Hebrews 9:27 It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment.

Transcription

1 A Major World Event Putting Hooks into your Jaws Ezekiel Message 3 Hebrews 9:27 It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment. An A-millennial view of scripture says that there is one covenant, one people of God, one Resurrection, and one Judgment. A-millennialists say that Israel fumbled the ball in God s plan of redemption and the church picked it up and is now carrying forward with it and all the promises given to Israel now belong to the church. That believe that God has forsaken Israel is now working through the church. The A-millennial concept is that there will be 1. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ 2. A general resurrection of everybody (lost and saved) (godly and godless) 3. A time of general judgment for all the people who have ever lived & inhabited the earth. The A-millennial view is very simplistic but the problem is that it is not Biblical. If you understand the Bible I believe you will see that there are a number of judgments and at least 9 distinct judgments. 2 are past - 1 is present - And 6 are yet to come Past Gen. 6:3, 5-7 WORLD-WIDE FLOOD And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. Past John 16: JUDGMENT OF THE CROSS Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 1

2 Mans sins were judged on the cross. The sins of Satan and Satan himself was judged on the cross. Present 1 Cor. 11:31-32 THE JUDGMENT UPON OURSELVES For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. We are called upon by God to judge ourselves. When a Christian breaks Gods law and is under conviction of sin that person must confess that sin and repent and get right with God. If he does not then God will judge that person and chasten or discipline him or her. God punishes His own children but He never sends them to hell. Six Future Judgments that happen after the Rapture 1. The Judgment Seat of Christ in which rewards will be handed out for our work for the Lord. 1 Cor. 3:14-15 If any man s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 2 Cor. 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad. 2. The Judgment of Israel after the 7 year tribulation found in Ezekiel 20: Judgment of the Nations (Gentiles) after the 7 year tribulation Matthew. 25:31-34 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations; and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. These are gentiles (non Jews) who survived and lived through the 7 year tribulation. Some of them are saved (sheep) and some are lost (goats). They have not received their glorified bodies but enter the millennium as mortal humans. 4. Judgment of Satan and his fallen angels Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 2

3 5. Great White Throne Judgment - The final judgment of the lost Revelation 20: 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 Dead and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14. Then Dead 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 I told you there were 6 future judgments. Which one did I leave out? What judgment will occur (I believe) before the Rapture of the Church but is still yet future? As the tribulation begins in Revelation chapter 6, as Jesus opens the first seal we see that the tribulation begins not with war, not with catastrophe but with world wide peace. As we begin our study of the book of Revelation we will see that the world will be divided into 10 regions with 10 Kings or Presidents. Three of those will rebel when a leader steps up to take control of all ten kingdoms and then World War III breaks out upon this planet. But it begins with peace. What could possibly transpire that would bring world wide peace to this earth? Well for one thing the rapture of the church. When millions upon millions of people suddenly disappear from the face of the earth the earth will immediately pull together. The very forces that will pull together are already being put into place and have been under construction now for many years as we will soon see. But I believe another event that happens (before the rapture) will also give credence to world wide peace and that is the total annihilation of Russia's army and many of the Arab and Muslim nations that Russia is aligned with today. 3

4 A FICTION STORY BASED ON THE TRUTH OF EZEKIEL The radio was alive with reports from Israeli pilots. They had not been able to get airborne in time to do anything but watch as the entire Russian air offensive seemed to destroy itself. Miraculously, not one casualty was reported in all of Israel. Otherwise they would have believed some mysterious malfunction had caused missile and plane to destroy each other. But witnesses reported that it had been a firestorm, along with rain and hail and an earthquake, that consumed the entire offensive effort. Had it been a divinely appointed meteor shower? Perhaps. But what accounted for hundreds and thousands of chunks of burning, twisted, molten steel smashing to the ground in Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jericho, and Bethlehem leveling ancient walls but not so much as scratching one living creature? Daylight revealed the carnage and exposed Russia s secret alliance with Middle Eastern nations, primarily Iran, Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey, Armenia, and Germany. Among the ruins, the Israelis found combustible material that would serve as fuel and preserve their natural resources for more than six years. Special task forces competed with buzzards and vultures for the flesh of the enemy dead, trying to bury them before their bones were picked clean and disease threatened the nation. In Ezekiel the Hebrew prophet was given a detailed prophecy twenty-five hundred years ago foretelling that Russia would become a dominant player on the world scene in the last days. He even predicted that her allies would march with her against the mountains of Israel. Their objective would be to finish what Adolph Hitler had been unable to accomplish, the destruction of the Jews from the face of the earth. Yet these invaders will be even less successful than the Nazis, for Ezekiel also predicted that God would supernaturally destroy the attacking armies of Russia in order to show His omnipotent power to the world and to demonstrate that He has unfinished plans for the nation of Israel. To show you how close we are to this event happening, the new President of Iran recently called for the total annihilation of Israel. The only response that came from the Russian president was: Let s all just calm down, he s a new president, he didn t really mean what he said. Today Iran is building nuclear weapons with the help of Russia under the cover of making nuclear energy for electricity. 4

