Revelation Study: Ezekiel's War (Chapter 38-39)

"And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands." Ezekiel 39:6

Opening prayer: Father, this is a difficult study of a difficult subject. Help us to understand how this fits into Your plan and Your schedule, we pray.

This is a continuation of our series on the Revelation of Jesus the Messiah. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to study our previous lessons in this series:

Rev. 1: The Revelation of Jesus Rev. 2-3: I Know You! Rev. 4-5: Preview of Heaven Rev. Study: Prophecies of Daniel Rev. Study: Raptures and Resurrections Rev. 6: Overview of the Tribulation Rev. 7: Some Special People Rev. 8-9: Danger! Rough Road Ahead!

Rev. 10-11: Seven Thunders; Two Witnesses Rev. 12: The Woman and The Dragon Rev. 13: The Last-Days Dictator Rev. 14: The Last Train for Glory Rev. 15-16: The Last Plagues Rev. 17-18: Who IS That Woman? Rev. Study: The Day of the Lord

Let's start this lesson with Ezekiel 38, verses 1-4:

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 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.

Hold it, teacher! Who are these guys?

Good question. If you look on a modern map, you won't find any of these countries. God knew, when He gave this prophecy, that countries change names and people tend to move around. Therefore He described these people using names of tribal groups dating back to the immediate Post-Flood period.

Genesis 10, verses 2-5 says:

The sons of Japheth were: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 By these were the coastlands of the Gentiles divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

"Magog" refers to a people known to the Greeks as the Scythians. They became the dominant group in a massive area that includes present-day Russia and the southern provinces of the former USSR. "Tubal and Meshech" and "Togarmah" became the Turkish and Armenian people, in present-day Turkey and the southwest provinces of the former USSR. "Gomer" became the Germanic peoples.

"Tarshish" settled in what is now western Europe (some commentators say Spain or the British Isles), and became symbolic of Gentile nations a long sea journey west of Israel. Archeological evidence tells us that ships of Tarshish and Phoenicia traded with the North American continent -- before the ships of the Romans destroyed their fleets. As you may remember, the Hebrew prophet Jonah tried to escape by catching a ship to Tarshish. If God hadn't intervened, he might have spent the winter in Miami.

Getting back to Ezekiel...

Verses 1-4 tell us that "Gog" will lead the people of Magog, Meshech and Tubal out to battle. Don't be misled by the archaic names for weapons described in verse 4: horses and horsemen, armour, bucklers, shields and swords. God is giving the prophet a word picture of a heavily armed group of soldiers. Ezekiel didn't have "tanks" and "missiles" and "rocket launchers" and "airplanes" in his vocabulary. He did have "armor" and "bows" and "arrows" and "swords."

Let's continue in Ezekiel with verses 5-7:

Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

Gog and Magog (Russia) will not be alone in this battle. According to these verses, Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer (Germanic people, possibly from the Balkan states), and "the house of Togarmah of the north quarters" (the southwest provinces of the former USSR and maybe Turkey) will also participate. Remember these participants. We'll discuss them again later.

Note that verse 7 ends by saying that Magog will be "a guard" unto the other nations. This could also be translated "weapons supplier." Is that consistent with present-day political reality? Has Russia ever sold weapons to Iran, Libya, Ethiopia and the Balkan states? Just a few billion dollars worth. Iran alone will buy several billion dollars worth this year. Gee -- how did Ezekiel know that would happen?

Let's continue with verses 8 through 12:

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 of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 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, 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

These verses are very significant in helping us establish the timing of the invasion:

