Monday, April 22,
2013, 6:53 a.m. – The Lord Jesus woke me up with the song “The Trumpet Shall Sound” (from Handel’s
Messiah) playing in my mind, which begins with this verse from 1 Corinthians 15:51 (NKJV):
Behold,
I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
Last Tuesday, the Lord Jesus woke me with the same
song/verse playing in my mind. I’ve been reading in Ezekiel, but I wrote about
the 1 Co. passage that day – titled “Hunger
Games” - http://originalworks.info/hunger-games/.
I believe very much that that writing ties in with the one for today.
Last Monday we had the bombings in Boston, MA, which is
historically the location of the onset of The
American Revolution. I believe that is significant. We also got a good look
at what a police state (or martial law) looks like up close and personal. Today
I saw this article in the news: http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/crime/police-5-dead-in-shooting-in-federal-way/nXSZ8/.
What struck me about this article is that these shootings took place in “Federal
Way, Washington.” A friend recently shared this article with me about Seattle
being taken over by the Department of Homeland Security: http://govtslaves.info/seattle-has-been-taken-over-by-the-department-of-homeland-security/.
That sounds a whole lot like “Federal Way,” i.e. by way of the federal
government of the U.S.A., like we witnessed in Boston, MA. I’m just taking
notes and making observations at this point.
I prayed, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I had
read Ezekiel 38-39 yesterday, plus
the Lord Jesus kept putting songs in my mind yesterday about his soon return. I
also looked up previous articles the Lord Jesus had given me to write on these
chapters in Ezekiel, and I noticed a common thread with them. The Lord kept
showing me our government in the U.S. and their leaders (and allies) as the
evil force that he is bringing against his people. I think I had just finished
reading a writing called “Magog” and was just about ready to read “Jesus is
Coming Again,” when I happened to glance down at the clock. The time was 9:11.
I believe that is also significant. Again, I am just taking notes.
Gog and Magog
You will get varied interpretations from theologians as to
who this represents, but what is mainly agreed upon is that this represents a
king or kingdom and his hordes (allies). The Lord Jesus keeps showing me the
U.S. government and their allies over and over again. The scripture says that
God will bring this “king” (or some say the beast) against “the mountains of
Israel.” Now, many commentators take this to literally mean the nation of
Israel, but there are problems with that interpretation. It is clear from
reading Isaiah and the whole of Ezekiel, which parallel with Revelation in
sections, that the people against whom God is sending this “Gog” are first of
all God’s people, so they have to be believers in Jesus Christ. So, some say
this is the nation of Israel regenerated through faith in Jesus Christ during
the time of tribulation, but that also does not fit, because these passages in
Isaiah and in Ezekiel speak of judgment against God’s people for their
rebellion, their idolatry, spiritual adultery, refusal to repent, and their
unfaithfulness to God Almighty. So, this has to be speaking of the idolatrous
and spiritually adulterous church of the last days.
So, the phrase “mountains of Israel” is figurative, not
literal (As obstacles: see Zech. 4:7; Is. 40:4; and as “high places” they can
symbolize idolatry: see Ezekiel 6:1-7).
Now
the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
“Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy
against them, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God!
Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to
the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will
destroy your high places. Then your
altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast
down your slain men before your idols.
And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols,
and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. In all your dwelling places the cities shall
be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may
be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease,
your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. The slain shall fall in your midst, and you
shall know that I am the Lord. ~ Ezekiel 6:1-7 (NKJV)
Gog will devise a scheme to come against a land
(representing God’s people) of unwalled villages. This is my belief: A city (or
land) representing God’s people today is not a physical land or city but a
spiritual one, i.e. this is speaking of the church. Who is the beast against
during the time of tribulation? – the saints of God; followers of Jesus Christ.
Who does God warn of judgment prior to the prophecies of judgment in Isaiah,
Ezekiel and Revelation? The people warned to repent of their ways or to face
judgment are God’s covenant people. In the last days that is the church, not
the nation of Israel. I believe the context of these prophecies in Ezekiel,
where they are related to the last days, supports this belief that Gog is
coming and will come against God’s chosen people, the church, i.e. the
idolatrous, spiritually adulterous, rebellious, unrepentant and unfaithful
people of God in these final days before Jesus returns for his bride.
I also believe the reason the people are living in peace and
safety and may be unsuspecting is because those of the church who are complacent,
lukewarm, rebellious, idolatrous, unfaithful and spiritually adulterous don’t
think anything like this will ever happen to them. They are not watching,
listening and paying attention to what is going on around them, and they too
easily believe everything that the government feeds them. They easily believe
not only the lies of their government leaders but also the lies of their church
leaders who are teaching them philosophies of men over the word of God, and are
teaching them a diluted gospel in place of the true gospel of Jesus Christ
(Luke 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24), because they don’t want to offend anyone or have
people not want to come back to their “churches.”
Yet, when Gog attacks God’s people, God will then come
against Gog (the beast). This is speaking of the time of tribulation prior to
Jesus’ return for his bride. Then, we will see the kinds of judgments on the
earth as are spoken of in Revelation. The wrath of God will come against those
who came against his people – believers in Jesus Christ.
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. Surely
it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord God. “This is the day of
which I have spoken. ~ Ez. 39:7-8 (NKJV)
The whole purpose of God’s judgments against his people is
that they would turn from their wicked ways, forsake their idols, repent of
their sins of unfaithfulness, and that they would love, honor and worship God
as their one and only God. And, that is the reason he will use the beast to
come against his people in these last days. So much of the church is living in
idolatry and spiritual adultery and are following the ways of men more than
they are the ways of God. So, God will send “Gog” against his people – the church
– in order to bring them back to God and renewed faith in Jesus Christ so that
they can be a mighty army going forth in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ
to the nations, so that the people of all nations will flock to Jesus Christ,
to the church, to the gospel and to salvation.
“I
will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which
I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am
the Lord their God from that day forward.
The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for
their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face
from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the
sword. According to their uncleanness
and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My
face from them.”’
“Therefore
thus says the Lord God: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have
mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy
name— after they have borne their shame,
and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they
dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. When I have brought them back from the
peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in
them in the sight of many nations, then
they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who sent them into captivity
among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of
them captive any longer. And I will not
hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the
house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.” Ez. 39:21-29 (NKJV)
I believe this bringing back the captives is two-fold: 1) In
revival and spiritual renewal and restoration, and 2) In Jesus’ return for his
bride and us going to be with him and in his kingdom reign on the earth where
Satan will be bound and we will truly live in safety. Then God will pour out
his Spirit upon us and we will be captive no longer, nor will we have any
reason ever again to be afraid. Awesome!
What a Day That Will
Be / Jim Hill
What a day that will
be,
When my Jesus I shall
see,
And I look upon His
face,
The One who saved me
by His grace;
When He takes me by
the hand,
And leads me through
the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious
day that will be.
The Trumpet Shall
Sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYTQ6gpcuYA
AMEN!
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