The United States Defeated and Powerless

Many Hebrew words, like English, can have many different definitions depending on the context. This makes them subject to numerous translations. This is further complicated in the Hebrew because Hebrew is written without vowels. All one need do is change a vowel sound only a little to greatly alter the interpretation of a Hebrew word, which again is decided by the context. If the translator misinterprets the context, then major translation errors occur. For example, assuming that the term Israel in a context refers to Judah (the Jews or geographical Israel) would cause grave translation and interpretation errors. If a translator wrongly assumed that an end-time prophecy involving "Israel" had significance only for national Israel or Judah, it would also effect his translation of other words in the same context, further obscuring the prophecy.

It is very important that we view Ezekiel 38 and Deuteronomy 32 as relating to all Israel; not just national or nominal Israel, which is basically Judah (the Jews) and only one of the twelve tribes. The United States and her allies failing to realize that distinction in prophecy could result in our total annihilation. Our governments considering these things could mean the difference between mere survival and perishing from the earth.

In Ezek. 38:2, God speaks through Ezekiel, "Son of man, set thy face against (toward) Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against (to) him." The English "against" in this verse is misleading both times. He is saying set thy face toward Gog and prophesy to him. It does not here imply opposition or hostility toward Gog. In Ezek. 21:2, regarding Jerusalem, that same phrase is translated "set thy face toward Jerusalem." In Ezek. 38:3, "I [am] against thee," probably should be translated for or with thee. In Chapter 39, God does appear to turn His wrath against Gog, but "against" is misleading in 38:2-3.

There are lots of opinions as to who Gog is and where Magog, Meshech and Tubal are; but many believe it refers to Russia. That is what I believe; but it is not my only consideration. We may not know for sure until it's all over but the crying (Mt. 24:30). It has been suggested by some that Gog, the land of Magog has to do with China and the land of Mongolia. And they may very well be right. I do believe that China has a role in Armageddon, considering the army of two hundred million of Rev. 9:16. However, as we shall see, whoever Gog is, he will not come alone. And our greatest immediate concern should not be who Gog is, but whom God will send him suddenly, ferociously, and decisively against.

Look what God tells Gog He's going to do in Ezek. 38:4, "And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee."

The words horses, armour, bucklers and shields, and swords likely represent instruments of war. We know that Persia is modern Iran and where Ethiopia and Libya are. Getting too much into where all these nations are is complicated and detracts too much from the main point; so let's say that Togarmah likely refers to an area in or around southern Russia. Ezekiel has them in "the north quarters." The ASV has them in "the uttermost parts of the north." Some of those names are pretty familiar, aren't they? Note what God tells this large military alliance, including likely Russia and possibly even China. Ezek: 38:7, "Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto (observe) them."

Look what God is telling them to prepare for in verse 8, "After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land [that is] brought back from the sword, [and is] gathered out of many people, against the mountains (nations) of Israel." God is telling them to prepare for war against a land that is brought back from the sword (I'll explain that shortly) and is gathered out of many peoples, namely, the mountains (cities, states, nations) of God's People Israel. Geographical modern Israel is a Jewish nation, not a place where many peoples have come for refuge and prosperity as The United States is. Gog and company are to prepare for war against God's People Israel, not Judah (the Jews) only, virtually all Israel and primarily birthright Israel.

Ezek. 38:8 requires some very careful attention. Some of the words may have been mistranslated because of wrong assumptions that the prophecy referred to Middle-Eastern Israel, which is Israel in name only. All of the descendents of Jacob (later named Israel) are Israel, in fact. Again "After many days thou shalt be visited (appointed): in the latter years thou shalt come into the land [that is] brought back from the sword, [and is] gathered out of many peoples, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them."

Note, they are brought forth out of the nations to a place where they will dwell safely; and this fierce multitude is to come against them "in the latter years," or end-times. Though not explicitly stated here, there seems to be an underlying suggestion that we're looking at the greatest multinational force ever assembled; and there are some other related Scriptures that bear that out. Joel 1:6 "A nation ... powerful and without number," 2:20 "the northern army," and 2:2 "a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come."

The phrase translated "brought back from" means transformed; i.e., somehow changed, as clearing or developing land to make it habitable. The Hebrew chereb translated "sword" often figuratively means war. As chorbah "waste," it is derived from the Hebrew charab, which means to be waste or desolate; i.e., uncultivated or uninhabited, etc. Both chereb "sword" and charab "waste" are spelled the same in Hebrew, the vowel sounds that distinguish them being added at the translator's discretion. The shift from chereb "sword" to chorbah "waste" in Ezek. 38:8 is probably a play on two words that mean essentially the same thing (synonymous parallelism) to aid in the translation and interpretation.