• Verse 8 says this happen "in the latter years."
• Magog will attack Israel after the people are "brought back from the sword...gathered out of many people." Verse 12 echoes this by saying the Israelites are in their homeland, after being "gathered out of the nations." God repeats Himself to emphasize that this invasion did not happen at some remote time in the past, after the Babylonian or Assyrian captivities. The only time Israel has ever been gathered out of multiple nations has been in our lifetimes, since the nation was reborn in 1948.
• In Ezekiel's day, every major city was fortified with tall walls and massive gates. So he is amazed to describe the latter-days Israel as "the land of unwalled villages" in verse 11. Today, fortress walls are no defense against modern weapons. Modern cities, including those in Israel today, can be described as "unwalled villages."
• Not only has Israel been gathered back to their land, the nation is prospering economically. Israeli farmers have gone into "desolate places" and turned them into lush farm lands, and have become the major supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables to Europe. Israeli scientists and engineers have developed many successful high-tech industries within Israel, and the Israeli government is now pondering ways to lure more college-trained immigrants from Europe and the USA to Israel.
• Israel was gathered in their land, but they weren't conspicuously prospering (and qualifying for this battle) until the 1960s.
• Since Iran (Persia) was a nominal ally and trading partner of the United States until the Shah was overthrown in the 1970s, this Magog alliance was not politically possible before then.
• Since Russia hasn't led an invasion of Israel since the 1970s, this battle must still be future (speaking early in the year 2000).
• The key political alliances and weapons supplies are now in place. This battle could happen at any time. If the present government of Turkey gets overthrown by the Islamic militants, this battle could happen as soon as they were sure of the military's support.

Verse 13 gives us some interesting insights:

Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

Sheba and Dedan represent the Arabian countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc.), who will be standing nervously on the sidelines. The group "merchants of Tarshish" sounds very much like the European Community (and the USA, which might be "the young lions thereof"). Note that they are neither participating in the invasion nor helping defend Israel. The Arabian countries, in particular, are aware that Iran and Iraq have been practicing military maneuvers of the type that would be used specifically to invade Saudi Arabia. In a way, they're relieved that this nasty group isn't coming for them, but they know that they're vulnerable.

Now verses 14-17:

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? 15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: 16 And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. 17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; 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 that God takes this invasion personally. He refers to "My people" in verses 14 and 16. He speaks of "My land" in verse 16. He speaks of "My servants the prophets" in verse 17. It takes a special kind of stupid blindness to attack the kids and land of Almighty God.

This passage also gives us a subtle hint about the timing of this invasion. Note in verse 14 and verse 16 that God speaks of "My people." Please be very clear that "My people" means Israel. The Christian Church has NOT replaced Israel in the heart and promises of God. The Church of Jesus Christ is a temporary oddity ("a peculiar people") between the first and second comings of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. By referring to Israel as "My people," the Lord is speaking of the time prophesied in Hosea chapter 1 when Israel is restored to the land and ready to be identified as the people of the Lord.

But why is that important?

Because it implies that this event happens after the initial Rapture of the Christians who are "alive and awake." See Raptures and Resurrections for details about this event. With the Bible-believing Christians gone from the scene, the Jewish people will be without their most-vocal allies, and the invading armies of Magog will think, "Nobody will step up to help Israel!" Like I said, it takes a special kind of stupid blindness to call the God of Israel "Nobody."

Note also that God is actually staging and permitting this invasion for His glory. In verse 16 it says: "...and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes." In other words, God will turn this whole event into an opportunity for "the heathen" (your neighbors?) to observe His awesome and miraculous power.

How will His power be displayed? Verses 18-23 tell us how:

And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that My fury shall come up in My face. 19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

God will display His awesome power and wrath in many ways:

• He will cause "a great shaking" (earthquake) in the land of Israel, severe enough to disturb even the birds and fish.
• The shaking may be centered in Israel, but its effects will impress people all over the world.
• In verse 21, the Lord says He will again confound the enemies of Israel so that they fight against themselves and destroy each other. This is one of the Lord's trademarks. He has frequently used this weapon against armies invading Israel, including at least twice in my brief lifetime.
• God will plead His case with "pestilence and with blood." I'm not sure what that means, but I'm VERY sure it will not be pleasant.
• God will send "an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone" against Gog "and upon the many people that are with him." I've seen rain and hailstones, but not "great" hailstones. The invading armies will be bombarded, first of all, with unprecedented "weather" -- rain and miraculous hailstones. Then will come the "fire and brimstone." God will destroy the invading armies like He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
• I've never personally experienced "fire and brimstone," but I've seen films of some of the postwar nuclear testing.

