Bible include Ezekiel 38-39, while so many attempt to acknowledge who exactly will be involved in this battle. The Lord declared the participants of the adversaries that will be attacking Israel (38:2-6). The Lord God of Israel has promised that He will personally annihilate the entire eight (maybe 12) countries, who will be led by Gog from the land of Magog (38:1). With maps, it can be determined who these participants will be, while Gog of Russia will have political motivations, which are provided as well (38:10-13). The ascending of these bands of twenty-first century warriors will storm into the land of Israel, while God’s passionate zeal (38:18) will be manifested into a display of His omnipotent wrath over His adversaries (38:20-22). The whole world will watch this occur and know that it is the Lord God Almighty who had predicted it over 2,600 years before, while it then occurs right before their eyes (38:23). Ezekiel 38:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The English translators have mistranslated the Hebrew verb “hāyâ” as a Qal perfect verb, when the manuscript is actually inflected as a Qal imperfect verb; this should be an ongoing action, which would be a continuation of God’s word immediately after verse 37:28. The conjunction “and” was added to this, when it was not called for in the original manuscript; wrongfully using the past perfect tense insinuates this came anywhere from immediately after 37:28, to as many as sixteen years later! The proper translation of this verse should say: “The word of the Lord continued unto me, saying,” which means that there was very little time elapsed between 37:28 and 38:1. As was disclosed in Ezekiel 33:21, this word of God came to Ezekiel in the twelfth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin and Ezekiel at the Chebar River. It was the fifth day of the month of Tevet; this would be Tevet 5, 586 B.C. Ezekiel 38:2 Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, Ezekiel was being commanded to focus (set your face) against an adversary of God. This time Ezekiel was to focus the Lord’s declaration (prophesy) of judgment against Gog, of the land of his potential ancestor, Magog. According to Genesis 10:2, Magog was the second eldest son of Japheth, the youngest son of Noah. Since the Lord has disclosed this prophecy against Gog, He has provided Ezekiel’s readers with the bloodline that settled the land after the Flood of Noah, which was Magog. With the ancient post-flood migration map below, we can see that Magog settled north of the Caspian Sea, which looks to be Russia and Kazakhstan of the current day. Since the Republic of Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet republics to declare independence during the dissolution of the Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991, human rights organizations have described the Kazakh government as authoritarian, and regularly describe Kazakhstan's human rights situation as poor. The military of the Republic of Kazakhstan is not a threat to the major powers of the world, therefore we must put their involvement with Russia to “possibly” become a merging between them, when it comes to this prophecy here in Ezekiel 38-39. <a href=>"https://ibb.co/wMVz7vN"</a> Post-flood migration according to ancient history <a href=>"https://ibb.co/k2CVrBM"</a> 2022 map of the northern location of the Caspian Sea After realizing that this prophecy focusses on the people of origin from their father, Magog, we must then look to the major power being Russia in this prophecy. If the people of the Republic of Kazakhstan get involved, then you heard it first here, because this has always been considered to be the world power called Russia of the twenty-first century. Though it should not be concluded that Gog is a descendant of Magog directly, Ezekiel 38:2 is to be of the people of this land in Russia, therefore we must conclude that Russia is the land of Magog. Since the inflected Hebrew preposition “ʿal” is a third-person, masculine, singular (עָלָֽיו), which modifies the other singular proper noun “Gog,” we must conclude that the other information includes him as well (against him). We have already ascertained that Gog is of the land formerly settled by Magog, we should also conclude that Gog is (or will be) the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. <a href=>"https://ibb.co/J38DsGm"</a> This military leader of the land of Magog, will also be the chief prince, or militarily sovereign power over the people of Meshach and Tubal. If we analyze the above map, then co-ordinate it with the 2022 map on the previous page, we will find these people to be of the country called Georgia, as well as the country of Azerbaijan. This is totally likely, since they are heavily influenced by Russia, while being on their border. According to Genesis 10:2, Meshach and Tubal were the fifth and sixth sons of Japheth, son of Noah. Ezekiel 38:3 And say, Thus says the Lord God; “Behold, I am against you, Oh Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:” If the sovereignty of the countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan is not already being led by Gog of Russia, then we know from this verse they will be. There was a war in 2008 that confirms this prophecy: On August 8, 2008, Russian forces began the invasion of Georgia, marking the start of Europe’s first twenty-first century war. The conflict itself was over within a matter of days, but the repercussions of the Russo-Georgian War continue to reverberate thirteen years on, shaping the wider geopolitical environment. [1] This prophecy has repeated here in this verse, that the Lord God of Israel is against this military leader of Russia (Gog). Ezekiel 38:4 And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: The encounter that Gog is being turned back from is located within Daniel 11:40-43. As I had explained from Ezekiel 29-30, the end-times judgment against Egypt is weaved within Ezekiel 29:8-16, 30:1-9, and 30:12-19. Gog of the land of Magog is the “king of the north” within Daniel 11:40-45. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. (Is. 19:4) To keep this timeline of events consistently moving to the last judgment spoken of in Isaiah 19:1, the timing of Isaiah 19:4 coincides with the end-times events. The fierce king, who will rule over them, will be Antichrist. The Lord gives the Egyptians over into his hand. That would seem to imply that there is to be a conflict, which will cause them to resist being ruled over by Antichrist. 40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. (Dan. 11:40) “And at the time of the end” is clearly the time period being referred to here as the time of the end of the current age, or dispensation. We must realize that the prophecies in Daniel 11 are working on a timeline. With verses 11:36-39 referring to the Antichrist of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, then we must conclude that the “time of the end” is during this time as well. The exact timing of this battle, between the king of the north and king of the south, cannot be determined based on information that has been given as of yet. Once certain prophecy has been fulfilled, in these end times, the timing may start to become clearer.[2] Daniel 11:40 has been misinterpreted by most theologians. They seem to fail to use proper pronoun-to-noun references, in order to determine who Daniel is referring to in this prophecy. If one refers to the pronoun “him” in the phrase “shall the king of the south push at him,” we need to refer to the previous noun in verses 11:36-39. Since Daniel uses pronouns in verses 36-39 that refer to the first noun mentioned in verse 36, we must refer to that noun also. Verses 11:36-39 refer to “the king,” who has been determined by most theologians to be Antichrist. With this being understood, one can then plug “Antichrist” in place of the pronoun “him” in verse 40 (shall the king of the south push at Antichrist).[3] The next phrase that follows is where many will stumble upon “and the king of the north shall come against him.” Using the same pronoun-to-noun referencing, one should understand that the “king of the north” shall come against the “king of the south.” If we search back through the entirety of Daniel 11, we will find that Daniel only refers to the “king of the south” and “king of the north” initially, then he uses pronouns to reference back to them. Never will we see Daniel referring to them, at any time, as just a “king;” he only calls them king of the south, or king of the north. With that understanding, Daniel did not call this king of the north as just the “king,” nor did he refer back to the pronoun used previously, as he did in the first phrase that referred back to verses 11:36-39. If Daniel meant for this “king of the north” to be Antichrist, he would have used the pronoun “he,” or called him “king” only (and he shall come against him, or, and the king shall come against him). Instead, Daniel calls him “king of the north” which refers to the king from a northern empire. The king of the north, historically, has been an Aramean king from the Seleucid Dynasty. Because the timeclock has fast-forwarded to the “time of the end,” the location that the king of the north rules over is more difficult to determine.[4] The Antichrist will send his “king of the north” to inflict war on the king of the south, which is Egypt. The same pronoun referencing occurs within Daniel 11:41-42, which points to the king of the north, who was the last noun mentioned in verse 11:40. “He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape” (Dan. 11:42). With Daniel 11:42 implying that Egypt shall not escape, that confirms what Isaiah says here in 19:4, when the Lord will “give over into the hand” of the Antichrist, or “cruel lord.” Ezekiel 30:3-6 indicates that Egypt will fall by the sword during the same time of decimation, where they will eventually become desolate in verse 30:7; The king of the north does the police work for the Antichrist. The Antichrist is the “fierce king” who “shall rule over them.”[5] 5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. (Is. 19:5) In order for the waters to fail, they would have to stop being water, or dried completely up. This judgment should not be interpreted allegorically, like some will attempt to do; it is a literal interpretation to be applied here. But with the decimation of the Nile River spoken of within the Ezekiel 29:9-11 prophecy, we can then envision the re-routing of the Nile River, because of the totally new topography of the land. There is also a possibility that the Nile River will be dry and possibly not even be in existence within these decimating times on the Earth. And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither. (Is. 19:6) In Isaiah 19:6, the pronoun “they” is one that refers back to Isaiah 19:4. With the battle between the Egyptians and the “king of the north” coming to pass, the decimation of the Nile River may be implied here to be by those who attacked Egypt. The attackers turned the rivers away from flowing to the Mediterranean Sea, by sending a nuclear strike onto the Aswan Dam (Ezek. 29:9-11). While the Nile River dries up, so will the entire delta at the mouth of the Nile River be dried up, which has always been a natural defense for the Egyptians. With no delta, the reeds and rushes (water plants) will be dried up, which are used in day to day life. “The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and everything sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more” (Is. 19:7). Since all of the reeds and rushes need fertile and wet soil to grow, they will be no more available, because the Nile River will be no more in that area.[6] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that I have brought my readers to speed on what will be happening during this Ezekiel 38:4 declaration, I will now explain why I brought you here. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. (Dan. 11:44) Gog (king of the north) will be heavily involved in punishing the militaries that want so badly to go into Israel, so that they can destroy them. The king of the north (Gog) will be defending the seven-year peace covenant (Dan. 9:27) in behalf of Antichrist (Dan. 11:36-39), when he will be turned back, and the Lord God will put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth. We must look at this hook in the jaws of Gog (king of the north) as a call back to a military alliance, which he had been establishing with Persia (Iran) over the time that he has (had) been in office. This military alliance will be demanding that Gog honor his alliance commitments and go forth against Israel, in behalf of Persia (Iran). This hook will be so convincingly strong, when he will be forced to go forth against the newly established seven-year peace covenant by Antichrist with Israel. Here we have the king of the north destroying Egypt (and the forces defending Egypt [Dan. 11:41-42]), because they will insist that they will be going forth against Israel, but Gog will defend the Antichrist’s peace covenant (Dan. 9:27; 11:40). Gog (king of the north) will then betray that same seven-year peace covenant that he had defended previously (Dan. 11:44 [But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him]). Though conventional weaponry will be used, we must keep in mind that God was not going to describe the twenty-first century artillery here. When we read “and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords,” the reality of swords being carried cannot be ignored, or considered a description of conventional weaponry. It has been an endeavor over the centuries that beheading the infidels is what Islamist find to be their most desired way of executing their victims. I have no doubt that these advancing militaries, into the mountains of Israel, will have their swords with them. “Jihadists' beheading of their captives corresponds with aspects of cosmic war, particularly on how religious terrorists' desires to please a deity and secure a place of honor in the hereafter has devalued the lives of both captor and prisoner.”[7] Ezekiel 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: While Persia is now modern day Iran, they have become the number one ally to Russia in the twenty-first century. A person should realize that during the times, which Ezekiel had written the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39, Ethiopia was a much larger territory. It has been divided and its southern territory has been a non-military country for centuries. However, the northern part of the land had become the country of Sudan, which is now an Islamic military state.[8] It's been nearly a decade since the U.S.-backed ousting of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and conditions in the country have gotten worse and more complicated. The U.N.-backed government in the capital of Tripoli has very loose control over about a third of the country. To the east, Libya is controlled by a renegade general leading what they have called the Libyan National Army, which has tried and failed to topple the government in Tripoli. Gog of Magog (king of the north) will bring one of the most powerful militaries to go against Egypt and the supporters from the other countries (and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over). Gog of Magog (Russia) will pass over the other countries, in order to stamp out the rebellion and get to those in Egypt. He will most likely be the one who will send the nuclear blast to the Aswan Dam (29:8-12), which may be encouraged by Antichrist. 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (Dan. 11:41) The king of the north (Gog of Magog) will pass down through Israel (He shall enter also into the glorious land) and will destroy the attackers and overthrow the government regimes except for those descendants of Edom, Moab and Ammon, which are now located within Jordon and Gaza. 