Ezekiel 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?
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?
18  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.

World events are important to pay attention to. We will get back to the book of Job, but it is important for us to be aware of what is taking place at this time. The passage we have as our text is describing a war that is coming yet in the future. It is a war that will be planned between Russia and her allies against Israel.
At this present time, Russia is at war with Ukraine. That is the official statement. However, in reality, many nations are at war with Russia at this time. It is in essence World War III. The NATO nations instigated this latest conflict. The west has determined for a number of years to use Russia as a scapegoat and a distraction to advance some of their own evil plans. The Nato alliance has poured billions of dollars into Ukraine over the past short while. None of that has helped Ukraine.
In the past week or so, the U.S. took some of its artillery from Israel and sent it to Ukraine. The world has falsely reported this to make it seem as though Israel has joined this conflict on the side of Ukraine. This was reported this way to try to increase tensions between Israel and Russia. The fact is that what the U.S. did is take some of the munitions they had stockpiled in Israel for their defences, and moved them over to Ukraine. Israel had no say in this matter. The materials belonged to the U.S. The media is trying to stir up trouble between Russia and Israel with the way in which it is reporting this matter.
Then in the past week, Israel has been blamed for a drone attack inside Iran. They are accused of hitting a factory where Iranian drones are made. Iran has been supplying drones to the Russians for their offensive against Ukraine and NATO.
After this attack, Russia has threatened both Israel and the U.S. Russia has been using those drones to their advantage against the enemies in Ukraine. Russia does not like this interference in their supply chain.
As we look at the verses in our text, we see that Russia will bring its alliance to attack Israel at some time in the future. Their alliance will be massive and it will look as though Israel will be destroyed.
It is interesting to pay attention to what has been happening in Israel over the past 2+ years. Israel has been the leading nation in this whole Wuhan Virus plot. They did not develop the virus. That is not what I am saying. Israel was at the forefront of receiving the shots supposed to be effective in stopping the spread of this virus. We know these shots are not effective for this at all. We do know (at least those who have their eyes open), that these shots are a threat to the well being of many people. There is more and more evidence of sudden death among sports people and others in recent months. The media has been rather quiet about this. A young news reporter was recently affected by the shots and she has been diagnosed with myocarditis. The doctors and the media are telling us that she got this due to having a common cold. Liars are a dime a dozen. Many others have been inflicted with myocarditis in recent history.
As mentioned, Israel was a leader in accepting and also in demanding its people get the shots. Many of the people of that nation have blindly and foolishly taken the shots. Now, it is being reported that many people in Israel are having adverse effects from the shots. This is not surprising. The fact that Israel has been so foolish in following the deceptive narrative placed before the world, is weakening them as a nation. As these things develop, we can see that Israel is putting herself in a vulnerable place.
Israel is a nation that is in rebellion against God. Due to this fact, they lack the discernment needed to be safe. God, in His mercy is protecting Israel because of His promise to Abraham. God does not break His promises.
Why is this important? As we look at the war of Ezekiel 38-39, and as we look at recent developments in Israel, we could be moving very close to this war. We know that God is in charge of the timing. He tells us of this war, but He does not give us a date for it. As far as Israel is concerned, God will not allow that nation to be destroyed. At just the right moment He will step in and stop this major attack against His nation. That does not mean that all Jews will go to heaven, regardless of how they live or what they believe. God’s gift of salvation is offered to all, and it must be accepted by faith by each individual in order to be saved. This acceptance is demonstrated with the individual repenting toward God and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Apart from this, there is no salvation.
It is very interesting to pay attention to what is happening in the Middle East. It is also very important to understand that God gives us these warnings to remind us that this world is not our final home. There is an end to this life and to this world.
The Bible warns us many times of the importance of being saved, being born again. The Bible does not talk of being “reborn”. That is Catholic doctrine to distract from what the Bible says. Being “reborn” has to do with getting reconnected with Catholicism. The Bible talks of the new birth as the need to be changed and turn to God in repentance and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
It could be a long time yet before the war of Ezekiel 38. It could be but it is not a long time before your life will be over. The events happening around us remind us of the truthfulness of God. His clock is ticking. He is longsuffering. He is not willing that any should perish. Sadly, many have already perished and many more will perish, because they are rejecting God’s truth. Don’t be one of them. If you are not saved today, why not? Do you honestly believe the Bible is wrong? Do you not believe there is a God? Are you sure that your way, without knowing God, will work?

Hebrews 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Don’t second guess God. He is not a liar. Your day is coming sooner than you think. Get ready today and live whatever time you have in the fear of the Lord. Enjoy His blessings today and know His peace.
Pastor Bartel