Does this passage teach that there will be a nuclear war?

This passage itself is not conclusive. But this passage definitely tells us that something with the devastating power of nuclear war will be unleased against the invaders. Later passages will tell us more. For now, rest assured that God doesn't need any help from earthly weapons builders to make this happen. He was able to torch Sodom and Gomorrah without a single man-made weapon.

Hey, teacher! What about Iraq and Syria? Won't THEY be involved?

Good observation. That is one of the oddest aspects of this account. In Ezekiel's day, Assyria and Babylon were the two most prominent and powerful oppressors of Israel. Their present-day descendants, Syria and Iraq, are just as hateful toward Israel. To this day, these two nations and Iran are the primary architects of the current Islamic pressure on Israel. Ezekiel's contemporaries must have been startled to hear that Persia would be among the attackers while Assyria (Syria) and Babylon (Iraq) are not mentioned.

Is it possible that Syria and Iraq are temporarily aligned with Israel at the time of this attack?

Ahhh, great question! Sounds like you've been reading the recent news stories. As this is being written (early 2000), Syria and Israel are engaged in negotiations. The news media calls this charade "the peace process." Syria is seeking to regain control of the strategic Golan Heights, from which it can launch an easy invasion of Israel. Israel is at the table, but is very aware of the cynical motives of the Syrians. To date, we have seen much posturing and many press releases but not much real negotiating.

Meanwhile, Iran (Persia) is getting jealous and nervous, and is stepping up terrorist attacks on Israel in an attempt to undermine the talks.

Now let's step back and look at the entire prophetic picture. We know from the prophecies of Daniel that the last-days dictator first gains fame by helping broker a treaty between Israel and "many." The last-days dictator will most likely be a "peace maker" arising from the general area previously ruled by the "King of the North." Today, that area is covered by Syria, Iraq and parts of Lebanon and Iran.

At this point, let me offer some observations and speculation:

• Russia is brazenly talking about nuclear war in general these days. After President Clinton mildly scolded the Russians for recent atrocities, the Russians replied, "Mr. Clinton seems to forget that we are a mighty nuclear power!" News reporters for European publications have reported frequent episodes of open talk in the Russian Parliament about the possibility of nuclear war. God is putting hooks in their jaws. The Russians are ready to rumble.
• When the treaty between Israel and "many" first gets signed, the most likely beneficiaries will be Israel and Syria. Iraq might be involved, as the Lord might convince Mr. Hussein that he could benefit from partnering with Syria in a long-term strategy against Israel.
• Iran is undergoing a change of leadership as this is being written. If the Persians feel they've been cut out of the deal, they're very likely to partner with the Russians in the invasion of Israel.

Enough speculation. Let's move on to Ezekiel 39, verses 1-5:

Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 2 And I will turn you around and lead you on, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel. 3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee. I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field, for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

These verses are bracketed by "Thus saith the Lord" in verse 1 and "I have spoken it, saith the Lord" in verse 5. In other words, PAY ATTENTION. God is being very emphatic here. God is talking about a real battle involving real people. Don't buy any wishy-washy talk about this being symbolic language describing the eventual triumph of good over evil. Whenever you see God repeating Himself for emphasis, PAY ATTENTION.

Note that God repeats the names of Gog, Meshech and Tubal, and speaks of "all thy bands, and all the people that is with thee." These are real nations, and we know that they're presently being ruled by some really hateful individuals.

The leading edge of invaders will actually be allowed to get as far as Israeli soil. They will fall upon the mountains and upon the open field. And every vulture, wolf and rodent in the Middle East will be invited to a gruesome feast.

Their weapons will be worthless to them. Their guns and missiles will be slapped out of their hands. They might as well have brought pea shooters and spitwads.

Verse 6 is very troubling:

And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the coastlands: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ummmm -- what kind of fire is God talking about, teacher?