5 This prophecy of Ezekiel s is among the most specific and easiest to understand. He pinpointed the time it would happen by immediately following Ezekiel 37 which talks of the dry bones, of the re-gathering of Israel and the reforming of the Israeli nation. Ezekiel also predicted that these events will occur after many days.in the latter years. Ezekiel 38:1-9, 15-16, 18-19, Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2. Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3. and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6. Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops many people are with you. 7. Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8. After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9. You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you. 15. Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes. 18. And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, that My fury will show in My face. 5

6 19. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken; Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 21. I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains, says the Lord God. Every man s sword will be against his brother. 22. And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. Who are these nations that will come against Israel? Gog A title Czar or Pharaoh Magog land of Russia Rosh an ancient name for Russia Mesheh Moscow Tubal Tobolsk oil region of Russia Persia Iran (they were Persia until 1935) Ethiopia Ethiopia Libya Libya Gomer Germany they will face God s judgment for what they did during the Holocaust House of Togarmah Turkey or Armenia Cush Sudan A base camp for radical Islamic terrorism, armed for years by the Soviets and more recently by Iran. Some 300,000 Christians have been killed here in recent years Put Tunisia and Algeria long histories of hatred toward Israel and close ties to Moscow Notice in the above verses in Ezekiel 38 what verses I left out and that was done for a reason. In Ezekiel 38: we see something strange happening and we'll discuss it here. Ezekiel 38: Thus says the Lord God: On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan; 11. You will say, I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates- 6

7 12. to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13. Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder? 14. Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to God, Thus says the Lord God; On that day when My people Israel swell safely, will you not know it? Now the question is: When these nations go up against Israel, do they go up against another country first, a country dwelling in peace that are gathered from all the nations around the world, or is this only speaking of the land of Israel? And if so, what country would that be? Ezekiel 39: And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; 2. and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3. Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. 4. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5. You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken, says the Lord God. 6. And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. 7. So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done, says the Lord God. This is the day of which I have spoken. 7

8 9. Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years. 10. They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them, says the Lord God. 11. It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. 12. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. When news of the battle is about to begin the friends of Israel do absolutely nothing to help her. And who has been the friend of Israel since her inception in 1948? Ezekiel 38:13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder? But that is the extent of their response. They offer no help; no aid to Israel and then God steps in. Beware America: Genesis 12:3 I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curses thee (Ezekiel 38:19-20) 19. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken; Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20. so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. The Lord Almighty sends an earthquake and a mighty shaking so great that mountains shall be thrown down. He rains on Gog great hailstones and fire and brimstone, along with flooding rain and pestilence. And when it s all over, none of the enemies of God are left standing. Instead their corpses lie on the ground, food for the birds of prey and the beasts of the field. 8

9 The number of people killed will be so great that Israel will spend seven months finding and burying the dead troops. An enormous common grave will be dug in what will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog (the hordes of Gog). The implements of war left behind by the decimated armies also will be gathered up, not to be reused but to be burned. So many weapons will be recovered that to burn them all will take seven years. During the 7 year tribulation that is to come on this earth, the Bible says that 3 ½ years into the 7 years that the people of Israel will be forced from their land. They will go into hiding, that is those that survive the wrath of the Anti-Christ. Now, if Israel is to spend 7 years burning these weapons, the Russian invasion must take place at least 3 ½ years before the tribulation begins and possibly even longer than that. Now, if the rapture takes place after the Russian invasion, which I believe it does, then the next great event on this earth pointing the way to the return of Christ will be the Russian invasion of Israel with all her Muslim and Arab allies. But I want you to notice something here. Of all the nations that will invade Israel, one nation of importance today that is not mentioned is IRAQ. Ancient Babylon! What could this mean and what significance could the war in Iraq today have on all of this? Stay tuned for the rest of the story. But the personal question is this: Are you ready for Christ's return? Are you sure? 9