answers said:
Hey just for interests sake I thought I'd bring this up. I was listening to Swords of Allah which is a lecture on Islam and how it relates to prophecy, and the lecturer said the following. Revelations says (sorry didn't copy down chapter and verse my bad) that present day Russia will join present day Iran (obviously those countries had different names in the Bible times however where those countries were, Russia and Iran now are). These countries will join together and attack Israel and missiles (traditionally translated as arrows but ingeniously originally wrote in a way that can easily be translated as missile) missiles will come down from the heavens and in God's wrath destroy Iran and Russia. I just thought this was interesting as I heard on the News tonight about how Iran wants to destroy Israel, and that Russia with China want to block any action the USA tries in the UN to stop Iran. Also Russia has no other great allies, and they are obviously already sideing with Iran. And who can send missiles from heaven to destroy them? USA and who says they will? The USA. God using the USA to show His wrath isn't too hard to see. Looking like Bible prophecy has gotten a bullseye here. Also this is said to be the start of the End Times. Which means when these guys go to war it will start the process of total destruction of the world. So the Last Days might not be as far off as many have thought, that's if you believe the Bible anyway.
What are your points of view, and I'll listen to the lecture again to get the exact chapter and verse and post it up when I can.
Bye
I see this kind of biblical interpretation everyday on Christian forums. They call it the Gog Magog war and refer to Ezekiel 38 and the book of Revelation but unfortunately they are all wrong. very wrong. There are two mentions of Gog and Magog in the Bible. Once in the OT book of Ezekiel, A book of prophesy. And again in the NT Book of Revelation, a book of Prophesy. And both of these references are of the same peoples. Both of these prophesies point to the same battle. It is not a battle that will happen before the coming of the Messiah Jesus it is a battle that will happen 1000years after the return of the Messiah Jesus.
Here i will give you the chapter in Revelation:
Revelation 20:
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
This Happens after the battle of Armageddon after the defeat of the army of the Anti-christ. Revelation chapter 19 details that battle and the return of our Messiah the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
So satan will not be locked away in the bottomless pit forever after the battle of Armageddon But it clearly says that after 1000 years he will be released for a little while.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
This judgement is for those that take part in the First resurrection. Those that take part in the first resurrection are saved from the Lake of fire they are not judged if they are saved or not because they are saved they are judged on what they have done in their lives. The people who do not take part in this first resurrection will remain dead for 1000 years. It clearly states that those who take part in the first resurrection will reign with the Messiah for 1000 years.
7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
Now here we see after the 1000 year reign of the Messiah satan is released from the bottomless pit.
8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth,
Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number [is] as the sand of the sea.
So satan is released to deceive the nations to spark the final satanic rebellion against the Kingdom of the Messiah at the end of the 1000 year reign. here we see where Gog nad Magog comes into the picture, not before the return of Jesus but at the end of the 1000 years after the Messiah's return.
9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
Note. The armies of satan will surround the Beloved city and the camp of the saints this shows that the saints will be on earth during the 1000 years reign of the Messiah. The beloved city is Jerusalem. God himself will destroy this satanic army with fire.
10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Note how the beast (anti-christ ) and the false prophet are already in the lake of fire. They where cast into it 1000 years before at the end of the battle of Armageddon. Satan spent this 1000 years in the bottomless pit. not in the lake of fire.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Now this is the final Judgement after the final satanic rebellion is defeated. That is when all those who did not take part in the first resurrection will be raised from the dead and that is when they will face the final judgement.
So the battle of Armageddon is not the final battle between good end evil. The final battle is the satanic rebellion that happens 1000 years after the battle of Armageddon.
All Praise the Ancient of Days