Here the translators assumed that this "waste" condition resulted from war, rather than having always been a wilderness, as the United States mostly was when first discovered. Note, "gathered out of many peoples." The U.S. is called "the melting pot of the world." Still speaking of the same people and place, "against the mountains (nations/cities) of Israel, which have been always (note always) waste: but it is brought forth (or become inhabited) out of the nations." That is, it is made up of people brought forth out of many nations to a place that was always previously an uncultivated and uninhabited wilderness.

What other end-time nation fits all those criteria and has grown to be the most prominent? The Native Americans were already here, but were few in comparison and the land almost totally undeveloped. If the foregoing is not convincing enough, note that God speaking to Moses in Exodus 16:35, while Israel was still on the lower Sinai peninsula, referred to the land of Canaan (modern day national Israel, or more accurately Judah) as "a land inhabited," not as "always waste." Note, now speaking of the end times, "and they shall dwell safely all of them." Does end time Middle-Eastern Israel dwell safely? Are they not surrounded by hostile enemies and in constant fear of annihilation? We will not always be safe either. Suddenly, our sense of security is replaced with fear; our presumption of invincibility dashed by harsh reality.

Ezek. 38:9 says, "Thou shalt ascend (airborne) and come like a storm (ferociously and fast), thou shalt be like a cloud (in great number) to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands (hordes), and many peoples (nations) with thee." Why would so great an invasion be necessary against a Middle-Eastern nation about the size of New Jersey with a population a little more than the state of Kentucky? Bear with me as we examine some key words. God is revealing Gog's thoughts. Gog will seize an opportunity to surprise attack a nation that has been lulled to sleep with a false sense of security. Verse 11, "And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates." Which nation was feeling that secure before September 11, 2001?

Ezek. 38:12, "desolate places that are now inhabited" and "upon a people that are gathered out of the nations" - the United States. National Israel is not diverse enough to fit that description, but the United States is. What about this? "Which have gotten cattle (livestock) and goods (merchandise)." Now get this, "that dwell in the midst (remember center above) of the land." Some say that national Israel is in the exact geographical center of the earth. I have always wondered what their reference point is. I was never able to determine the exact center of the surface of a sphere, can you? But if we interpret that word as central - highest or most prominent part - our focus would again turn to the most prominent Nation on earth. Not as to speak contemptuously, but certainly not Middle-Eastern Israel.

Ezek. 38:14, "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know [it]?" Of course, Gog will know it! I read someplace a statement by a Russian leader, something to the effect, "We will lull the capitalist to sleep with a peace overture they can't refuse, and then come down on them with an iron fist." If we refuse to listen to reason, we will awaken to the resounding thunder of earthshaking war? Well, not all of us. Some of us will not wake up at all.

Note in Ezek. 38:16, God says through Ezekiel to Gog, "And thou shalt come up against my people of (again of) Israel, as a cloud to cover the land." Now hear this! "It shall be in the latter days (end times, i.e., now or soon)." Look again as God states definitively to Gog in verse 17, "[Art] thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days [many] years that I would bring thee against them?" Note: the word "Art," which makes that verse a question was not present in the original Hebrew. Thou art would have worked, but "Art thou," wrongly turns a definitive statement into a question. The KJV translators, for whatever reason, wrongly added it. It was a pronouncement, not a question, "You are he of whom I have spoken," born out by the Septuagint, NIV, NJB, NAB, LVB, Sprl, Moffatt, NEB, and AAT.

The word "shaking" in Ezek. 38:19 means "uproar: commotion, confused noise, quaking (as from fear)." Unlike verse 8, in the context of verse 21 the word "sword" likely does suggest "war." "All my mountains" probably refers to "all the cities and nations" of His People Israel, worldwide; i.e., world war. In verse 22, "I will rain upon him," means things will rain down from above, "an overflowing (overwhelming) rain." The "great hailstones, fire, and brimstones" are probably bombs, missiles, etc.

