Israel and Gog and Magog
There is an extremely volatile situation brewing in the Middle East, and with the small world we now live in you can run but you can't hide.Israel, our former friend and ally, is in a pickle of their own. The Iranian president has declared that he would strive to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth" -- not the type of speech you would recognize from the upstanding leaders of respectable nations, is it?
I say our former friend because our current administration has chosen to distance itself from the only true ally we have in the region, thus leaving them in quite a quandary to deal with all by themselves. It seems the aforementioned Iranians have come to the verge of attaining nuclear abilities thanks to their all-of-a-sudden BFF, the Russians.
They have constructed at least one nuclear reactor that is ready to be fueled with Uranium rods, also thanks to the Russians, as soon as this weekend. Now, while it may take time for Iran to gear up anything really scary, such as an Israel-Eraser in the form of a nuclear bomb, the immediate problem is that if Israel decides to move on the reactor site, they really need to do it before the radioactive fuel rods are on-site.
Bombing the reactor would likely accomplish the goal of slowing any Iranian ideas of genocide, but the problem is, if the Israelis chose to do it after the rods are in place, then radioactive fallout could spread throughout the are, thus killing or otherwise harming many Iranian civilians.
I am sure survival is at the top of Israel's list of things to do, but I'd bet that innocent civilian casualties aren't high on the list. Unlike their counterpart, Israel has shown no propensity to threaten to wipe entire nations off the face of the earth. It's the leaders of Iran who need to be dealt with.
Beyond the fact that we as a nation are pretty much leaving Israel blowing in the wind on this one, the aftermath would be when the real show begins.
In the Bible's book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39 speak about the coming battle that ensues when "Gog," the prince of Magog, leads a vast army against Israel. Magog has clearly been identified throughout history as the area around Russia.
7 " 'Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land."
The many nations that gather are described earlier in the chapter as Persia and others that would fit the neighborhood of Iran and a few other local nations who just happen to hate Israel as a general rule.
But imagine this, with a threatening neighbor about to take on the ability of creating a weapon that could annihilate your small county and its inhabitants, what would you do if you reached out to your only friend in the world and are ignored? Now, it's not that Israel doesn't have the ability to take care of the situation on its own. They possess a sophisticated armed forces with modern weaponry unmatched in the region, right down to their own suspected nuclear arsenal. What they need the United States to do is stand with them after they take care of the situation on their own.
Not gonna happen.
So you can about guess what will transpire after Israel strikes preemptively against poor, defenseless Iran (which is about to gain the use of nuclear technology and has previously declared it has priorities such as wiping its neighbor away). World opinion, which is already swaying against Israel, will fully reach a boiling point. As rhetoric builds to a frenzy, the door will open for the shoe to drop on Israel as the court of public opinion will declare them guilty of an atrocious act.
As Russia, which has long had the regions vast natural resources in its sights, could easily join with the irate nations that neighbor and despise Israel.
14 "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes."
Here God is declaring centuries before, that this nation of the north will swoop down upon Israel, which is left basically defenseless. Although they have an advanced military, the sheer size limitations of their country and no help from the West makes Israel an easy target for a huge, surrounding army.
Why am I sharing this?
Because it is unfolding right before our eyes and we need to pay attention. Because whatever transpires over there is not going to be pretty or satisfying for anyone. And because when there is no help from the West, there is still help from above. When all looks lost, God steps in.
18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'"
I am not a scholar, nor do I claim to know when and how this goes down, but read for yourself in chapters 38-39 so when it does, at least you'll know the what, when and why, and most importantly, the Who.
For more insight on the gathering storm in the Middle East, you can read the work of Joel Rosenburg, author of "Epicenter - Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future" at http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/