Activation of the Land of Magog for Armageddon!
December 10, 2007
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
The two articles, extracted from the International Herald Tribune and The Gulf News, lend credence to the premise that war in the Middle East is unlikely to begin before 2010, and may not occur prior to 2015. However, as I have stated on numerous occasions,
that is speculation on my part based on developments in the Middle East as they occur. It will take time for Putin to achieve the kind of power he is seeking, and it is his desire not only to rebuild the military forces of the old Soviet Union, but also to reconsolidate as many of the old Soviet satellite nations as possible into a new Russian Union of military might. These two articles describe the current actions he is taken to accomplish that purpose.
All of this will take time, which was one of the reasons, several months ago, I changed 2008 to 2010 as the earliest time a Middle East conflict was likely to begin. It is always necessary to change guesstimates as events dictate.
The two articles, which follow Archive Prophecy Update Numbers 27 and 28 issued in early 2002, describe what is a part of the beginning of the land of Magog’s initial preparation for joining with the nations of Islam in a final massive assault at Armageddon against Israel in the Negev Wilderness, some three and one-half years after Jerusalem falls to Islamic forces.
Begin two Archive Prophecy Updates Issued in early 2002
Prophecy Update Number 27
2002
Ezekiel 38:1,2 – “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.” Gog (high extension) appears for the first time in Ezekiel. He is the Anti-christ of whom so much has been written.
Please note that he is identified as the “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” Many commentators, especially in the last 100 years, have not identified him as the Antichrist, but have identified him as the ruler or chief prince of the land of Magog, which I do not believe Scripture justifies. Before the 20th Century, most identified him as the Antichrist. In verse 2 Ezekiel is told to set his face against two separate things, a person and a place. The person is Gog (Antichrist), and the place is the land of the descendants of Magog where it existed in Ezekiel’s day. If we do not locate the territories of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal as they existed in Ezekiel’s day, then we can have no idea as to where the Antichrist will soon rear his head, or the area from which his attack will be launched. Why? Because more than 2500 years have slipped by since Ezekiel wrote his prophecies, and the bloodlines of all three men been distributed across the entire planet. In order to correctly identify the area, from whence the Antichrist will attack Israel, we must identify where the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were residing in 500 and 600 B.C. Why? Because the Antichrist is not the chief prince of Magog, he is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He will come from the area where their descendants were settled in 500 and 600 B.C.
I will attempt to use two different sources to locate where the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were clustered at the time of Ezekiel’s writings. The first is found in the 27th chapter of Ezekiel, and the second is from the Assyrian monument stones of that period. Ezekiel 27:3 – “And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.” Tyrus (Tyre) was a seaport on the southern coast of what we know today as Lebanon, which is directly north of Israel. Tyrus built its first great sea wall to protect its harbored ships more than 3000 years ago, and was a thriving seaport in Ezekiel’s day. Its ships carried merchandise from the countries of the east across all the Mediterranean, and even as far north as the shores of the English Channel. Zidon (Sidon) was also a sea port, and less than 20 miles separated the two cities. The wise men of Tyrus were the navigators of the ships, and the men of Zidon were the deck hands, as portrayed in Ezekiel 27:8 – “The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.” Now, bearing all this in mind, let us look at Ezekiel 27:13 – “Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.” Meshech and Tubal were warlike tribes, who often took their captives (persons of men) and the vessels of brass they had captured, or hammered out themselves, and carried them to the NEAREST seaport for trading. The captives were, of course, loaded on the ships and sold as slaves in foreign ports of trade. Why the NEAREST seaport? Because, in Ezekiel’s day, travel was by foot, donkey, camel, and horse. People always carried their trading goods to the nearest port, particularly slaves.
Therefore, I conclude that Meshech and Tubal must have roamed in the area we know today as Syria, Lebanon, northwestern Iraq, and southern Turkey. Meshech and Tubal are the Mushki and Tabali of the Assyrian stone monuments. In the time of Sargon and Sennacherib (700 B.C.) the territory of Tubal adjoined southern Cilicia, while that of Meshech filled the highlands to the east of Tubal. Considering the locations derived from the Bible and stone tablets, it appears that the Antichrist, as the chief prince of the area once occupied by Meshech and Tubal, is likely to arise, and eventually to attack Israel, from Syria or Lebanon. And, since Lebanon is virtually controlled by Syria, it appears Syria is the best guess for his homeland.