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. (Dan. 11:42-43) The defeat of Egypt, and the other rebellious countries, will bring peace to the lands surrounding Israel. Israel will feel secure for the first time, since they had been brought back to their land in 1948. They will become a land of un-walled villages, which has never been the case (Ezek. 38:11). Russia will have defeated Egypt and taken booty of the riches, which would still remain in Egypt (Dan. 11:42-43). Notice in the end of Daniel 11:43, where a very significant statement is prophesied. The Libyans and Ethiopians will be at the steps of Russia (Gog of Magog). If Libya and Sudan (Ethiopia) defend Africa from the invading Russians, they will be at the steps of Gog of Magog, until they are defeated. Defeated militaries usually are forced to fight in behalf of their conquerors, or they die; that will be their choice, to fight for Antichrist (king of Dan. 11:36-39), or die. Any adversary of Gog of Magog (king of the north) will be defeated. With the disclosure within Ezekiel 30:5, the military of Lydia will not march to fight for Antichrist and Gog of Magog, but most likely will all fall by the sword (weapons) at the hands of the strengthened Russian military. The militaries that will be defending their land in Africa (the men of the land that is in league) will fall, except the remaining militaries of Libya and Sudan (Ethiopia), who will march in behalf of the Russian military under Gog of Russia. Ezekiel 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with you. Genesis 10:2 declares Gomer as the eldest son of Japheth, son of Noah, which made him the eldest amongst Magog, Meshech, and Tubal, his brothers. Looking back to the map on page 490, we will find that Gomer settled around the northern and southern areas off of the Black Sea. Since Russia is in pursuit of Ukraine of the current time, then most likely Russia will bring those Ukrainians as part of this army of Gomer (and all his bands). Gomer’s settlement on the southern land of the Black Sea includes them into the country of Turkey, as well. Gomer is diverse in this prophecy, because they are both Muslim in Turkey, as well as Slovak in the area of Ukraine. We can conclude that sons of Gomer did settle into most Eastern Europe, so there is a possibility that this prophecy can also include Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova; though Ezekiel does say this includes “all of Gomer’s bands, this is a possibility, but not likely. According to Genesis 10:3, Togarmah was the youngest son of Gomer; Togarmah of the north quarters, settled on the west bank of the Caspian Sea (see maps pg. 489-490), which seems to be modern day Azerbaijan. They may have also settled in eastern Turkey of the modern day as well. Many people (most likely Islamists), will be headed to battle. From what I have concluded within these first six verses, the several countries coming in force will be: 1) Russia 2) Georgia 3) Iran 4) Sudan 5) Libya 6) Turkey 7) Ukraine 8) Azerbaijan Possibly, but not likely: 9) Kazakhstan 10) Romania 11) Bulgaria 12) Moldova Ezekiel 38:7 Be prepared, and prepare for yourself, you, and all your company that are assembled unto you, and be a guard unto them. It is a bit redundant to tell Gog to be prepared and then tell him to prepare for himself right afterward. The Hebrew verb “kûn” also can mean “be ready.” It would be less redundant to say: “Be ready and prepare yourself.” After advising all of the men assembled unto him to be prepared and ready, the Lord advised Gog of the land of Magog (Russia) to be watching as the guard for the others that will be fighting alongside him. It reveals that Russia will be the major power involved to have to take responsibility of watching over the others. Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years, you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. This seems to be a run-on sentence, which does need repaired. After realizing that Gog of Magog will be needed by his ally, Iran, I have realized that this first statement has been mistranslated, as well as misinterpreted. The translators have chosen the wrong English verb in translation for the Hebrew Niphal Imperfect verb “pāqaḏ,” which had been translated as “be visited.” This Niphal imperfect verb also can mean “to be sought, be needed, be missed.” Knowing what Daniel 11:44 and Ezekiel 38:4 has indicated, the contextual translation should say: “shall be needed.” Persia (Iran) will need their most powerful ally to come forth and go after Israel, after the destruction of the “ring of fire” had been dowsed by Israel and the Lord, within the Psalm 83 tumultuous attack. The many Muslim nations (listed in Ps. 83:5-8) will rush towards Israel (rushing like the rushing of mighty waters), while leaving their land behind deserted. God will seduce them into madness, as they seek to destroy God’s people, whom they believe inhabit the land of their god, Allah. “Who said, ‘Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.’” (Ps. 83:12)[9] The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. (Is. 17:13) Psalm 83:9-11 presents Asaph asking the Lord to do unto these rushing nations as He had unto the Midianites in Judges 7:19-25. God will destroy the attacking nations, just as He had in Judges 7, when He reduced Gideon’s army down to 300 men (Judges 7:2-7). Israel will be outnumbered by a tremendous ratio and God will be glorified by the defeat over the multitude of the Muslims nations. Just as the Midianites had fled, so shall the people of these tumultuous nations flee. Iran will be highly irate over the loss of Damascus and the Syrians (Is. 17:1). They will be angered and call for Gog of Russia (you) to join them as an ally does (After many days you shall be needed). in the latter years, you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword and gathered out of many people; you shall come into the land against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste, but is brought forth out of the nations and they shall dwell safely, all of them. The second sentence is a little easier to interpret, but needs a little work, please respect what I have done in the above corrections in punctuation and addition to the beginning of the third sentence. The translators made a bit of a mess of it. As we have found in chapter 36 and 37, Israel had been brought back from the sword that they had been destroyed by in 70 A.D. They had been gathered back into their land out of many nations and people (37:12-14). Gog of the land of Magog, and all of his armies mentioned within 38:2-6, shall come into the land and against the mountains of Israel. The Lord God had said that all of this shall happen in the latter years of the current age (two thousand year church age). The land of Israel and the mountains, which have been always waste, were revived by God before their adversary’s eyes. The Lord provided Gog (king of the north) with a warning here, because He had implied that Israel was brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them. This is a guarantee that God is going to protect Israel from this military attack, all of them. Israel will have no casualties at all, when the military of these eight countries (38:6 commentary) will come against the mountains of Israel to destroy them all. Ezekiel 38:9 You shall ascend and come like a storm; you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you, and all your bands, and many people with you. From what has already been commented upon in 38:4, Gog (Russia) and his army shall ascend from the south coming from Egypt (NE Africa), and through the land of Israel peacefully, then cross over the northern borders of Israel and into southern Syria and western Jordan. Then they will gather together and proceed to come back down through Bashan (see 39:18) into the mountains of Israel east of the Sea of Galilee, and proceed like a storm. He (Gog) of Russia will ascend all of his troops into the mountains of Israel covering the land as a cloud does in the sky. There is nothing supernatural here, just imagery being used to reveal the multitudes of Gog’s military presence (and all your bands, and many people with you). The description “all your bands” includes all eight (maybe as many as twelve) countries (disclosed within 38:2-6) covering the land of Israel in a massive multitude. Ezekiel 38:10 Thus says the Lord God: “It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into your mind, and you shall think an evil thought:” This prophesy here sets up a thought that only the Creator of the Universe can even remotely predict, because He is omniscient. The Lord had predicted that Gog of the land of Magog (Russia) will think an evil thought, which the Lord God had provided in the following verse. While Gog moves his military assault against Israel, this evil thought will come into his mind. Ezekiel 38:11 And you shall say: “I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, This verse is the first thought to enter into Gog’s mind, while the following verse completes this thought. It provides Ezekiel’s readers with clues towards the motivations of this man, while he storms his massive military into God’s protected land. Remember, God disclosed to Gog ahead of time that not one of His people will be harmed through this military advancement (and they shall dwell safely, all of them [38:8]). Because of the results of the Isaiah 17:1 disaster in Damascus, which will be followed by the devastation to the Muslims of the Psalm 83:13-17 attack, the seven-year peace covenant will cause Israel a sense of security (Dan. 9:27); the conclusion of defeating the ring of fire (Muslims) surrounding Israel, and the seven-year peace covenant administrated by the Antichrist, they will have faith in God that their future is to be secure. Israel will be a land of unwalled villages, because the threat of their destruction will be removed. They will have also heard of the destruction in NE Africa, caused by the nuclear blast set upon the Aswan Dam in Syene (29:8-16, 30:1-9, and 30:12-19), and trust that Russia is to be in support of this seven-year peace covenant. Because this verse discloses that Israel will be a land of unwalled villages, there is no way that this assault in Ezekiel 38-39 can be before the seven-year peace covenant of Daniel 9:27. Israel in the current day live in a land of walls, bars, and gates, until the results of the Psalm 83 battle and the peace covenant is put in place. It seems that there would be time elapsed between the activation of the seven-year peace covenant, and the time it would take for Israel to be relaxed and will have removed their walls, bars, and gates. It could be that a public celebration may occur, which Israel will celebrate the new seven-year peace covenant instigated by Antichrist, and tear down their walls, bars, and gates. The reason I conclude something like this is because Israel will be burning weapons for seven years after this Ezekiel 38-39 attack (39:9). If the Gog of Magog attack occurs further into the seven years, Jesus the Messiah will arrive on day 2,520 (7 years x 360 day years), and Israel would be still burning weapons. The only way that Israel can burn weapons for seven years is if the seven years of weapon burning is slightly less than 2,520 days. Ezekiel 38:12 “To take a spoil, and to take a prey;” to turn your hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.” This first prepositional phrase: “To take a spoil, and to take a prey” is the remaining thought in the mind of Gog of Magog, which started in 38:11. The Lord God has foretold of His thoughts during this time, when he will be pulled in to bring his forces back out of NE Africa (38:4) and head up (ascend) to the mountains of Israel (38:9). The discovery of natural gas fields in Israel’s Eastern Mediterranean offshore areas has moderated the country’s total dependence on energy imports.[10] Tamar and Leviathan, two large and prolific fields discovered in 2009 and 2010, respectively, boosted Israel’s energy supply. Further energy exploration in the country’s offshore areas in the following years uncovered a host of smaller fields that together added up to significant reserves. Israel held about 413 bc (14.6 tcf) of proven gas reserves at the end of 2018, equivalent to 36.7 times its current annual consumption. It implies that Israel has about thirty-seven years of gas left at current consumption levels, excluding unproven reserves.[11] The 2022 energy crisis has focused all countries on fossil fuel consumption and their dependency on fossil fuel-rich counties. Israel now possesses the top natural gas reserve in the world. When Gog of the land of Magog (Russia) discovers a good reason to go along with their commitment to their Iranian (Persian) alliance, he will think of the encounter as potentially being very profitable to him and his hunger for power and wealth. (To take a spoil, and to take a prey) When the Lord then continued to speak to Gog in this prophecy, he stated: “to turn your hand upon the desolate places.” The last portion of 38:12 is a repeat of the world’s description of God’s people who came back to their land. Verse 38:8 foretells of the attitude towards Israel; the world has looked at the land of Israel being invaded by Israel, when it had been barely inhabited over eighteen-hundred years. God resurrected the land of Israel and brought Israel back to their land (Ezek. 36-37). But the world thinks: “the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.” Ezekiel 38:13 Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto you: “Have you come to take a spoil? Have you gathered your company to take a prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? The first son of Raamah, Sheba, and second son, Dedan, settled close by each other in western Arabia (Gen. 10:7). Dedan was more northwestern Arabia, while Sheba was more southwestern Arabia. These two sons should not to be confused with the two sons of Jokshan mentioned in Genesis 25:3, who were grandsons of Abraham and Keturah. The Hebrew spelling between the names Sheba שְׁבָא and Seba סְבָא are similar, but distinctly different. The Queen of Sheba was definitely the queen from the country of people then called Sheba, who was the son of Raamah and brother to Dedan. In 1 Kings 10:1, 4, 10, and 13, Sheba was spelled out using the same Hebrew שְׁבָא. We do know that son of Cush, Seba סְבָא, settled in what is known as Ethiopia, while Sheba שְׁבָא settled in western Arabia. Therefore, rather than the Queen of Sheba being from Ethiopia, she was from western Arabia (Sheba, son of Raamah) or central/eastern Arabia (Sheba, son of Joktan [10:26]). She was a daughter of the sons of Sheba, and not a daughter of the sons of Seba.