I don't know for sure, and neither does anybody else. God has used fire and brimstone (whatever those are) to vaporize His enemies in the past. This verse might describe a "coincidental" meteorite shower. Since the damage is done to the invaders and not to the Israelites, everyone would know that God had supernaturally arranged it. However, meteorites are not consistent with some verses we'll see later in this chapter.

These verses might also describe nuclear war. If Israel actually does give up some strategic lands for "Palestinian settlements," they would not have suitable high ground from which to base a counterattack with conventional weapons. They would be forced to use nuclear weapons.

And who are these "coastlands" people that also get torched? Could that be the United States?

Maybe. When Russia comes against Israel, they might launch a pre-emptive first strike against the United States too. They're openly planning to launch a strike against us someday, and for years have been building massive underground cities. They believe their key industrial and government centers would survive a counterattack from the USA, and a preemptive first strike against us would conveniently prevent our coming to help Israel. To be honest, we can only speculate. But in view of current events, these speculations are too close for comfort.

A mutually destructive nuclear exchange would help explain another aspect of end-times prophecy. The Book of Revelation is very clear that in the last-days, power will be concentrated in the Middle East and in Europe. At the beginning of the last days, China ("the kings of the East") will be temporarily in shock from the disappearance of huge numbers of underground Christians (perhaps a larger percentage than in the USA). But China will gather itself for a push westward at the very end. Russia and the United States are conspicuous by their absence.

Verses 7-8 are important clues to the timing of this invasion:

So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let them pollute My holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

God will use this event to trigger a mighty revival in the nation Israel. In my personal opinion, this will be the turning point spoken of by the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:25-26: "...blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved..." Whether God uses nuclear missiles or supernaturally guided meteorites, the people of Israel will suddenly discover (a) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and (b) Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.

Remember, you and I are presently enjoying the "time of the Gentiles." When this mysterious period of history is complete (in God's eyes), God will remove (rapture) the present-day Gentile Church so He can once again deal exclusively with the nation Israel.

The first rapture will cause a great deal of turmoil and confusion in the United States, and this might seem like a convenient time for Russia to launch a preemptive nuclear strike. This has sobering implications that we will discuss in a few minutes.

Verses 9-16 describe the scene after the brief "invasion:"

And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years; 10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD. 11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. 13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.

This is a really gruesome scene. And very curious. The Israelites will recover an astonishing amount of war material from the invaders. For seven years, "they shall burn them with fire" to supply their own domestic energy needs. This might refer to massive oil tankers and mobile tank trucks captured after the battle. Maybe.

Chuck Missler suggests that this passage might refer to captured nuclear weapons. Soviet-made nuclear weapons have a useful life of seven years before the plutonium needs to be re-enriched. Perhaps the Israelis will be able to use the plutonium as fuel in their own power plants. Chuck gives much interesting detail on this in his excellent tape package on Ezekiel 38-39, "The Magog Invasion," and you can order it on his web site. Many Calvary Chapel bookstores also carry it.

There's more detail in verses 14-16:

And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. 15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. 16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.

According to verse 14, the Israeli government will hire full-time professionals (men of continual employment) to oversee the burial and decontamination work. This sounds like the type of work needed after nuclear war -- or biological or chemical warfare. If it was a supernatural meteorite shower, the rocks would fall and the corpses would be buried in rubble. Then it would just take a few weeks of work with bulldozers (and vultures) to deal with the mess.

Instead, this cleanup is very odd. Passersby don't just bury what they find; they erect markers and let the professionals carry the stuff away to a designated waste area. Sounds like the remains will be radioactive. Or toxic.

Skipping verses 17-20, let's read verses 21-22:

And I will set My glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed, and My hand that I have laid upon them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.

However God works this out, it will be a conspicuous miracle. Of all the participants in the battle, only Israel -- the intended victim -- will be left standing. Nothing subtle about this.

According to verse 22, the Jewish people will experience a massive spiritual awakening. They "shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward." This makes me think this event happens at the very beginning of the tribulation period. After the miraculous deliverance, the nation Israel will be divided into two camps: the worldly and the honest seekers for God. The worldly majority will believe that God favored them because of their innate superiority, and will become like the religious Pharisees of Jesus' day. By contrast, the honest seekers will discover that Jesus, the Messiah, is described throughout their Scriptures, and they will turn to Him with all their heart.