But what about the land of Magog? Where were the Magogites settled in Ezekiel’s day? Lord willing, we will attempt to zero in on that area in Prophecy Update Number 28.
Prophecy Update Number 28
2002
Ezekiel 38:1-3 – “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:”
In Prophecy Update Number 27 we established, from the Scriptures and the Assyrian stone monuments, that the descendants of Meshech and Tubal, at the time Ezekiel wrote his prophecies, were primarily located in what we know as Syria and Lebanon. We also established that the prophecy is again a person, Gog (Antichrist), and against a land, the land of Magog. I am convinced that the Antichrist will attack Israel from Syria. But what about the “land of Magog?” Where were the Magogites located at the time of Ezekiel’s writings? Flavius Josephus, the noted Jewish historian makes the following statements concerning the Magogites in Antiquities of the Jews, Chapter VI, under the title, HOW EVERY NATION WAS DENOMINATED FROM THEIR FIRST INHABITANTS: “Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons.” “They called the nations by their own names.” “Magog founded those that from him were called Magogites, but who by the Greeks were called Scythians.” The Greek writers of the Classic Age said the Scythians occupied the area which today we identify as stretching from Moldova eastward across the Ukraine, southern Russia, and into Kazakhstan, then southward into Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan – Roughly the area north of the Black Sea, between the Black and Caspian Seas, and the area northwest, north, and northeast of the Caspian Sea. I do not believe the nations in this area will join in the initial attack against Israel, but I am certain they will come down for the final battle of Gog’s war, which is the Battle of Armageddon.
The Battle of Armageddon, found in Revelation 16:16, is the final battle in Gog’s war, which began 3 and ½ years earlier.
Verse 3 fails to include the “land of Magog,” and is a message directly pointed, and personally addressed, against the Antichrist Gog, who once again is identified as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Popular writers in the last century brought a teaching into play that is simply not true. They said the word “chief” was “rosh” in the Hebrew language, which is true. But they said it meant “Russian,” which is not true. The Russian and Hebrew language have never overlapped in history to support such a claim. He is not a Russian prince. He is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, most likely having a Syrian father. The word “rosh,” in the KJV, is translated as “chief” 90 times, as “head” 349 times, as “top” 75 times, as “beginning” 14 times, as “company” 12 times, as “captain” 10 times, as “sum” 9 times, as “first” 6 times, as “principle” 5 times, as “chief man” 4 times, and as “ruler” on two occasions. At no time, in all of history, could it legitimately be identified as someone who is a Russian.
I am convinced this chief prince of Meshech and Tubal will come from northwestern
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, or southern Turkey, but I will be very much surprised if his father is not a Syrian. He will be the leader of a multilateral Arab force that will carry out a surprise attack against Israel from the north. I believe this is spoken of in Revelation 17:12,13 – “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”
Although he will have the support of ten Arab nations, I believe the nations directly involved in the initial attack will be Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran from without, and the Palestinians from within. I believe the other nations, which will then immediately become involved in the Jihad, are most likely Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan. Lord willing, I will continue a line by line exposition of Ezekiel 38 in Prophecy Update Number 29.
Begin Article from International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
Putin names choice for his successor
The Associated Press
Monday, December 10, 2007
MOSCOW: In a move likely to decide the presidential election in March, President Vladimir Putin expressed support Monday for Dmitry Medvedev, a first deputy prime minister.
There have been months of intense speculation on who Putin would back in the voting March 2, along with the wider question of what Putin himself will do once he steps down.
Putin’s popularity and steely control are so strong that most observers expected that whomever he supported for the presidency would be a shoo-in.
He made the statement in a meeting with representatives of four parties, including United Russia, which is his power base and dominates Parliament. The parties told Putin they all supported Medvedev.
“I completely and fully support this proposal,” Putin said, according to footage shown on state television.