[12] <a href=>"https://ibb.co/frZg3y9"</a> With the disclosure here of Sheba and Dedan together, we can conclude that these two were brothers and not of separate fathers, therefore we must exclude Sheba, son of Joktan the Shemite (Gen. 10:26). Tarshish was the second eldest son of Javan (Gen. 10:4), and migrated all the way to what is now known as Spain. He and his descendants are mentioned twenty-one times in the Old Testament. Being known for their sea travels, their merchants and ships brought gold, silver, and unusual animals to the middle-east. An interesting side note is that Javan was the fourth eldest brother of the sons of Japheth, son of Noah (Gen. 10:2). Javan was the brother of Gomer, Magog, Tubal, and Meshech, sons of Japheth, son of Noah. Please refer to the sons of Japheth post-flood settlement map on page 390. The 2022 countries of Saudi Arabia (Dedan), Yemen (Sheba), and Spain (Tarshish) are the three concerned countries that will criticize Gog of Russia (Magog) for his endeavor in attacking Israel in these endtimes. They are quoted by the Lord God to say to Gog of Magog (Russia): “Have you come to take a spoil? Have you gathered your company to take a prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” Obviously, Saudi Arabia (Dedan), Yemen (Sheba), and Spain (Tarshish) are not to partake in the attack, therefore they question Gog’s intentions for his attack; the Antichrist will be the world king at this time, and these three countries will be in support of the seven-year covenant (Dan. 9:27), meanwhile they will lash-out publicly against Gog of Russia. The public smear of Gog will be at work, because he will have been caught in his own hypocrisy, just after he will have defended the seven-year peace covenant against NE Africa. Though the natural gas in Israel will be his main motivator, he will be accused of desiring all of the wealth of God’s nation of people. God hates hypocrisy, and therefore will have handed Gog over to this defamation, and then God will proceed to place judgment upon him, as Gog attacks Israel. Ezekiel 38:14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog: “Thus says the Lord God: ‘In that day when my people of Israel dwells safely, shall you not know it?’” God asked Gog of Russia a rhetorical question, in order to make him think about his actions, before he brings all of his armies of 38:2-6 onto the mountains of Israel. Israel will be dwelling safely because of the seven-year covenant, which God and His sovereignty had manifested. Gog of Russia will have just defended Israel from Egypt and the rest of NE Africa (see commentary 38:4); God has spoken to Gog of Russia through this Ezekiel 38 prophecy, yet will he not know of His fate? (shall you not know it?) God’s question to Gog of Magog (Russia) is questioning Gog’s knowledge of Him and His complete sovereignty over His Creation. If Israel is God’s nation of people, then the fact that they will be dwelling safely is noted here in Ezekiel 38:11, while the will of God is at work. The answer to this rhetorical question is obvious! Yes, Gog of Magog (Russia) will know it! Ezekiel 38:15 And you shall come from your place out of the north parts, you, and many people with you, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: Though this may seem contradictory from what I have concluded so far, we must look at this very closely. Granted, Gog of Magog (king of the north) will have been pulled by the hook of his jaws back to the location that Iran will need them to be; the others within his army are Muslims with the exclusion of Ukraine (north Gomer). The Muslims will have not gone to NE Africa to destroy other Muslims, but once Iran rallies the remaining Muslims to go forth after Israel, then Georgia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and even possibly Kazakhstan, will come down from the northern parts of the map. Russia will be returning from NE Africa with his Russian army, which will include Ukraine, Libya, and Sudan. Ukraine seems to be destined to be a part of Russia, once the War in Ukraine is finished. God has been including these armies within two of the statements concerning Gog and his bands (38:4, 7), therefore their inclusion here reveals the entrance into the Holy Land from the north by these other countries, which are Muslim nations. If Russia, Ukraine, Libya, and Sudan are coming from Russia’s northern location, then this would mean that Russia will have returned back after the assault on NE Africa, with his remaining army, and then proceed down from the north as well. (you shall come from your place out of the north parts, you, and many people with you) Since most of the Muslim nations rely upon horses to ride over the desert lands, there is no question that they will be needing horses. The majority of the Muslim artillery will have been destroyed in the destruction of the ring of fire (Muslim nations of Psalm 83). With the fossil-fuel industry crashing in 2022, the availability of diesel fuel to burn in military artillery vehicles will be nearly non-existent. These armies may very well be all horses riding onto the mountains of Israel from the north parts. The previous war in NE Africa may deplete even Russia of enough fossil fuels (diesel fuel) to burn in their tanks and artillery vehicles, especially after the war in Ukraine. Russia may even be headed to the destruction of their available fossil fuels due to attacks from their adversaries. Ezekiel 38:16 And you shall come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring you against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, Oh Gog, before their eyes. In response to the rhetorical question within 38:14 (shall you not know it?), God clarifies to Gog of Russia that Israel is His people and His land that Gog and his army are attacking (as a cloud to cover the land). This declaration here reconfirms to Gog that the Lord God is the one who brought him and all of his bands mentioned in 38:2-6 to the land of Israel in the latter days (endtimes). This event will bring God His glory, therefore God will be honored as sacred, because He said it and it happened. The translators chose the English verb “be sanctified” when it might not be what God is implying here; the Hebrew verb “qāḏaš” is inflected as a Niphal Infinitive Construct. The definition in Niphal means: “to be honored, be treated as sacred.” God seeks His glory, to draw His people to Him, while not separating Himself from them. God, therefore, will be glorified by the fulfillment of this prophecy among the heathen of the world. This 2,600 year old prophecy fulfillment is being anticipated among many public forums in these last days; when this comes to pass, many non-believers will read this prophecy and be amazed in how accurate God is in his declarations. Some might repent and seek the Lord for His salvation because of this. (that the heathen may know me, when I shall be honored as sacred in you, Oh Gog, before their eyes.) Ezekiel 38:17 Thus says the Lord God; “Are you he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring you against them?” As I had commented within the previous verse, the Lord will be glorified because He will have fulfilled this. He addressed this question to Gog of Russia and asked him if he actually realizes that he is Gog of Magog within this Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy. Currently, the commander of Russian ground forces name is Oleg Salyukov. Does Vladimir Putin, or Oleg Salyukov, of Russia actually realize that one of them might be Gog being addressed here? One would think that someone has shown Oleg Salyukov and Vladimir Putin this prophecy here, since this is one of the most commonly spoken of endtimes prophecies, which seems to be unfolding in their midst. God asked Oleg Salyukov here: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in old time?” I want to point out that Ezekiel 38-39 is not the only prophecy of this event, as the prophet Daniel had prophesied in chapter 11:40-45. This is why God used the plural nouns: servants, prophets. Like I had implied earlier, this prophecy is over 2,600 years old (those days many years). Ezekiel 38:18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. Since God has now spent 17 verses providing details of this coming attack on Israel in the latter days, He began here to proclaim judgment against Gog of the land of Magog (Russia). Though chapter 39 brings more details of the aftermath, the remainder of chapter 38 reveals the anger and wrath of the Lord, when Gog of Magog (Russia) and all his bands will come against the land of Israel. The Lord God first implied here that His fury shall come up in His face. No punches thrown yet, but things won’t be so good for this military of eight countries (possibly twelve [38:6]). Ezekiel 38:19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; Though the noun “jealousy” can be associated with being fiercely protective, or vigilant of one's rights or possessions, the twenty-first century English within the world only relates “jealousy” with spousal jealousy, or parental jealousy. The Hebrew noun “qin'â” also means: “passion of religious zeal as God for his people.” It might be more contextual to say: “For in the passion of my zeal and in the fire of my wrath.” While God was foretelling of this event to Ezekiel, His passion of zeal manifested His thoughts to desire His wrath to be spoken. God had implied here that on that day that Gog of Magog and his bands invades Israel, that the entire land of Israel will greatly shake; when God brings His endtimes earthquakes, they will shake the land more than ever before. This earthquake will begin God’s fiery wrath to unload upon these armies. Ezekiel 38:20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the Earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the Earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. A logical thinker, as myself, cannot make sense of this verse in the current translation; if every mountain, steep place, and wall falls to the ground at the beginning of the seven year Seventieth Week of Daniel 9:27, then the Earth would be flat, with a lot of debris, with no place to dwell until buildings are rebuilt. There is no indications anywhere in the Bible concerning people living in tents during the seven years. I looked at the verb inflections of this verse, and evaluated what this is supposed to say. First, this does not indicate every mountain will fall, nor every steep place. The English translators have used the English verb “shall be thrown” and “shall fall” (used twice); these are used in a future tense, which are imperfect verbs, because the action is not finished. Hebrew perfect verbs are finished actions, which cannot be completed in the future. The mountains’ Hebrew action verb is supposed to be inflected as a Niphal perfect verb, which would say: “thrown down,” which implies that this verb is finished. The steep places’ Hebrew verb is supposed to be inflected as Qal perfect, which would say: “fallen down,” which would be a finished action. Every wall, however, has its verb action in the Qal imperfect action, which means it should say: “shall be falling.” Contextually, we need to understand that every wall will not totally fall to the ground because of this earthquake; every wall shall be falling, which means they will be weakened by this earthquake and not totally fall to the ground. …and all the men that are upon the face of the Farth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains thrown down, and the steep places fallen down, and every wall shall be falling to the ground. The above corrections make more sense, knowing that not every mountain shall be thrown down, and not every steep place will have fallen down, with every wall be falling to the ground. Every wall will be badly damaged, but not completely fallen, because the action is to be ongoing. These walls will still be standing at the end of the seven years, but many will most likely fall to the ground completely by then. When Gog of Russia and all his bands come into the land of Israel, God’s fury (38:19) will shake-up (frighten) everyone on the entire Earth, when they see (see videos) the destruction that God will bring with this one earthquake. It seems that every living thing on the Earth will feel the earthquake, no matter where they are. The Lord God’s intent is to frighten everyone, so that they will know that only He can accomplish this as He had predicted 2,600 years earlier. Ezekiel 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, says the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother. We must realize that there will be between eight to twelve different nation’s military on the mountains of Israel. When the earthquake shakes all of the mountains, and they crumble beneath their feet, they will panic in fear. Self-preservation will be their highest instinct, and they will lash out against one another in fear. When the Creator of the universe is shaking the crumbling Earth beneath their feet, war against Israel will fall from their priorities. The swords carried, by the Muslims, will be slaying one another in tremendous fear. Many shared videos on the internet will see the event unfold before the eyes of everyone on Earth. The location of the majority of troops will come into Israel through the northern mountains of Israel near Bashan (39:18), but it can be presumed that some troops will invade over other locations around Israel in their mountains. God has implied here that at this time, all of His mountains in Israel will shake, which will cause this supernatural affect. (every man's sword shall be against his brother) Ezekiel 38:22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. The translators badly mistranslated the Hebrew Niphal verb “šāp̄aṭ,” as “will plead,” when it also is defined as: “to be judged.” God will do no pleading, when He rains His fiery wrath upon these nation’s militaries upon the mountains of Israel. God will judge against him (Gog) with pestilence (plague) and blood. The translation of the Hebrew noun “deḇer” is: “pestilence, plague.” There are two of the three known plagues that cause bleeding (pestilence and with blood [see 5:17; 14:19]): Septicemic Plague:[13] · Fever and chills · Extreme weakness · Abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting · Bleeding from your mouth, nose or rectum, or under your skin · Shock · Blackening and death of tissue (gangrene) in your extremities, most commonly your fingers, toes and nose. Pneumonic Plague[14] · Cough, with bloody mucus (sputum) · Difficulty breathing · Nausea and vomiting · High fever · Headache · Weakness · Chest pain Of the two known bloody plagues, I tend to lean towards the Septicemic plague, because it seems to be the one of the two that would produce the most blood from its victims (pestilence and with blood). The outbreak of the plague may be an immediate outbreak of this illness that kills with much blood loss; it Acts 12:23, we can read of the immediate illness that killed King Herod Agrippa back in the first century A.D. “And immediately the Messenger of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” (Acts 12:23) This bloody pestilence will come immediately upon many of them, during this earthquake, meanwhile God will rain huge hailstones, fire, and brimstone. It will be the end of all of these men, while God will furiously judge the attackers of His people in the land of Israel. It will be the military forces of Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Sudan, Libya, Azerbaijan, and possibly (but not likely) even Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova, who will be all dead at the hand of God (38:2-6). The devastation will be similar to what God had accomplished against the five cities of the plain (Gen. 19:24-25). And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. (Dan. 11:45) Ezekiel 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. The translators chose an English verb “sanctify,” which means “separate oneself,” while the Hebrew verb “qāḏaš” also means: “hallow oneself.” The Lord God has been separate from His creation for over six-thousand years, and will not be separating Himself from this event. He will, however, be made greater (magnify) and hallow Himself by this amazing event. The whole world will have their phones and computers watching youtube video recordings of eye-witness accounts posted for all to see. The Lord God of Israel will be talked about all over the Earth, when they will notice this supernatural event unfold. He had declared over 2,600 years ago that He would do this, and then fulfill it. The whole Earth will know that He is the Lord God, the Almighty. Ezekiel A Bible Commentary Chapter 39 Chapter 39 presents to Ezekiel’s readers a micro view of the Ezekiel 38 prophecy; this is similar to what Moses had done between Genesis 1, and Genesis 2. Ezekiel elaborated concerning the leaving behind of one-sixth of the Russian army behind, which may be who Gog of Magog will leave behind in NE Africa (39:2). The weapons of the eight to nine countries will fail upon the mountains of Israel, and they will die as described within 38:21-22 (39:3-4), while the fowls and beasts will devour their dead flesh (39:4, 17-20). The nuclear war is imminent as we can see within 