In Ezek. 39:2 God says, "I ... will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and bring thee upon the mountains (nations) of Israel." The NIV has "from the far north," the ASV again has "from the uttermost parts of the north." Which potential United States/Israel enemy reaches to the uttermost parts of the north? Actually, there's only one. I wonder if "come up from" the north parts or uttermost parts of the north might imply (at least worth considering) ascending and coming up and over the North Pole. What would happen if a barrage of ICBM's were over Canada en route to the United States? The United States wouldn't shoot down devastating Soviet tested 50-megaton warhead laden ICBM's, allowing them to rain down on our hapless good neighbors to the north, would they?

The Soviets were, not surprisingly, afraid to test their 100-megaton nuclear warhead. I read someplace that a 100-megaton airburst over the state of Ohio would kill every living thing in the entire state; and anyone looking in the direction of the blast within around 250 to 300 miles would be instantly blinded. It will not be like anything we have ever seen or ever could imagine. Joel 2:30-31 "And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood (blood red, as seen through smoke or haze), before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come."

Mt. 24:21 "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." We are standing on the brink of extinction. Verse 29, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." The great tribulation has already begun. We need to wake up now! We cannot prevent this attack, but we could improve the final outcome.

Joel 2:30-31 and Mt. 24:29 could be referring to a condition called nuclear winter, caused by smoke from burning cities rising to the top of the atmosphere and spreading all around the world, blocking out the sun. The result would be a drastic cooling of the earth's surface and the devastating loss of a worldwide crop year. I'm not sure if that's what it means. I think part of it may figuratively refer to powerful leaders falling from grace and great institutions being very agitated or thrown into great disorder, as we now see happening - maybe both.

"Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this [is] the day whereof I have spoken" (Ezek. 39:8). He is speaking of ("the great and dreadful day of the LORD," as in Joel 2:30-31 and Malachi 4:5. And remember Jesus' words in Mt. 17:12, "Elijah has already come ..." In Ezek. 39:8, the Lord is speaking in the "prophetic perfect" of a future event as certain as if it has already occurred. The time has come and what He said shall be done.

After those days, and we have received our just deserts, and will have learned our lesson, the Lord will have mercy. Ezek. 39:25 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again (in these end times, still future) the captivity of Jacob (the Assyrian captivity of Israel and of the Babylonian captivity of Judah that didn't return to Judah 70 years later, also lost from view), and have mercy upon the whole (note whole) house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name." Then, Verse 29, "Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God."

This, too, is an important reference to the United States. My comments will be on certain verses in Deut. 32:15-36.

The name Jeshurun in 32:15 is a poetical name for Israel. Note what the Spirit says, "But Jeshurun waxed (became) fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered [with fatness]; then he forsook God [which] made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."

He had things going pretty well for himself and decided he no longer needed God. Deut. 32:16, "They provoked him (God) to jealousy with strange [gods], with abominations provoked they him to anger." Jealousy and anger are synonymous here, as are gods and abominations. The strange gods/abominations could refer to many things: the extravagant church buildings; sports figures that people idolize; statues like Liberty that we'd rather preserve than precious human life; the U.S. Flag, heroes, even concepts, money, power, movie stars, etc. Anything we put before God; i.e., anything we are willing to compromise God's will for.

Look what God says in Deut. 32:20, "I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end [shall be]: for they [are] a very froward generation, children in whom [is] no faith." We are going it on our own. No help from God. Can you not feel the void and see the result unfolding? The whole world should weep for the United States. Even some of her enemies will probably mourn the extent of her suffering and loss. Look at verse 21, "They have moved me to jealousy with [that which is] not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with [those which are] not a people (Hebrew for people here also means nation); I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation."

Jealousy and anger are synonymous, and that which is not God and their vanities are synonymous. "Those which are not a people" and "a foolish nation" are also synonymous. Even though "not a people" means not a nation and He calls them a foolish nation, the terms are still synonymous. Allow me to explain. Not being a people (nation) means they have no national boundaries, like the United States or Brazil does, for example. To better understand how He can call them not a nation and a foolish nation at the same time, remember how Louis Farrakhan's organization is called "Nation of Islam." Do you see? God was referring to a large movement, not exactly an established nation with borders; but like a people or nation, nonetheless, like a nation within a nation, or nations (like Al Qaida). However, being provoked to anger by this foolish nation (not a people) is just the beginning.