Putin had long been seen as trying to choose between Medvedev, a 42-year-old business-oriented lawyer, and Sergei Ivanov, another first deputy prime minister, who built up a hawkish reputation while defense minister.
“Medvedev is not an extremist,” said Lilia Shevtsova, an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center. “He is not known for any kind of harsh views on politics, and apparently Medvedev better suits Putin’s view of how to achieve continuity.”
Although Putin is banned by the Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office, he has indicated a strong desire to remain a significant power figure. He has raised the prospect of becoming prime minister, and his supporters have called for him to become a “national leader” with unspecified authority.
While Medvedev holds powerful positions as first deputy prime minister and chairman of the board of Gazprom, the government’s natural gas monopoly, he projects a mild-mannered public image and has been widely seen as a functionary devoted to Putin rather than as an independent thinker.
Putin reinforced that perception Monday by saying that electing Medvedev would pave the way for a government “that will carry out the course that has brought results for all of the past eight years.”
The Russian stock market surged on the news, led by Gazprom, whose shares jumped 1.6 percent within a few minutes. The market also apparently was lifted by the end of long uncertainty over whom Putin would designate as successor.
The speculation about Putin’s future has included the possibility that he could try to return as president.
That possibility seemed potentially strengthened by the announcement about Medvedev, said Vladimir Ryzhkov, a prominent liberal politician.
“The strategy is as follows,” Ryzhkov said on Ekho Moskvy Radio. “Medvedev is a compromise choice, because he will allow Putin to keep a free hand. If Putin wants to gradually leave power, Medvedev guarantees him comfort and security and will continue to listen him.”
If Putin decides to return to the presidency after some time, Ryzhkov said, “Medvedev will be the person who will without a doubt give up the path for him.”
Medvedev and Putin worked in the early 1990s under St. Petersburg’s reformist mayor, Anatoly Sobchak. After Putin became prime minister in 1999, he brought Medvedev to Moscow to become deputy chief of staff of the cabinet. Medvedev then moved up to become deputy chief of staff for the president, became head of the Gazprom board in 2002 and became full presidential chief of staff in 2003. Putin named him a first deputy prime minister in 2005.
Begin Gulf News Artiicle
Gulf News
December 8, 2007
Moscow: President Vladimir Putin and other top Russia and Belarus officials will consider shortly a proposed framework for the long-debated merger of the two countries into a single state, officials said.
The unexpected move, coming at a time of uncertainty over Russia’s political future, raised speculation that Putin may seek to become leader of the new country created by the merger.
That would permit him to step down as Russian president next May, as required by the constitution, but become chief of the enlarged state.
Draft constitution
Belarus’ presidential office said on Thursday Putin would attend a December 13-14 meeting in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, that would focus on a draft constitution of a Russia-Belarus union. It gave no details, but any constitution would describe the union’s governmental structure.
Analysts and news organisations have speculated for years that Putin could become the president of a combined Russian-Belarusian state. But talks over the merger have been mired in disagreements, particularly over the status of Belarus in the new union.
Asked if the meeting would pave the way for Putin’s election as president of a Russia-Belarus union, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “I don’t know anything about such issue being on the agenda.” Sergei Kostyan, a deputy head of foreign affairs committee in the Belarusian parliament, said he saw no movement toward a merger of
the two countries.
Poll : Small party to keep off
Fair Russia, a small political party backing President Vladimir Putin, will not nominate its own candidate for a presidential election in March, the party’s leader said on Friday.
Russians vote in a presidential election next March. Putin is barred by the constitution from standing for a third consecutive term, but says he wants to retain influence after the vote, prompting months of speculation over who will become president.
Analysts had said that a Fair Russia presidential nomination could win the backing of Putin.
“Our party, with 99.9 per cent probability, will not put forward its own candidate in the presidential election and we are determined to support another candidate who is running in the election,” Sergei Mironov told a news conference.
Fair Russia, which has never criticised Putin, was founded last year. It came fourth in recent parliamentary election with 7.8 per cent of vote.
Putin’s United Russia party took first place with more than 64 per cent of the vote.
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