39:6, when Russia will face mass destruction from that fire, along with the Islands near Russia, which means most of Russia will be destroyed. From the successful defense of Israel, from these attacking nations, Israel will come to realize that they will be dwelling safely during this terrible time on Earth; they will come into belief in the Lord God because of this (39:7-8). Israel will burn weapons for seven years (39:9), while they will also spend seven months transporting dead soldiers to the Valley of Hamongog where they will all be buried (39:11-15), then begin a new city there called Hamonah (39:16). Because the whole Earth will have seen the events unfold on their electronic devices, the Lord God will be glorified (39:21). Ezekiel presents Israel with even more enlightening information of their restoration as a people under their Messiah between verses 39:25-29. <a href=>"https://ibb.co/J38DsGm"</a> Ezekiel 39:1 Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, “Thus says the Lord God; ‘Behold, I am against you, Oh Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:’” The first verse of chapter 39 repeats what the Lord God had declared back in 38:2. The conjunction “therefore” seems appropriate, since the Lord had just spent chapter 38 declaring the judgment that will fall on Gog of the land of Magog and his bands (following military). He continued here to declare more against him. In Ezekiel 38:2, Ezekiel was being commanded to focus (set your face) against an adversary of God. This time Ezekiel was to prophesy again of judgment against Gog, of the land of his potential ancestor, Magog. According to Genesis 10:2, Magog was the second eldest son of Japheth, the youngest son of Noah. Since the Lord had disclosed this prophecy against Gog, He had provided Ezekiel’s readers with the bloodline that settled the land after the Flood of Noah, which was Magog. (see commentary 38:2) This military leader of the land of Magog, will also be the chief prince, or militarily sovereign power over the people of Meshach and Tubal. If we analyze the above map, then co-ordinate it with the 2022 map on page 489, we will find these people to be of the country called Georgia, as well as the country of Azerbaijan. This is totally likely, since they are heavily influenced by Russia, while being on their border. According to Genesis 10:2, Meshach and Tubal were the fifth and sixth sons of Japheth, son of Noah. Ezekiel 39:2 And I will turn you back, and leave but the sixth part of you, and will cause you to come up from the north parts, and will bring you upon the mountains of Israel: From what the Lord has declared here, He will turn Gog back from a location not yet in the mountains of Israel. Since we know that 38:19-22 is the judgment against Gog and will have been poured out upon him, then this prophecy here is a micro-view of the chapter 38 prophecy; this is much like the comparison between Genesis chapter 1 and chapter 2 of the creation account. The Lord had provided additional details that fit within the chapter 38 judgment. Because 38:4 spoke of the turning back of Gog of Russia, we should refer back to what was implied within that verse. (see commentary 38:4) But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. (Dan. 11:44) <a href=>"https://ibb.co/VgdVtLS"</a> Gog (king of the north) will be heavily involved in punishing the militaries that will want so badly to go into Israel, so that they can destroy them. The king of the north (Gog) will be defending the seven-year peace covenant (Dan. 9:27) in behalf of Antichrist (Dan. 11:36-39), when he will be turned back, and the Lord God will put hooks into his jaws, and will bring him forth. <a href=>"https://ibb.co/GQ7Hkdv"</a> We must look at this hook in the jaws of Gog (king of the north) as a call back to a military alliance, which he had been establishing with Persia (Iran) over the time that he has (had) been in office. This military alliance will be demanding that Gog honor his alliance commitments and go forth against Israel, in behalf of Persia (Iran). This hook will be so convincingly strong, when he will be forced to go forth against the newly established seven-year peace covenant by Antichrist with Israel (Dan. 9:27). Here we have the king of the north destroying Egypt (and the forces defending Egypt [Dan. 11:41-42]), because they will insist that they will be going forth against Israel, but Gog will defend the Antichrist’s peace covenant (Dan. 9:27; 11:40). Gog (king of the north) will then betray that same seven-year peace covenant that he had defended previously (Dan. 11:44 [But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him]). We have two conclusions to choose from for the second clause of 39:2; either Gog of Russia will leave one-sixth of his military in NE Africa, or if he returns back to Russia with his forces coming back from NE Africa, he will leave one-sixth of his forces in Russia. (and leave but the sixth part of you). I believe that since the first clause declares the turning back from NE Africa, that Gog of Russia will leave one-sixth of his military forces behind to maintain stability of NE Africa, as if policing it for Antichrist. Because Gog and all of his military bands (38:2-6) are to be coming up (the mountains) from the north parts of the land, then he (Gog) may take his military back to the north part of the land to all go in together (all bands) and enter into the mountains of Israel as one big storm. Ezekiel 39:3 And I will smite your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. Since conventional weapons were not known of 2,600 years ago, this needs to be interpreted within a spiritual reality. The reality will be that whatever weapons used by Gog of Magog, and all his bands, will all fail in their hands. Tank cannons, flames, and guns will fail; rifles and pistols will fail; bow and arrows will fail, swords will only work on one another; grenades will fail; rockets will fail. They will all be sitting ducks for the pestilence, fire, and brimstone to fall upon them (38:22). This reality in this verse will be the reason why not one Israeli will be harmed (38:8 [and they shall dwell safely, all of them]). Ezekiel 39:4 You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you, and all your bands, and the people that are with you: I will give you unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. With the judgment having occurred (38:19-22), the Lord revealed that the corpses will be devoured, at least until they are buried. The difference between 39:4 and Revelation 19:17 is the lack of the adjective “all.” At Armageddon (seven years later), all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven will be in the Valley of Jehoshaphat to feast on the many dead corpses; while at this smorgasbord here, it will be ravenous birds of every sort; these ravenous birds of every sort will not be all fowls on Earth. In Ezekiel 39:4 and 17, there will be both fowls and beasts devouring flesh from this judgment. We can associate the event in Isaiah 18-19 with the beginning of the seven years of judgment, since we can be sure that the Ezekiel 38-39 judgment will be in the beginning of the seven years as well. The messengers (ambassadors) will be coming to NE Africa to bring God’s word to the scattered and peeled Africans, after that terrible devastation to the land (Is. 18:1-2). The fowls and beasts of Isaiah 18:6 will be eating the flesh over in NE Africa, almost at the same time that fowls and beasts will be eating the flesh of Gog of Magog and all his bands in the mountains of Israel (see commentary 30:9). (I will give you unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured) Ezekiel 39:5 You shall fall upon the open field, because I have spoken it, says the Lord God. The entirety of the military forces of Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Sudan, Libya, Azerbaijan, and possibly (but not likely) even Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania will fall upon the open field within the mountains of Israel (38:2-6). Because the Lord has declared this, it is sure to happen, says the Lord God. Ezekiel 39:6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord. This is a scary reality that shall come upon the land of Magog (Russia), during this time. Russia will have most likely sent a nuke onto the Aswan Dam before this event (29:9-12). We do know that Isaiah 17:1 can most likely be a nuclear hit as well; this nuclear war is eminent. God plans on a nuclear exchange, which will devastate Russia (Magog) with fire, as well as the Islands off of Asia and Middle East. Zechariah chapter 5 describes a nuclear missile in detail to Zechariah, which the English translators (and ill-equipped theologians and pastors) have mistranslated. Please review my Bible Commentary for the Book of Zechariah, in order to better understand this nuclear prophecy. When this nuclear war comes to pass, then the world will know that it was the Lord God who declared it upon the world. (they shall know that I am the Lord) Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth: for everyone that steals shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that swears shall be cut off as on that side according to it. (Zech. 5:3) In Zechariah 5:3, the conjunction “Then” links us to the previous statement. The same cherub angel revealed a declaration of a coming judgment, which will be set upon the people of the Earth. God is one who blesses, as well as curses. The curse is designated against a certain people, who have performed certain acts that God is going to place judgment against; “for every one that steals, and every one that swears” are the two sins. The verb “steals” is translated from the Hebrew verb “ganab,” which is defined as: “to steal, steal away, carry away.” The verb “swears” is translated from the Hebrew verb “shaba`,” which is defined as: “to swear, take an oath.” The words “shall be cut off” is translated from the Hebrew verb “naqah,” which has a definition of either to be “made clean and pure,” or it has an adverse definition to mean “to be desolate, bare or extirpated.” With the flexibility of the definition of the Hebrew verb “naqah,” one can refer to Zechariah 5:4, in order to figure which definition pertains to these people.[15] I will bring it forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that swears falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof. (Zech. 5:4) This verse needs to be used, while interpreting Zechariah 5:3. In 5:3, one knows that God will judge those that steal and swear falsely. The details of the two sins are given more clarity here. There are those that are stealing are as a thief. I believe that this can also be applied to those that steal from the truth, commit adultery, and even those that backstab their neighbors (covet or envy). Those that are swearing falsely by God’s name can be understood to be those who say they believe in God, and swear by his name, but turn and sin like the devil. It can be all those that commit idolatry, putting worldly things above God, even though they say they believe in Him. Basically, these two offenses can be applied to the entire Ten Commandments of God, which these people have violated.[16] In Zechariah 5:3, the Hebrew verb “naqah” can be applied with both definitions from the above paragraph and applied to the phrase “shall be cut off as on that side according to it.” This judgment will separate the good from the wicked; it will purge the righteous as clean and pure, while purging the wicked to be desolate, or bare. Those that are wicked will have used up their time to repent and judgment will then fall upon them. Zechariah is told that “it shall remain in the midst of his house.” That seems to imply that people will be caught unawares, while they are at home living life as normal, when this judgment enters into their house. The rest of this verse indicates that this judgment will be something that will consume the natural things, such as timber and even stone: “and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.” This judgment would have to be something of a very intense heat level to consume stones.[17] Ezekiel 39:7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name anymore: and the heathen shall know that I AM the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. After the nuclear exchanges, and the massive failed attack of Gog of Magog, Israel will remain unharmed and safe. If we look back to 38:8, the Lord guaranteed Gog of Russia that Israel will all dwell safely, in spite of what is to be happening on their mountains; this nuclear war will not harm the people living within the land of Israel. The Messiah is referred to throughout Isaiah’s writings. One name for Messiah, which seems to be the most frequently used, is the Holy One of Israel; this name occurs twenty-five times in the Book of Isaiah, while only seven times within the rest of the Old Testament;[18] this name reveals God’s transcendence and closeness to His people. The Holy One is conveyed to be the Creator (41:20), the Maker (17:7, 45:11, 54:5), the Redeemer (48:17, 49:17, 54:5), the Savior (43:3); many times, He is called the Lord and God. The Lord implied that He would not let the people of Israel pollute His holy name anymore; this seems to imply that after this nuclear war, and protection from the Gog of Magog attack, that the Lord will not tolerate them blaspheming Jesus the Messiah any longer. This is a pretty scary statement to consider, since there are a majority of Israel that deny their Messiah currently. These people of Israel (the heathen) may be a part of that two-thirds (Zech. 13:8) who will die during the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel 9:24-27. Also, we must consider that the one-third who come through the seven years (Zech. 13:9), may have come to the belief in their Messiah, once these events in Ezekiel 38-39 happen. 