Typically, it’s just students of Bible prophecy who chime in on the prophetic implications of Middle East wars.
But what makes the current conflict particularly noteworthy are the many other voices also telling us why they believe the war has messianic and even end of the world implications. I can’t remember another time when I’ve heard so many divergent voices as what a conflict involving Israel might signify for the future of the world.
Messianic Perspectives from All Sides
Near the start of the war with Iran, the U.S. soldiers heard that their mission was preparation for Armageddon and Jesus’ return. Who originated that narrative, which was later relayed to the troops? What’s happening now may be setting the stage for Gog/Magog invasion of Israel, but not for the great battle that doesn’t occur until the end of the Tribulation period.
What’s also intriguing is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statement that Israel “will make it to the return of the Messiah, but this will not happen next Thursday.” Why did he say “next Thursday?” Perhaps he was referring to the rabbi who said the battle for the Strait of Hormuz signified that the Messiah would come “next Thursday.” He based his prediction on a five hundred year old Jewish prophecy concerning this narrow passageway.
Iran is also obsessed with its own version of messianic aspirations. Although we don’t know if he’s alive or dead at this moment, the heir apparent to the role of Supreme Leader in Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, believes he has a key role to play in the return of the Mahdi, the twelfth Imam. According to Muslim eschatology, the Mahdi will rescue Iran in the midst of a great war and in doing so, help it rid the earth of Israel, the Jewish people, and the United States.
If the current Iranian leaders agree that this war is that final conflict, they will not give up no matter how bleak things look because they are waiting for their messiah to intervene and win the battle. This came through in their latest rebuff of President Trump’s statement regarding possible negotiations. At the moment, they have no intention of giving up or agreeing to a ceasefire.
I find it more than a little significant that all three major players in the current Middle East war view it as messianic in some way.
What Might Be the Prophetic Implications for the Gog/Magog War?
The matter that interests us as students of Bible prophecy is how the current conflict might impact the Gog/Magog battle described in Ezekiel 38-39. These chapters tell of a future invasion of Israel by what many prophecy experts believe will be an alliance of Russia, Turkey and Iran accompanied by other nations such as the Sudan and Libya. The ties between these countries are especially strong at the moment; something that had never happened until the past several years.
I believe the current warfare is setting the stage for this future invasion based on these observations.
First, if there is regime change in Iran, I believe much of the nation will remain devoted to radical Islam and with it, the annihilation of Israel. There are at least one million believers in the country, but they will be gone if the Rapture happens first, which I believe is most likely. Although multitudes of Muslims in Iran oppose the current government, the majority of them appear to be loyal to the current leaders and would, I believe, quickly join in this future invasion of Israel. Although anything might happen in the coming weeks and months, at the moment it seems as though a change of leadership in Iran is unlikely.
Second, before the current war started, one would’ve expected Iran, ancient Persia, to lead the Ezekiel 38-39 campaign given its place as Israel’s primary enemy and the key instigator of attacks against it through the proxies it funds. Might Iran’s possible defeat in the current conflict explain Gog’s leadership in the future invasion of the Land rather than Iran?
Third, the Gog/Magog war is primarily a land invasion rather than an attack from the air, which is so prevalent in today’s warfare. The current conflict has already destroyed much of Iran’s ability to effectively launch missiles or attack with the use of drones. Israel’s high tech air defenses might also lead to this change of tactics from the other nations. And, might the ongoing attacks on Middle East sources of oil and gas lead to a more conventional war in the future?
Fourth, Scripture tells us that the Gog/Magog invasion will happen at a time when, according to the prophet, the Jewish “people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them” (Ezekiel 38:8). If the current war ends with threats from Iran and it proxies effectively neutralized, Israel would enjoy a sense of safety they have not felt for a very long time. It’s also possible that Israel might enjoy some spoils from the current war that the Lord will later use as the “hook” to cause Gog to lead the invasion of the land (Ezekiel 38:10-13).
Is the current Middle East war prophetic? I believe it is, especially given the end of days mentality by all its participants. Is not this worldwide interest a cue for all believers to pay closer attention to what God’s Word says will happen in the end times? I know my readers are already doing so.
Regardless of what happens in the future, the Middle East war is a particularly big deal prophetically because it involves Israel. And its impact on the rest of the world could be economically devasting given the potential for an even greater disruption of its energy supply than what we already see. How close might we be to the financial disaster of the third seal (Revelation 6:5-6)?
Although we can’t connect all the dots, what we see is clearly shaping the world for the events that will take place after the rapidly approaching Tribulation period starts. As such, we know that we live in the very last days before Jesus appears to take us to glory.
My book, Invitation to a Lavish Feast – Wisdom’s Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is available on Amazon or on SkyWatchTV. In this book, I demonstrate how the words of Scripture not only verify our beliefs in not only the restoration of Israel, but also our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing to take us home to glory. In each section, I show how our beliefs regarding Bible prophecy intersect with our lives on a daily basis.
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