The depth of God's anger is graphically revealed in Deut. 32:22, "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell." How could we avoid this fate? We cannot. Why? Verse 28, "For they [are] a nation void of counsel, neither [is there any] understanding in them." He is fed up with the corruption, deceit, lies, greed, hardheartedness, arrogant pride, lawlessness, etc. To what advantage at all is being a "nation of laws," when even those whose job it is to enforce the law, resort to it only when expedient? Our counselors have misled us, our spiritual leaders and government betrayed us; and now we are in trouble. The only way out is through the great tribulations - that are coming and have already begun - through the greatest war in all history, because we have forsaken the God who made us great.

In Ezek. 32:29, the Spirit passionately exclaims, "O that they were wise, [that] they understood this, [that] they would consider their latter end!" While our leaders boast to the enemy "We will not falter; we will not fail!" the Lord says in verse 35, "To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." We will make some more foolish mistakes and things are happening fast. Have you not noticed that the United States is losing her power, though we hate to admit it and our leaders won't? We haven't lost it all yet, but Scripture says we will.

The heart-rending clincher is in verse 36, "For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that [their] power is gone, and [there is] none (power that is) shut up, or left." The United States is going to do something she has come to believe is not possible. She is going to lose her power - not just monetary and military power but her influence and credibility as well - and the way I read it, even her sovereignty - all power gone and none in reserve.

I think Ezekiel 38 is directly related to and that we are at the threshold of Armageddon, mentioned only in Rev. 16:16. In Hebrew it is Har Megiddo or Megiddon and means mountain of Megiddo. Megiddo was the name of an ancient city in northwest Palestine. It is not a mountain, but a tell, a small mound of Megiddo city ruins. The valley of Megiddo forms part of the Plain of Esdraelon, where Bible scholars expect troops to gather for the great battle of "Armageddon." But there is no reason for the largest army ever assembled to gather there. That place would be of little, if any, strategic advantage for anyone in modern warfare. And there's not room for them there.

Let's break it down; har is Hebrew for "mountain." Understand that mountain often means nation in Bible symbolism. With that in mind, let's consider the definition of Megiddo. The prophecy is likely concerned with generic meaning, rather than the place name. Remember that the words are Har Megiddon or Mountain of Megiddo, not valley of Megiddo, as where most expect the troops to gather. So what we're talking about here is a mountain that represents a nation of great significance, not a 70-ft. mound; which is what the Megiddo city ruins amount to.

The English definition of the Hebrew Megiddo (same as Megiddon) is rendezvous. Megiddo is derived from gadad, meaning to crowd (as maybe to converge on). Or to gash, cut, invade, penetrate, or press into (possibly penetrate militarily). It could mean to gather in troops. Now it makes more sense. Taken in its figurative context (and intended generic meaning), it clearly refers to a significant nation where a multinational military assault will take place - the place where the troops will gather.

The troops will rendezvous (meet or converge on), and crowd or press their way into or penetrate some Great Nation militarily. We are not told in the Revelation passage where this gathering and ferocious attack will occur; but we've already examined other related Scriptures that do. There should remain no illusion whatever that it's a small insignificant 70-ft mound of ancient Megiddo city ruins in northwest Palestine. Regrettably some Hebrew lexicons leave Megiddo undefined and others omit it altogether because of its use as a proper name, totally ignoring its rational generic and crucial meaning.

See Rev. 16:14, "For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Note the words "the kings of the earth and of the whole world." The whole world is being gathered together; i.e., drawn into this most horrific event - wittingly or not - by the evil people with evil agendas, described here symbolically.

The name Los Angeles means the angels. Spanish speaking people can't hear that name without thinking, "the angels," but to most others it is just the name of a beautiful city in California. The word shiloh, first mentioned in Gen. 49:10, is the name of several US cities, but the scepter is not theirs based on their name, because they are not "whose it is." Many Mexicans have the name Jesus, but are they the Christ, based on their name? Lot's of cities and people have been given Biblical names.

See what I mean? The prophecy is about a great nation where a multinational force will converge, like a storm, for the great battle of Har Megiddon or "Nation of Rendezvous" (or invasion). We've seen more about that nation in other prophecies and it is not Judah (Judea) or nominal Israel, but Israel proper as originally inspired and referenced in the Book of Ezekiel. Even though Judah will share the fate. Mt. 24:2 Jesus referring not only to the temple proper but everything associated with it, "See ye not all these things?" Note, "all these things." The entire temple complex that is, which would include the Western Wall. Not one stone would be left upon another.

Now let us talk about the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. What the Lord calls abominable, is a hard pill for some to swallow - too hard for some with a vested interest in the status quo, it seems. May God help us!!