8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, says the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zech. 13:8-9) Ezekiel 39:8 Behold, it has come, and it is done, says the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. This implies that on that day, when all of this occurs, the people of Israel should realize it; because the Lord God had declared it, then seeing it so accurately and supernatural fulfilled, that this will be astounding to all. Ezekiel 39:9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the hand staves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: The aftermath of the nuclear war, and the death of the militaries in the mountains of Israel, will bring peace to the world for the remainder of the first-half (midst) of the seven years (Dan. 9:27, Zech. 14:2, Matt. 24:15, Mk. 13:14, Rev. 13:5-7). For the remainder of the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel 9:24-27, Israel’s inhabitants will be burning the weapons left over in their land. This buildup of war, then the actual war occurring, may only take up a few days or weeks of the first days of the seven years; the weapon burning (with fire) will take what is left of that seven years. As was disclosed in 38:11, it will take the seven-year peace covenant to put Israel at ease, in order to have them be a land of unwalled villages, with no walls, nor gates. This Battle of Gog of Magog has to occur into that seven years, in order for Israel to be as 38:11 has stated. Ezekiel 39:10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, says the Lord God. We know that there will be seven years of weapon burning with fire (39:9), but no wood out of the field, nor trees out of the forests will be used for the fire. The people of Israel will have to find a fueled-furnace of some sort, in order to burn all of these weapons with fire over that seven years. The remains of the dead men of war, in the mountains of Israel, will be robbed for the spoils of war. As people gather these dead bodies and bury them (39:12), the spoils remaining on their bodies will be robbed by these people of Israel. These many nations of people (Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Sudan, Libya, Azerbaijan, and possibly even Kazakhstan) have been guilty of spoiling and robbing Israel for millenniums, and these people of Israel will gather the spoils of this war to their own benefit. Ezekiel 39:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. The name “Hamongog” means: “multitude of Gog.” The Lord has promised a burial place (graves) for Gog and all of his bands (38:2-6) in a valley on the east side of the Dead Sea. Yes, in the original promised inheritance to Israel, God provided Reuben (eldest son of Jacob [Josh. 13:17]) this portion of land; therefore, this land is Israel’s land, as was promised (map pg. 468). The translators have used the English plural noun “passengers” for the plural Hebrew verb-participle form of “ʿāḇar,” which is defined as: “passers-through, or passer-by.” The world media may want this to be a tourist attraction, but it will be so horribly dreadful, that no one will want to even drive a vehicle close enough to smell this, unless they are there for a purpose. I would not say the plural noun “passengers” is completely wrong, but a little inaccurate. Passengers are those that ride within something (car, bus, truck, helicopter, plane), while “passers-by” would include those on foot, or even riding horses. I will elect to use “passers-by” as my assertion to this verse. Comically, the Lord used a bit of humor when stating that the decaying bodies of these dead men will “stop the noses” of these passers-by. The Hebrew verb-participle “ḥāsam” means: “muzzle the noses.” It will be that those that will travel to this valley of dead, decaying bodies that will to be on that very mission, which means they will probably be prepared to muzzle their noses; they will bury these smelly, dead bodies (Gog and all of his multitudes) in this valley east of the Dead Sea, which is in the current country of Jordan; this valley has already taken the name as the Valley of Hamongog, in anticipation of the fulfillment of this prophecy. Many want to place this valley north of the Arnon River, which may happen as a self-fulfilled prophecy because of this. Ezekiel 39:12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Israel will assign workers to transport the thousands of dead bodies from the mountains of Israel nearest to Bashan (39:18), down the east side of the Jordan River, to the valley east of the Dead Sea; the bodies will lay piled up and decaying. They will stink badly, as the previous verse has stated; not only will it reek of decaying flesh, but infested with rats, flies, and maggots. These workers will muzzle their noses, or be wearing hasmat suites to protect them from disease. This will take the house of Israel seven months to perform this burial of the multitudes of dead men’s carcasses. Ezekiel 39:13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, says the Lord God. Israel will perform this burdensome task in shifts and duties (see 39:14). Some will haul the bodies there, some will unload the bodies from the vehicles, while others bury the bodies. It will not be as much of a burden as expected, because the house of Israel will be rejoicing in the Lord, their God. He shall be glorified all around the Earth, and Israel will be in a peaceful state for the first time since 1948 A.D. The Hebrew noun “šēm” was translated as “renown,” which actually will be a memorial of the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy fulfillment, which shall be to God’s glory. My own personal prediction of these events (Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38-39, Dan. 11:40-45) will be the dismissal of the Islamic occult religion, because their god (Allah) will be defeated; because a majority of the Jihadist movement will be destroyed by the God of Israel, why would anyone continue to follow such a failure of a god. Ezekiel 39:14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. The translators made a bit of a mess with this verse, therefore I will clean it up. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passers-through the land, with the passers-by, to bury those that remain upon the face of the Earth, to cleanse it; after the end of seven months, they shall be searching. The same Hebrew verb-participle was used for both descriptions of passers-through and passers-by, which designates two separate divisions of workers. I am pretty confident to say that the one will be transporting dead bodies, while the others are to be burying dead bodies (those that remain). The plural Hebrew verb-participle form of “ʿāḇar,” is defined as: “passers-through, or passers-by.” Since the translators already assigned “passers-through” to the first use of this plural Hebrew verb-participle, I then used “passers-by” for the second use; these passers-by are the ones who will be muzzling their noses, as 39:11 had declared. These people will be permanent full-time employees of Israel, who will be assigned the duties of either transporting dead bodies, while others who will be burying them (sever out men of continual employment). At the end of the seven months, these same employees will be assigned the task of searching for others to transport, as well as burial during the seven years; I would have to presume that this workforce will most likely be the ones assigned to the seven years of weapons burning as well (39:9). Ezekiel 39:15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any see a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. The passers-through the land, when they notice a man’s bone, their responsibility will be to set-up a marker by it. When the passers-by (buriers) see the marker, they will find the bone and bury it in the Valley of Hamongog. The marker will remain in place, until the passers-by (buriers) have buried the bone in the valley. This might be taking place for the entire seven years. Ezekiel 39:16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah, thus shall they cleanse the land. After the seven-month stench has dissipated, the location will become a historical site to commemorate the defeat of Gog and his multitudes. It will become a city called Hamonah (Hamonah = multitudes), and possibly a tourist attraction during the seven years, as well as potentially thru the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. This can only be presumed, by being called a city, but is likely. It could be that this commemorative site will be a celebrated place, because it might symbolize the destruction of the religion of Islam. The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be glorified as the protector of Israel, while the Islamic god “Allah” will be proven to not be a god at all. Ezekiel 39:17 And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God; “Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh, and drink blood. The disclosure to Gog of Russia in 39:4 was: “I will give you unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.” Though Ezekiel will not be on Earth when this event unfolds, the Lord is addressing this to him to prophesy of the calling of every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field. I would have to presume that the adjective “every” would pertain to every feathered fowl and beast in the general area, and not on the entire Earth. This prophecy is to God’s glory, because when these thousands of fowl and beasts of the field assemble themselves, God will be glorified for having declared it here in 39:17. When they do come to this feast, the fowls will summer upon them, while the beasts will winter upon God’s blood sacrifice of this hostile multitude of men. Fowls eat enough for a day’s consumption, while beasts will eat enough to hibernate for a time, most commonly during cold winter months. Isaiah 18:6 refers to an animal eating huge amounts to cause it to hibernate for a time of digestion, while the bird eats day to day, like in summer days. We can associate the events in Isaiah 18-19 with the beginning of the seven years of judgment in NE Africa, because we can be sure that the Ezekiel 38-39 judgment will be in the beginning of the seven years as well (see commentary 38:11). The messengers (ambassadors) will be coming to NE Africa to bring God’s word to these scattered and peeled Africans (Is. 18:1-2), after the terrible devastation to that land (Ezek. 29:9-12). During this time, the fowls and beasts of Isaiah 18:6 will be eating the flesh of the fallen dead in NE Africa, which will be during this same time as other fowls and beasts will be devouring the fallen in the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 39:18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the Earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. As Ezekiel’s prophesying began in 39:17, he continued here in 39:18. His prophesy spoken by him over 2,600 years ago remains active, in order for God’s sovereign power to be seen, when the fowls and beasts come into the northern mountains of Israel to feast upon the many thousands of dead men (You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the Earth). Oleg Salyukov is the current commander of Russian ground forces; this concept of princes being eaten holds true for all of the ground forces coming into the mountains of northern Israel; they will be military commanders, which Ezekiel is calling princes. The Lord God used imagery here, concerning His blood sacrifice of these evil armies attacking Israel. He used the same type of imagery for His future blood sacrifice in Bozrah, when He will create the lake of fire on the last day of the seven years (Is. 34:6, Ezek. 35:6, Rev. 14:19-20). God will feed His fowls and beasts only here in the beginning of the seven years in Bashan, east of the Sea of Galilee, because on the last day of the seven years at Armageddon (Valley of Jehoshaphat [Joel 3:2, 12]), all fowls of the entire Earth will feast (no beasts). The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. (Is. 34:6) Please do not combine Isaiah 34:6 with this Ezekiel 39:18 prophecy; they are only related, because they both are the blood sacrifices at God’s altar (the Earth). This blood sacrifice, “of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan,” will occur in the first weeks of the seven years; meanwhile, the Isaiah 34:6 blood sacrifice will occur on the final day of the seven years (see commentary Ezek. 35:6). The commonality will be that God will destroy the heathen who will come to destroy Israel in this Gog of Magog blood sacrifice, as well as the Bozrah blood sacrifice to create the lake of fire on day 2,520 of the seven years. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. (Rev. 19:17-18) The Armageddon feast will occur on day 2,520 (last day) of the seven years, and only include all fowls, with no beasts of the field; they will feast on kings also, while the Ezekiel 38-39 feast will only devour one king (Gog of Russia). The Bozrah blood sacrifice will occur separately from Armageddon on the same day (moments before). The Lord also provided Ezekiel the location of this blood sacrifice in the mountains of Israel; I had, in the past, thought that this was in the mountains of Israel surrounding Jerusalem; I came to realize that Ezekiel was given this micro view of this attack here in chapter 39, thus provided us the exact location within 39:18. The location of Bashan is east of the Sea of Galilee in those northern mountains of Israel (Israel’s inheritance). Interestingly, God had planned for them to accumulate in the northern parts outside of Israel (And you shall come from your place out of the north parts [38:15]). Daniel 11:45 has indicated that this king of the north (king of Russia) is to build his tents (אָהֳלֶי) of his fortress (אַפַּדְנוֹ) between the seas of the glorious holy mountains of Israel. Looking to the map of the holy land (pg. 517), we can see that the two seas between the glorious holy mountains of Israel are the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Most militaries will build a command center, before carrying out their military advancements. When this Daniel prophecy comes to pass, could we see the king of Russia established in these tents before the attack? The king of the north (Russia), may not proceed into NE Africa (Is. 18:1-2; 19:1-17, Ezek. 29:1-7, 17-21, 30:10-11, 20-26, Dan. 11:40-43); but when his military returns back to the location of Bashan, he may establish himself in these holy mountains near Bashan; this would be on the east side of the Jordan River valley in modern-day Golan Heights, east of the Sea of Galilee. And he shall plant the tents of his fortress between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. (Dan. 11:45) The king of Russia (Gog of Magog) may find his end in this command center established in the Golan Heights (map below), when the Lord God will rain His great hailstones, fire, and brimstone down upon him (38:22). Ezekiel 39:19 And you shall eat fat till you be full, and drink blood till you be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. The prophecy spoken by Ezekiel began in 39:17, and continues here. The pronoun “you” refers back to the fowls and beasts, which will be feasting upon the many dead soldiers and leaders within the mountains of Israel in Bashan. Fowls eat enough for a day’s consumption, while beasts will eat enough to hibernate for a time, most commonly during cold winter months. Isaiah 18:6 refers to an animal eating huge amounts to cause it to hibernate for a time of digestion, while the birds eat day to day, like in summer days. Both fowls and beasts will eat until they are full, and drink the blood until they are drunken (excessive). The Lord continued to call this His blood sacrifice as He did in 39:17. Ezekiel 39:20 Thus you shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, says the Lord God. This continues the prophecy spoken from the mouth of Ezekiel (39:17-20) as a future prophecy from the Lord. Once again, the pronoun “you” refers back to the fowls and beasts from 39:17. The table of the Lord God will be set by His judgment of great hailstones, fire, and brimstone (38:22), while the men kill one another in a panic from the great earthquake of 38:20-21. The menu that day will consist of horses, mighty men, and men of war, while the chariots (vehicles) will be cooking the flesh in their fire. Ezekiel 39:21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. This is additional information given in reference to 38:23. The heathen (nonbelievers) shall all see this event (both victims and spectators), when the Lord God had declared this judgment and executed (laid His hand) it upon His mountains of Israel. He will be made greater (magnify) and hallow Himself by this amazing event. The whole world will have their phones and computers watching youtube video recordings of eye-witness accounts posted for all to see. The Lord God of Israel will be talked about all over the Earth among the heathen, when they will notice this supernatural event unfold. He had declared over 2,600 years earlier that He would do this, and then be seen to have fulfilled it. The whole Earth will know that He is the Lord God, the Almighty and He will be glorified by this. Ezekiel 39:22 Therefore, the house of Israel shall know that I AM the Lord their God from that day and forward. As will the entire event unfold before the eyes of the world, the entire house of Israel will also see it unfold. Whether they are believers, or not, they will know that He is the Lord God of their father, Israel. The house of Israel shall know that I AM the Lord their God from that day and forward. This implies a great conversion from non-believers, to believers, though they will still not believe that Jesus is their Messiah. This provides a starting point for them, because belief in God begins their path to coming into repentance and belief in Jesus as their Christ. Ezekiel 39:23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they trespassed against me, therefore I hid my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. The final seven verses of chapter 39 are a review of why Israel was to be restored from their disbelief. As soon as I read this, I remembered what was written in Isaiah 65:11-15. The nonbelievers of the world know that Israel had rejected Messiah Jesus and killed Him. In 70 A.D., Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed for the second time, and the house of Israel went back into captivity. The Lord God hid His face from them, as He caused the world to persecute and kill them for over eighteen hundred years, and many fell by the sword (were killed). But you are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. (Is. 65:11) After providing an explanation of why the wicked dwell with the elect in Isaiah 65:8, then providing the blessings planned for them in Isaiah 65:9-10, Isaiah returned back to addressing the non-believing Jews in verse 11. The remnant of Israel, who forsake the LORD and do not believe in His salvation through His Messiah, are addressed once again. Because this is prophecy, Isaiah spoke in present perfect progressive tense, while describing what they will be doing. They will live their lives for wealth and good fortune, as if worshiping the god of fortune (Gad). The translators have used the noun expression “that troop” for the Hebrew proper noun “Gad” (a Babylonian deity), which really causes confusion to a reader. Translators use the noun expression “that number” in place for the Hebrew proper noun “Mĕniy,” which is the name of the Babylonian deity “god of fate.” Isaiah presents rebellious Israel as those who “prepare a table for the god of fortune, and that furnish the drink offering unto the god of fate.” This idolatry needs to be understood to not be literal worship of these gods; the people of Israel (since their return from Babylon) have not followed other gods, but have rejected their Messiah when He came unto them between 27-30 A.D., and focused themselves on their fate and fortune ever since. Nonbelieving Israel have sought out wealth and good fortune, while loosely following the Laws of Moses in their attempt to be religious. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear; but did evil before my eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. (Is. 65:12) Isaiah 65:12 begins with the word “therefore,” therefore it is there for a reason; this connects to the previous verse, which presents a reason for God’s judgment; He stated then the judgment in this verse, which He shall and has inflicted upon non-believing Israel since their rejection of their Messiah. The history of the children of Jacob/Israel has been full of heavy persecution in the last two millenniums. Jesus prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) and the temple forty years before it happened (Matt. 24:1-2, Mk. 13:1-2). Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. because of their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. In 119 A.D., Roman Emperor Hadrian banned circumcision, making Judaism de facto illegal. Between 135-137, according to Cassius Dio, 580,000 Jews were killed, when Hadrian ordered the expulsion of Jews from Judea. In 325, the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea declared it improper to follow the customs of the Jews in the celebration of the Seven Feasts of the Lord, which included the Feast of Passover for the date for the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ; this was done because the Jews were blinded and stained with the crime of the crucifixion. In 529, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great published Corpus Juris Civilis, which new laws restricted citizenship to Christians. These regulations determined the status of Jews throughout the Empire for hundreds of years: the Jewish civil rights were restricted. In 1096, in the First Crusade, over 5,000 Jews were murdered in Eastern Europe. In 1146, 100,000 Jews were massacred by the Almohads in Fez and 120,000 in Marrakesh. In 1492, Ferdinand II and Isabella issued the General Edict on the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain: approximately 200,000 Jews were expelled. There were hundreds of antisemitism events in the 20th century, which is lowlighted by the German holocaust. I had hand-picked a few of the events, but if a person searched the events of antisemitism over the last two millenniums, one would find thousands of historic accounts of persecution over the descendants of Israel. The Lord declared that He will number them to the sword and they would be bowed down to their slaughter. The Lord has had a hand in their persecution, because they rejected Him. One cannot say that God did not mean for the Jews to suffer the way that they have over the last two millenniums. As sure as the prophecies of Isaiah have and will come to pass, so has this verse been coming to pass (Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter). The Lord Jesus came to Israel; He spoke and called Israel to Him, and they did not hear Him; instead they did evil to Him, before His eyes, and did things that He was not delighted in (you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not). Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed: (Is. 65:13) Theologians will rebuke the thought that God brought the persecution of the descendants of Israel and insist that Isaiah 65:12 was focused on the Babylonian Captivity, but Isaiah 65:13 confirms that this was for the Jews from the first advent of Christ and afterwards. Isaiah 65 had first addressed the gospel to the Gentiles and progressed telling of the judgments to follow. 65:13 addresses the servants of the Lord, who are His church of Christian believers. The Lord continued with stating His curse, which began in Isaiah 65:11-12; His elect (servants) will have food to eat, while those Jews who reject Messiah shall be hungry through persecution. His elect (servants) will drink, while those Jews who do not believe Jesus as their Messiah will be thirsty through persecution. God’s elect (servants) will rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, while the nonbelieving Jews will be put to shame (persecution) (my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed). Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. (Is. 65:14) From what Isaiah 65:11 had prophesied, non-believing Israel would live their lives for fate and fortune, which would allow some to become quite wealthy in the right environments; we can see this in such environments as what they have experienced in the United States. Within the environments where persecution has been inflicted upon them, they cry for sorrow of heart and howl for vexation of their spirit. The elect (servants) will have the Holy Spirit living within them and they will sing praises for the Lord, because He has saved them (my servants shall sing for joy of heart). And you shall leave your name for a curse unto My chosen, because the Lord God shall slay you, and call His servants by another name: (Is. 65:15) As what was already discussed within Isaiah 65:12, the Lord God has cursed the reputation of the name of Israel, which becomes a cursed reputation (name) unto the believers (my chosen). The Lord God has allowed for nonbelieving Israel to be persecuted, because of their reputation (your name for a curse) of being the ones who put Messiah to death and have rejected Him as the Lord. The Lord has manifested a new name for His servants, which have been known as “Christians” (and call his servants by another name). Christians are commanded to pray for their enemies and turn the other cheek when persecuted by their enemies (Matt. 5:43-44). Israel is to be treated as the rest of the world, when it comes to teaching of the gospel in hope of their repentance. Praying for peace in Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) is commanded. Praying for Israel’s repentance is also commanded, since they became enemies for the gospel’s sake (Rom. 11:28). 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. (Rom. 11:31) Ezekiel 39:24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. The persecution of non-Christian Israel started after the cross, where the Messiah had been put to death by His own people (Israel). Their uncleanness can best be explained by their lack of faith in God the Father and His Son, therefore their sins were not forgiven of them, even when the Temple was still standing; this was all while their rejected sacrifices had been attempted. After the blood sacrifice of Messiah on Nisan 14, 30 A.D., the New Covenant had begun, and any other attempt at cleanness was rejected by God as a lack of faith. Their sin atonement was inadequate to say the least, but because they chose to reject the gift of grace provided by the sin atonement on the cross by Messiah, their transgressions were never washed away. Therefore, as Isaiah 65:12 states, they were numbered to the sword, and were bowed down to the slaughter. God hid His face from helping them, because they had rejected Him again. Ezekiel 39:25 Therefore thus says the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; The timeline on this prophecy follows the past two verses (39:23-24), when God destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple for the second time on Av 9, 70 A.D. (first one AV 9, 587 B.C.). The house of Jacob (Israel) went again into captivity(36:19), then had mercy on Israel and brought them back to their land as He had promised (36:24); He explained to Israel in 36:21-22, that He did not bring them back to their land for their own sake, but for His holy name’s sake. The Lord had made promises to the patriarchs of Israel, including King David (2 Sam. 7:8-16), therefore He had to bring Israel back to keep His promises; it was His own holy name’s sake that was in need to bring them back to their land. Since May 14, 1948, Israel had been given their land back, and the Lord’s mercy had begun to be given to them, while they have prospered in their own country, with threats continuously to wipe them from the face of the Earth from the surrounding nations. Ezekiel 39:26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. This passage should be contemplated for what it actually implies. Israel’s salvation will not be until they receive the Holy Spirit of grace and supplication (Zech: 12:10), upon the Second Coming of Messiah, but Ezekiel 39:26 implies something interesting. Ezekiel implies here that Israel will bear their shame and their trespasses against the God of Israel. If Israel bears their shame and trespasses, then that would mean that they will be in a position to accept their Messiah, which is Jesus. In my undergraduate work, I researched the blinding of Israel, and had determined that their blinding would be withdrawn upon the Second Coming of Christ (Messiah). But here in 39:26, this may be the removal of the blinders from the minds and hearts of Israel towards their Messiah. From what we have in the Book of Revelation, there will be the two-witnesses who will go forth on the first day of the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel 9:24-27 (Rev. 11:3-11). The two witnesses will be sent down from heaven supernaturally, in order to teach 144,000 people of the house of Israel (Rev. 7:4-8). In order for those future 144,000 to receive the good news of salvation through Messiah Jesus, their blinders would need to be removed. I believe this prophecy here in Ezekiel 39:26 is the removal of the blinders put upon Israel, which will happen once they see the Ezekiel 38-39 faithfulness of their Lord God; this is within the timing of the evangelism of the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3-11, which will begin on the first day of the seven years. Below is my interpretation, concerning the inflicted curse upon Israel, after they officially killed the first martyr of the crucified Messiah. The Stoning of Steven and the Curse of the Blinding of Israel 7 What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeks for; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 (According as it is written, God has given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. 9 And David said, “Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.” 11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid, but rather through their fall, salvation has come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? 13 Because I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, and I magnify my office: (Rom. 11:7-13) According to the Apostle Paul, God has blinded the nation Israel to the gospel and has given salvation unto the Gentiles. Obviously, not all Israel has been blinded, because there are many Messianic Jews that have come to know Jesus as their Messiah over the last 1,993 years. But, the majority of Israel have not believed that Jesus is their Messiah. I will first show you a curse that Israel has put on themselves, as they spoke in unbelief. As Yeshuah ha Mechiac was standing in front of Israel the morning of the Feast of Passover, Pilate presented Israel with a choice. They could free one person traditionally that day, meanwhile Pilate was hoping that they would choose Yeshuah to be the one that they would choose to free. He gave them an almost obvious choice, between a prophet and a murderer named Barabbas. As they chose Barabbas, the crowd made a comment that became a curse that they had put upon themselves. It seems that God the Father obliged them and gave it unto them. 23 And the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified.” 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person see you to it.” 25 Then answered all the people, and said, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” (Matt. 27:23-25) God brought fulfillment to this curse, through the blinding of Israel as they had asked. Does the Bible indicate when the blinding had begun? The answer is, the Bible does not specifically state when the curse had started, but it gives indicators in the Book of Acts of a judgment being carried out. In the Book of Acts, the Apostles presented the gospel to the Jews on the Feast of Pentecost, and three-thousand Jews were saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ (Act 2:41). There was no sign of a blinding of the nation Israel at that point. An additional five-thousand believed from the readings in Acts 4:4; there was clearly no blinding of Israel happening as of that time. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. (Acts 5:14) In Acts 5:14, we can still see a strong indicator that Israel was still receiving the gospel and believing. I want to remind you that not one Gentile has been written of in the Book of Acts as being a believer to that point. Reading through Acts 6, the outcome was the appointing of seven deacons to assist in the management of the people of the church. Stephen was one of these seven. As one reads in Acts 7, we find Stephen was confronted; he then spoke the gospel, which convicted the people accusing him; the offended people of Israel took Stephen prisoner and stoned him for blasphemy. Before his stoning, Stephen finished praying to Jesus, while he looked to heaven and saw Jesus standing (not sitting) at the right hand of God. Why would Jesus be standing? Isn’t He there sitting at the right hand of God? The Lord said unto my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” (Psalm 110:1) Because the people had chosen to stone Stephen, after hearing the truth of the gospel, Stephen became the first martyr for Jesus Christ. When Jesus was standing at the right hand of God, He was passing judgment on Israel for their wickedness for their unbelief, but also fulfilling the curse by which they had put upon themselves and their children, which had brought Jesus the Messiah to die on the cross.