Hidden Places

One popular interpretation of Biblical scripture today is that Iran and Russia will invade Israel and will be miraculously delivered by God by their planes being knocked out of the sky by fire from heaven. This theory was made popular in the Christian world by the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (for an interesting connection to Tim LaHaye, check out this post regarding his affiliations).

The theory is based on the following passage from Ezekiel 38:

I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
(Eze 38:21-23 ESV)

Gog and Magog are believed to refer to the regions of the far north (Russia) and the eastern region of Persia (Iran).

There are several key problems with this interpretation. First, consider what the attackers say when they decide to invade Israel.

"Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,'
(Eze 38:10-12 ESV)
(emphasis added)

Unwalled villages? People who dwell securely without walls, bars, or gates? Does this describe the Israel that we see today? This is made even more questionable by the fact that Israel is right now in the process of building a wall around their country. They are anything but an easy target with one of the most powerfully equipped militaries in the world.

There is one other passage in the Bible that references Gog and Magog, and that is found in Revelation 20.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,
(Rev 20:7-9 ESV)

Now to understand this passage, you need to understand where it fits into the timeline set forth in Revelations. There is a great tribulation in which the Beast (or the Anti-Christ) rules the earth. He and his forces are defeated when Jesus Christ returns with His army. Satan is captured and imprisoned, and a kingdom is established on earth for 1000 years. This is typically called the Millennial Kingdom, and I believe this is the actual point at which the Old Testament prophesies are fulfilled regarding the establishment of the true Israel. During this time, Jesus will reign in Jerusalem for 1000 years, and there will be peace and prosperity in the land.

And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
(Rev 20:2-3 ESV)

Now, consider that passage from Ezekiel again. There is a period of complete peace for 1000 years. The people dwell securely: there is no need for armies or weapons or defenses. There is no more war. Satan is released and gathers people to him in Gog and Magog to attack the defenseless city of Jerusalem. Notice the parallels in how this army is defeated. Ezekiel says, "I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur." Revelations describes it as, "fire came down from heaven and consumed them".

So why is this important? Because right now in many Christian circles, there is talk about the current events in the Middle East, especially the nuclear developments in Iran. With the popular interpretation, it is easy to think that Iran and Russia will invade Israel but be defeated. The Bible is pretty clear that this prophesy is referring to after the Millennial Kingdom, so what is going on?

It is my belief that many of these modern interpretations of the Biblical end-times prophesies are being purposefully manipulated to assist in the creation of the New World Order. Why cannot be determined with certainty, but here is at least one possibility. What if they want to "steal" this prophesy for their own ends? They goad Iran and Russia into attacking Israel only to have the nation "miraculously" saved by fire from the sky, but instead of a miracle of God, it is a miracle of technology. Maybe it is HAARP or some other unknown technology. In any case, it is presented as a clear fulfillment of prophesy thereby establishing the legitimacy of Israel as "God's nation" when in fact it is an anti-Israel, a nation created and established for Satan's throne and the rise of the Beast of Revelations.

For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
(Mat 24:24 ESV)

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
(2Th 2:9-12 ESV)

This reinterpretation of this prophesy as well as the false doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture, I believe, are part of this "strong delusion". I believe we are coming soon upon the days foretold -- probably within my lifetime and maybe quite soon. It is likely to be the culmination of the New World Order that we have all been watching.

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
(Rev 13:5-8 ESV)