Hello John and Doves,

 

Gary Stearman had a very interesting and timely article in the latest Prophecy Watcher magazine:  "Sehba and Dedan A Prophetic Mystery Solved".

 

Gary begins his article writing about the Gog and Magog attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38/39).  He wrote, "The opening phase of the assault apparently meets only a moderate, diplomatic resistance."  A mysterious coalition of power is identified that question Gog.  These are Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish "with all the young lions thereof."  He identifies Magog as Russia.  The prince and leader is Gog.

 

The land of unwalled villages is "the building style of today, not of the medieval or ancient eras, when even the smallest city was surrounded by a protective wall.  The contemporary Israeli method of building does not include surrounding walls."

 

He goes on to write that "The fact that they are living in relative peace also counters the possibility that the Russian invasion takes place during the Tribulation."  The Tribulation is a time of "instability, characterized by earthquake, famine, disease and war.  Thus, the alignment of nations, the geophysical description of Israel and their sense of relative peace all weigh in favor of a Pre-tribulational event."

 

He notes that in Exekiel 38:18 that Ezekiel writes that "at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel...there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel."  "There is little doubt that these verses describe the initiation of the Tribulation.  Take note of the phrase, "..at the same time."  It it quite unusual to find any prophetic event so directly linked to a specific physical event.  We are clearly told that when the Russians invade the Middle East, THEN the Tribulation will commence.

 

"Furthermore, this time marker links Gog's invasion with the unveiling of the Lord's "fury".  Note that the result is geological upheaval, described elsewhere in Scripture as typical of the Day of the Lord."

 

In Revelation 6:17 "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"  "The concluding book of the Bible makes it plain that the Tribulation beings with a war, just as described in Ezekiel.  The sixth chapter of Revelation features the infamous "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."  In sequence, they bring war, famine, economic collapse, and a deathly plague.  Taken together, they are typical of a world war, in which there is a total breakdown of societal restraint, law and infrastructure.  It also tells us that victims will number int he millions, as in World Wars One and Two."

 

"This war, however, will dwarf the conflicts o the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  And to make matters worse, after the smoke clears, the antichrst will arise as peacemaker, promising to bring a better world."

 

There is much more in this article - but the above is what caught my eye in relation to the attack of Iran (Persia) on Israel.  And Russia threatening to enter the war if the U.S. moves on Iran with Israel.  Russian tanks are poised on the Syrian Golan.  

 

Many believe we are very close to the Tribulation starting.  And it looks like we are very close to Russia getting involved in this war with Iran.  And maybe, very close to the Gog and Magog war starting.

 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

 

Maranatha!

 

Chance