[19] After the stoning of Stephen, Acts 7:58 included an introduction of a man named Saul. Saul, not much later became known as the Apostle 0f the Gentiles. And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. (Acts 7: 58) And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 8:1) Acts 9:1-16 provides a change of focus from the Lord Jesus Christ, when He called upon Saul to be His Apostle to the Gentiles. The timing of this was shortly after the stoning of Stephen. While Stephen is in the midst of controversy between two groups of “Jews,” the Hebrews and the Hellenists, this intragroup division adumbrates the subsequent division between Jewish and Gentile believers that will come to the fore in the Pauline mission.[20] The first potential Gentile, that became a believer, was not until Acts 8:26-39, after the stoning of Stephen. In Acts 10:9-16, God announced to the Apostle Peter that Gentiles are also to be children of God. God had Peter go to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his family, of whom were all Gentiles. Because the blinding of Israel had started, the Lord God started the two thousand year time of the Gentiles, while Israel fell into the Isaiah 65:11-15 curse. When they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. This is to be the result of the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy fulfillment. After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me. They bore their shame and trespasses during the years scattered after the destruction Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. Being brought back to their land in the endtimes, sets up the coming of this Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy fulfillment; then the Lord will remove the blinders from the eyes of Israel, and they will be ready to receive the gospel of Messiah. Bring on the 144,000 to be witnesses of Messiah Jesus to Israel! Ezekiel 39:27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; The heightened belief by Israel will be because God had kept His promises and brought them back to their land, while also gathering them out of the surrounding Muslim nations, who had been hostile towards them. God will be honored and hallowed in His people, Israel, in the sight of many nations. When the Ezekiel 38 attack provides a confirmation to many nations that the Lord God is protecting Israel, those many nations will understand that God is just and keeps all of His promises. Ezekiel 39:28 Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them anymore there. The Lord God had indicated that Israel will know that He is the Lord their God because He had brought them back to their land, after He had led them captive in 70 A.D. He implied here that Israel will know that He is the Lord their God, once He has led every one of them back into their land. Currently, 60% of the Earth’s house of Israel live in the United States of America, while 30% live in Israel, and the other 10% are elsewhere. This prophecy implies that the other 70% will be coming back to their land, because the Lord has stated that He will have left none of them anymore there (among the heathen). This is a tough prophecy to bring to fruition, but when we consider that the fall of the United States of America is imminent, the 60% will either die, or flee across the world back to their homeland in Israel, while in distress. God may chase the rest of His people back, or they will be killed in the process. Ezekiel 39:29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them, because I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord God. The Lord has committed in 39:29 that He will no longer hide His face from Israel, because He will have poured out His spirit upon the house of Israel. The house of Israel’s shame will not be borne (bear) until the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah; the prophecy within Zechariah 12:10 is the specific time that this shame and remorse will be felt by Israel. Until that time, a majority of Israel will reject their Messiah (though the curse of blinders will be gone [39:26]), just as most Gentiles of the current age do. But when the rescued remnant of Israel will have God’s Holy Spirit poured out upon them, all of them will be believe in Jesus the Messiah (Neither will I hide my face any more from them). And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zech. 12:10) The Lord had committed to those of Israel that His Spirit of grace would pour out upon them. This Spirit of grace and of supplication described here is the fulfillment and reconciliation of the cursed people of Israel. The curse of Isaiah 65:12 will be reconciled, when they shall “look upon Me whom they have pierced.” The curse that they had put upon their own heads, as well as their children’s heads, will be recalled no more. “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.” (Matt. 26:25) In Matthew 26:25, the people of the Israel answered altogether and brought their own curse upon them, when they condemned to death a just Man. The people of Israel know of the story of Jesus, when He was crucified for blasphemy, because He declared Himself as the Messiah and Son of God. They will recall the piercing recorded in the Gospel of John. “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” (John 19:34) Zechariah reveals the sadness and mourning, which they will feel, when they see Messiah Jesus come to their rescue (Is. 63:1-6). [1] Peter Dickinson, The 2008 Russo-Georgian War: Putin’s Green Light, (accessed 11-29-2022, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/the-2008-russo-georgian-war-putins-green-light, Washington, DC: Atlantic Council.org, Aug. 7, 2021). [2] Sabo, Daniel, 141. [3] Ibid., 142. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid., 142-143. [6] Ibid., 143. [7] Pete Lentini & Muhammad Bakashmar (2007) Jihadist Beheading: A Convergence of Technology, Theology, and Teleology?, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 30:4, 303-325, DOI: 10.1080/10576100701200140. [8] Ibid. 147. [9] Ibid., 129. [10]Sugata Ashwarya, Natural Gas Discoveries and Israel’s Energy Security, (website accessed 12/1/2022-https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2020/05/25/natural-gas-discoveries-and-israels-energy-security/, NW Washington, D.C.: SFS/Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, May 25, 2020). [11] Ibid. [12] Sabo, Genesis 1-11, 180-181. [13] Mayo Clinic. Plague. webpage referenced 05/04/2022: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plague/symptoms-causes/syc-20351291, Rochester: Mayo Clinic, 2022. [14] Ibid. [15] Sabo, Joel, Zephaniah, Zechariah, 211. [16] Ibid. [17] Ibid, 211-212. [18] J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1993), 18. [19]John B. Polhill, The American Commentary, Acts vol. 26, (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1992), 208. [20] Shelly Matthews, Perfect Martyr: The Stoning of Stephen and the Construction of Christian Identity, (http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195393323.001.0001/acprof-9780195393323: Oxford Scholarship Online, 2010), 66.

Thank you DeighAnn for your great post! This is an interesting topic, I will post what I have written in my Bible Commentary concerning this verse in Revelation 20:4. Please forgive me if it alarms you. The Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ The Saints are Assigned Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. After the captivity of Satan, the setup of the Millennial Kingdom will begin. The Lord will first set His immortal Bride up with their assigned kingdoms to rule over and teach the inhabitants about the things of God and of the past, which will need to be remembered. If you will remember from Revelation 1:6, upon the return of Jesus, He will set up His kingdom and rule the entire Earth from his throne in Jerusalem. The Bride of Christ (Christians) will be immortals, because of the rapture (1 Cor. 15:52-54). The Apostle Paul had given the church an insight on what the immortal Bride will be doing during this one thousand-year earthly reign. “Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Cor. 6:2) Because Christ will be King of the entire Earth, His bride will be kings, or lords of their assigned kingdoms, which they will be ruling over. We, the Bride of Christ, will be kings and priests under (unto) Christ and His Father. John saw thrones is his vision, and them that sat upon them; he declared that judgment was to be given unto them. This is within the timeline of after the Second Coming of Christ, and leading into the one thousand-year Millennial Kingdom of Christ. In realization of this, it brings to me new meaning to the expression of Jesus being “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16). We will be priests, because for the one thousand years, the new mortals (having been born and raised) will need to be taught the history of the world and the word of God. Therefore the thrones, which John had seen, were the kingdoms assigned to each member of the Bride of Christ (And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them). The judgment of each kingdom on Earth will be given unto each member of the Bride of Christ. The second citing of John was that of all of those Tribulation Saints, who will have been beheaded in the name of Jesus, while not taking the mark of the beast, nor worshipped him, nor his image. John implied that they too, will reign (rule) with Jesus for the one thousand years, as well. This citing seems to be an awards ceremony, which will be because they had missed the Bema Judgment ceremony right after the rapture of the church, which will be in heaven before the seven-year Seventieth Week of Daniel; please notice that John saw the twenty-four elders (the church) having crowns already on their heads (Rev. 4:10). Because they will reign along with the raptured church, they will have to become immortals as well; their resurrection unto immortality will have to be upon their recognition within this ceremony here in 20:4. The Kingdom is Prepared It is disclosed by the Lord that the preparation of the Millennial Kingdom will take thirty Earth days. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Dan. 12:11) The time between the abomination that makes desolate and the Second Coming of Christ will be 1,260 days (Feast of Atonement on Tishri 10). According to Daniel 12:11, the time between the abomination that makes desolate and the finished preparation of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ will be 1,290 days; therefore the preparation of the kingdom will be 30 days. The preparation will be amazing! 5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, because upon all the glory shall be a defense. 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a cover from storm and from rain. (Is. 4:5-6) From what Isaiah 4:6 implies, there will be a gigantic canopy over Jerusalem to shield the billions of people, from the weather conditions. If you will recall in Zechariah 14:16, every person on Earth will be required to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles every Tishri 15-21. Israel had been told that these seven days of dwelling under a canopy were to be in remembrance of their journey for forty years in the wilderness; however, they had not believed that this was the imagery of the Messianic Kingdom. This enormous canopy will be a cover over the entire city of Jerusalem, and it will take only thirty days to build. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. 40 And you shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 And you shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations: you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. (Lev. 23:39-41) As one can see, the Lord established an annual feast day, for Israel to remember that He had sustained them in the wilderness for forty years during the Exodus. This seven-day annual feast is known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The same annual celebration will be required of the inhabitants of the entire Earth, during the one thousand-year Millennial Kingdom of Christ. The inhabitants of the Earth will come to Jerusalem to celebrate their King, Lord, and God for seven days. They will be blessed throughout the year, while the Lord will sustain them. “And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zech. 14:16) And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the Earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. (Zech. 14:17) Zechariah 14:17 remarks on what the rebellious people of the Earth will experience, if they fail to comply with the requirement of coming to Jerusalem once a year to worship Jesus and celebrate the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. Because the Earth will still be filled with mortals, they will have sinful flesh that will cause them to sin against the Lord. This is pretty amazing how even without any outside influences from the demonic realm, the people will sin against God. Lucifer will be chained in The Bottomless Pit for one thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3). It is not known when the final judgment of the familiar spirits (demons) is to be consummated. We can only assume that it will occur at the Second Coming of Christ, since their leader (Satan) will be in chains, while the Antichrist and false prophet will have already been cast into The Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:20). Even the non-canonized Book of Enoch has left out clarity of when this final judgment is to occur. These spirits will lack leadership for the first time, if they are still loose upon the Earth, during the Millennial Kingdom. With God on His throne in Jerusalem, they will have no power to influence anyone without His permission. I choose to think that Jesus the Messiah will consummate judgment against the familiar spirits (demons) immediately, and there will be no influences against the flesh of the mortals to sin. With no influences, mortals will be pulled down by their fallen flesh and sin against the Lord. Therefore those, who choose to not come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and celebrate the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, will face drought in their land on the Earth (even upon them shall be no rain). And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zech. 14:18) It seems that the previous verse in Zechariah 14:17 is elaborated upon with this verse. It will be the Egyptians of the Millennial Kingdom, who will rebel against the Lord. The Lord will smite the Egyptians with drought and famine in punishment against them, for not coming to Jerusalem to worship Him. Isaiah brought forth a little bit more information concerning this. 21 And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it. 22 And the Lord shall smite Egypt: He shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the Lord, and He shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them. 23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. (Is. 19:21-23) After the Lord has to once again plague the Egyptian people with a drought, they will finally repent and come to Him as their Lord. It seems very ironic that these Egyptians will have to experience the same type of judgments against them, as they had during the Exodus, just to bring them to repentance. Unlike the Egyptians during the Exodus, they will understand that the one God of heaven and Earth is the Lord, will be sitting on His throne in Jerusalem. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zech. 14:19) To sum up what was prophesied in Zechariah 14:17 and 14:18, the Lord will smite the nations with drought, which will cause potentially other occurrences. It would make sense that the Lord will treat the heathen, who will not come to Jerusalem, with the plague similar to what He had put upon Israel, when they had failed to worship and honor Him. “The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon you, until you be destroyed.” (Deut. 28:24) The lack of rain can cause other potential plagues to fall upon a nation, such as hunger, disease, and death to livestock. In Deuteronomy 28, the Lord presented Israel with the threat of drought, which did cause other circumstances to fall upon them (Deut. 28:16-21). Egypt, as well as the other nations guilty of not coming to Jerusalem for The Feast of Tabernacles, will be faced with overwhelming circumstances; this will cause them to see that they have no choice, but to honor and worship the one true living God. They will have formerly worshiped false gods, in order to bring them rain and good health, but will need to be demonstrated that it is the God who sits on His throne in Jerusalem who controls all things. Once they have come to realize this very simple truth, they will no longer fail to honor the Lord; they will understand and will never fail again to come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and celebrate His Feast of Tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto The Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. (Zech. 14:20) Zechariah 14:20 continues to describe what will happen during the Millennial Kingdom when it declares “in that day.” It will be even the most simple, but secular, things of the world, which will be glorified unto the Lord. Zechariah demonstrates this with this verse, stating that even the bells jingling on the horses will be inscribed with the engraved words: “Holiness unto the Lord.” As the Apostle Paul had made clear to the church, all things are to be done to the glory of God. “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to King Solomon for the house of the Lord, were of bright copper. (1 Kgs. 7:45) In the Temple, it will not be just the bowls used for the sprinkling of the sacrificial blood that will be considered holy, but all bowls and pots in the Temple (and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar). All things in the Temple will be considered holiness unto the Lord. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. (Zech. 14:21) Zechariah goes a step further from the previous verse and wrote that all pots in Judah and Jerusalem, in every home, will be holiness unto the Lord. Everyone who sacrifices will be able to grab any vessel in Judah and Jerusalem and use it for sacrifice in the Temple and seethe (boil, cook, or roast) in them. This verse is inclusive of all pots or vessels in Judah and Jerusalem. The final sentence in the Book of Zechariah declares a very significant point to ponder. Canaanites were the pagans, who worshiped many gods and influenced the children of Israel to fall away from their dedication to the Lord. The Canaanites were very polytheistic. The priests, scribes, and Pharisees became like these Canaanites in the last few centuries, before the Babylonian Captivity. The Temple of the Lord was filled with their corruption and caused the Lord to become very angry against the nation of Israel. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. (Ezek. 8:16) Within this last sentence of Zechariah 14:21, Zechariah prophesied of the Millennial Kingdom, when there will never be a polytheistic person within the house of the Lord; they will all be God’s people. With the Son of God sitting on His throne in Jerusalem, the Levitical priests will make celebratory sacrifices unto the Lord and will be His children (and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts). Amen! And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. (Zechariah 14:8) Living waters is opposite to the dead waters of the Dead Sea. Fresh living water will flow in two directions from Jerusalem, which will bring fresh water and revive the two seas ability to provide marine life. Because of the dividing of Mt. Olives (Zech. 14:4), the landscape will be changed significantly, when fresh water will flow from the Jordan River and divide in Jerusalem to flow to the east and to the west. The east branch of the fresh water river will flow towards the former sea, or eastern sea, which is actually the current Dead Sea. This water flow will be the result of the valley caused by the cleave going east and west. (cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west). The western flowing branch of water will flow west to the hinder sea, or Mediterranean Sea. They will flow day and night, month after month, in both summer and winter. The flow will not be hindered by drought, because the Lord will be there (in summer and in winter shall it be).[1] All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. (Zech. 14:10) The mountains are round about Jerusalem (Ps. 125:2), but when the landscape changes because of the great earthquake from Zechariah 14:4, the Lord will manipulate the land around Jerusalem to be flat as a plain; this will range from Geba to Rimmon to the north. Geba to Rimmon on the map are north of Jerusalem; to take this into context, we should look east to west using where Geba to Rimmon on the map; then looking to the south of Jerusalem from the locations of Geba and Rimmon, we can visualize a span from north of Jerusalem to the south of Jerusalem, as far east and north as Rimmon, and as far west as Geba; this then is a narrow ovular section on a map going just south of Jerusalem. This ovular strip of land will be formerly a mountain that will become flat as a plain; this will either occur, because of the great earthquake when the Lord touches down at His Second Coming, or during the thirty-day preparation of Jerusalem (All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem). The second statement of Zechariah 14:10 needs to be understood separately from the first. When we read the pronoun “it” in this clause, we should understand “it” to be the land ranging within the parameters that follow. The land will be “lifted up” higher than the surrounding land of Jerusalem. In this clause, simply replace the pronoun “it” with the words “the land” (and the land shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place). In this case, the pronoun “it” is understood to be the land described in the clause that follows the pronoun. The parameters range east to west from Benjamin’s gate (sheep gate) in the east, to the first gate (old gate) stretching to the corner gate to the west. The area north to south ranges from the tower of Hananeel in the north, to the king's winepresses in the south. There you have a rectangular land section that will be raised up higher in elevation than the rest of the flat land. This area is located on the bigger land section named in the first clause concerning Geba and Rimmon, which will be flat as a plain. The Temple will be on this second land area mentioned, which will be raised up high. This is where Jesus will be sitting on His throne for one thousand years (Millennial Kingdom). This raised up land is to be within the flat land described in the previous clause. The rendering below is just an illustration as an example and should be excused for its imperfections.[2] Oh Zion, that brings good tidings, get up into the high mountain; Oh Jerusalem, that brings good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! (Is. 40:9) Notice in Isaiah 40:9, God’s Kingdom (Zion) is being called to get herself up into the mountains; the cities of Judah are to “behold their God,” who will be sitting up high on His throne, on this plateau. 12 Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (Dan. 12:12) Daniel 12:12 has been a controversial verse, because many will use this for date setting for the rapture, as well as the Second Coming of Christ. Preterits, A-Millennialists, and Post Millennialists will twist this to be the time period that the cleansing of the Temple had occurred, after Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated it. Little do they understand that this prophecy is for the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, as had been implied in Daniel 12:11. It is obvious that Daniel 8:13 is concerning the Millennial Kingdom Temple, because it refers to the Gentiles having trodden underfoot the city and the sanctuary as Revelation 13:5-6 (second half of seven years) has demonstrated. If this was to have already occurred, as a result of the Antiochus Epiphanes IV desecration, then the Maccabees had already cleansed and rededicated the Temple; this had already taken place, before Jesus had spoken of the same event (Abomination of Desolation) again in Revelation 13:5-6, as well as Matthew 24:15. I have found myself very troubled with the Old Testament manuscripts that have imputed a plural “Aleph” (1,000) in Daniel 8:14; I believe that in order for the prophecy of Daniel 12:11-12 to be true, the “Aleph” (1,000) in Daniel 8:14 has to be a singular 1,000 (Aleph). Researching, I can find no older Hebrew manuscripts dating before 1,000 A.D. for Daniel chapter eight. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls do not consist of Daniel 8:14. Therefore, the manuscript has remained miscopied through to our age. 13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spoke, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14 And He said unto me: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” (Da. 8:13-14) I believe that the Aleph (thousand) in Daniel 8:14 was not a plural Aleph in the original manuscript written by Daniel. Somehow through the scribes, who had been recopying the Daniel manuscripts for centuries, mistakenly changed the text to a dual Aleph. The purpose of the counting of days is for the cleansing of the Temple, after it is to be desecrated by the Antichrist of the Seventieth Week of Daniel 9:27. It doesn’t take 1,040 days (2,300 – 1,260 = 1,040 days) to cleanse the Temple (Num. 19:1-10, Ezek. 43:18-24). It should only take 8 days, according to the scriptures, to cleanse the Temple (1,300 – 1,260 = 40 days). Can you imagine the Lord having to wait three years (1,040 days), until He can finally expect to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles? Daniel 8:14 is clearly a time counted, beginning with the day of the Abomination of Desolation and counting out 1,300 days from that point. With Christ arriving on the 1,260th day after the Abomination of Desolation, 40 days later the Temple will be cleansed. The thirty-days of Daniel 12:11, will be for repairing the Temple, which will give the priests the 8-10 days to cleanse it. If one looks at the Daniel 12:11-12 prophecy, 75 days after Christs arrives, the Temple will be rededicated on Kislev 25; this is the first day of Feast of Dedication. They cannot rededicate the Temple before the cleansing…it has to be cleansed first…just as they did during the Maccabean cleansing and re-dedication of the first Feast of Dedication. The Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) was not to be a Feast of the Lord to be celebrated annually, according to the Laws of Moses. But, because John has acknowledged it within his Gospel (John 10:22), it must be assumed to be significant. This eight-day festival beginning on the 25th of Kislev (November-December) commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple in 164 B.C. by Judas Maccabeus and the Feast of Dedication The (Hanukkah) does have prophetic significance concerning the Temple of the Millennial Kingdom. Blessed is he that wait, and come to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (Dan. 12:12) The Feast of Atonement will be the start of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, as well as the day of Jesus Christ’s return 2,520 days later (360 days x 7 years). This will be 1,260 days after the Abomination of Desolation (Dan. 9:27, Matt. 24:15-16). The Feast of Atonement is celebrated every year on Tishri 10. Exactly 75 days after the Feast of Atonement is the first day of Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication), which is Kislev 25 (1,260 days + 75 days = 1,335 days). It will be the official re-dedication of the Millennial Kingdom Temple on Kislev 25. Knowing that the re-dedication of the Temple is 75 days after Christ’s return, one should realize that the Temple must be cleansed first. The cleansing of the Temple (Num. 19:1-10, Ezek. 43:18-24) will be completed 1,300 days from the halfway point of the seven years (Dan. 8:13-14). Jesus Christ will return 1,260 days after the Abomination of Desolation and will set up his Millennial Kingdom within thirty days, as of Daniel 12:11. The Temple, however will require 8-10 days to complete its cleansing. 1,300 – 1,260 days = 40 days after Christ arrives, the Temple’s cleansing ritual will be complete; exactly 35 days later, the Temple will be re-dedicated on the first day of the Feast of Dedication.[3] Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5 has been debated and misinterpreted by many Bible scholars, believers, and non-believers as well. One can plainly see that those who were killed during the seven-year tribulation (Rev. 20:4) are to be resurrected, then will live and reign with Christ for the entire Millennial Kingdom. Verse 20:5 has been put in reverse order. While the once dead, then resurrected Saints become immortal, the rest of the dead (not resurrected) will remain in hell and lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” They will be resurrected after the Millennial Kingdom for the White Throne Judgment. I think that seems pretty clear. The next sentence gets many confused and making assumptions. “This is the first Resurrection.” If you recall the words of Jesus: “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the Resurrection of Life; and they that have done evil, unto the Resurrection of Damnation” (Jn. 5:29), you will see that there are two resurrections. There is the Resurrection of Life and the Resurrection of Damnation. The first resurrection is the Resurrection of Life and it has three phases; the Firstfruits of the Resurrection of Life occurred on the day of Christ’s resurrection, along with the Old Testament Saints (Is. 26:19; Matt. 27:52-53), then the rapture of the church (1 Cor. 15:51-54) will be the second phase, then the resurrection of the Tribulation Saints (Rev. 20:4) will be the third and final phase of the Resurrection of Life. Upon completion of the first resurrection, after the third and final phase, John then declared: “This is the first resurrection.”[4] [1] Sabo, Joel, Zephaniah, Zechariah: Three Bible Commentaries, 332-335. [2] Ibid., 325-327. [3] Sabo, The Prophecies of Daniel, 161-162. [4] Sabo, The Feasts, The Harvest, and The Resurrection, 62.

My favorite Bible verse is: "Because to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21) We live in possibly the last days before the harpazo of the church; the darkness in the world has become overwhelming to believers and nonbelievers just within the last 12 months. Persecution of Christians and Jews has now become a matter enforced by the dark-liberal left governing regime in the United States. Soon, we will be forced to make hard decisions. Forced vaccines, transgender rights against human rights, stolen elections, and the evil government only enforcing laws against those who disagree with them, while violent crimes rule the streets. I want to press in on Philippians 1:21, because we will have to make decisions based on our loyalties. Are we loyal to our country, the world, and the people in it, or are we loyal to Jesus our Lord, Savior, and God. Romans 13:1-3 tells us to obey the authority that rules over us, or we are set unto damnation. Are we willing to die for the Lord, rather than obey the government when they force sinful actions upon us to comply with? We must know what the Lord considers sin, before we take a stand against the government enforcing horrifying laws upon us. If the government enforces harmful things upon an individual, that person should obey, because it is what the Lord has commanded. If the government forces mandates that sin against God, we should be prepared to die in the name of the Lord!

Great video, George! I don't want to do the wrong thing on here, being so new. I have been outpouring for many years, and I tend to outpour what the Lord has given me. Can I post a teaching from one of my books that goes along with your teachings?