Why do you say that the worldly folks will be in the majority?

Because other Scriptures tell us that only one-third of the nation Israel will escape to the wilderness. The rest will be terminally surprised at the last-days dictator and his betrayal of them.

Hey, teacher! Couldn't these chapters be just another description of the Battle of Armageddon?

Maybe. That would certainly be a convenient explanation. But certain elements just don't fit:

• The Battle of Armageddon (described in a future lesson) will be a gathering of all the world's military might to resist the return of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.
• Ezekiel's account of the battle does NOT include a description of the Messiah's return in the clouds of glory. Neither does it describe His immediate arrival in Jerusalem to establish His kingdom. Much as I dislike arguing from silence, these are HUGE clues.
• In other Hebrew prophetic accounts of The Day of The Lord, we see the Lord before, during and immediately after the devastation. Instead, Ezekiel spends verse after verse describing the toxic cleanup and how the nation Israel BEGINS its spiritual awakening process.
• God has specific objectives to accomplish by intervening in Magog's invasion. These objectives are different from His objectives for the Battle of Armageddon.
• In the overall context of Bible prophecy, we know that the seven-year tribulation period (known as Daniel's 70th week or the time of Jacob's trouble) will be a time when God is specifically placing the nation Israel at the center of the world's attention. His miraculous intervention against this invasion would be a suitable beginning.
• As we mentioned earlier, God will use this event as a spiritual wake-up call for the nation Israel. It would seem cruel if He permitted Israel to sleepwalk through the entire seven-year tribulation period. At the very latest, this event might be at the midpoint of the seven-year period.
• The political alignments are different. The account in Ezekiel sounds like how the alliances would form TODAY with Magog (Russia) as the primary instigator. By contrast, the Book of Revelation shows the last-days dictator and his allied kingdoms as central antagonists.
• We know from our previous studies that the last-days dictator will head a group of ten "kingdoms." He will uproot three of them. God's pounding of the invaders might enable him to uproot the three -- perhaps Iran, Turkey and the Balkans. Or perhaps Iran and a couple of the southern provinces of the former USSR. I don't really care which three, nor do I plan to be around to find out. Hopefully you and I will be airlifted to safety (raptured) before then.
• In our earlier study of the seven seals, we saw that 1/4 of the world's people will be destroyed by war, famine and disease during the first half of the tribulation period. A nuclear exchange between the USA and Russia would account for casualties of that magnitude.

Are you ready to make a commitment?

We know that a numberless multitude will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, during the first 3.5 years of the tribulation period, AFTER the "alive and awake" Church has been airlifted to safety. Unfortunately, this numberless multitude might not include very many U.S. residents living near strategic targets. Are you sitting on the fence, wondering how long you can postpone a real commitment to Jesus? I can tell you that the answer is: "Not very long, because the fence might soon be radioactive." If God judged Sodom and Gomorrah for their "tolerance" of false religions and sexual perversion, then He MUST judge this nation too.

Are you VERY sure of the Scriptural basis for your salvation? Are you trusting in Jesus or in your long-time membership in the (whatever) denomination? What about your children and your closest friends? Are you willing to gamble that they'll have seven years after the first rapture event to get things right with God? Wouldn't you rather spare them the grief?

My hope is that you've already come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, the true Messiah of Israel.

If you aren't sure of your relationship with Jesus, please click the "mail-to" link below to send us an e-mail. Explain your concerns and we'll respond as quickly as we can (assuming the first rapture event hasn't already happened).

Now two quick offers before we close:

• For an overall timeline of last-days events, click here.
• If you disagree with some (or all) of my conclusions -- GOOD! I'm pleased that you have the intellectual fortitude to think for yourself. Just click here to see some positive steps for continuing your study of Scriptures.

Closing Prayer: Lord, some of my friends and family members don't know You, and I'm concerned about their future. Please lead me, by Your Spirit, to share the good news of Jesus with them, I pray. Amen.