I can assure Israel what Robert Gates can't!

by Michael G. Mickey

(12-6-06)

The Associated Press is reporting that Robert Gates has been confirmed by the United States Senate as America's new Secretary of Defense. I hate to burst his bubble right out of the gate (no pun intended), but I can assure Israel what a Haaretz article dated 12-5-06 indicated Gates said he couldn't, which was tell Israel whether or not Iran would attack them.

As we look at Bible prophecy, as opposed to the mind of Robert Gates, Ezekiel 38 & 39 tells us that Iran, which was referred to as Persia in Ezekiel's time, is definitely going to participate in a large scale attack on the nation of Israel in the prophetic future.

Ezekiel 38:1-9:

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

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.

Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

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.

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.

The attack described above will be brought to its end by the Almighty, but a look at the list of attackers who will "be like a cloud to cover the land" includes Iran, AKA Persia.

Robert Gates, particularly addressing the notion of Iran attacking Israel with nuclear weaponry, is quoted in the Haaretz article as saying "the risks for them (Iran) are enormously high." As we look at Bible prophecy, this portion of Robert Gates' beliefs are perfectly accurate, regardless of what type of weaponry is involved in the battle commonly referred to as the Gog-Magog attack described in Ezekiel 38 & 39.

Ezekiel 38:18-23:

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.

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;

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.

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.

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.

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.

Robert Gates believes Iran is trying to obtain nuclear weaponry and correctly believes the Iranians are lying when they say their nuclear program is strictly civilian in nature. What he doesn't know is whether a nuclear-armed Iran will go nuclear in an attack on Israel.

As I look at Bible prophecy, my suspicion is Iran won't go nuclear in battle against Israel but, upon obtaining nuclear weaponry, will use nuclear parity with Israel as a deterrent to engage in a conventional war, threatening Israel that the use of its nuclear weapons will result in their mutual destruction. From what I've learned of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's mindset through any number of sources, he is maniacal enough to try an overwhelming conventional attack on Israel such as the one described in Ezekiel 38 & 39 against that backdrop, in spite of the dangers inherent in doing so. Why? Because Ahmadinejad believes doing so will hasten the arrival of the Islamic Messiah, commonly referred to as the 12th Imam or the Mahdi.

Repeatedly, Ahmadinejad has suggested Israel's demise is near, most recently stating that Iran hopes to have a "big nuclear celebration" by March of 2007. Could the countdown to Gog-Magog be underway? I don't know but I can assure Israel, through the prophetic Word of God, what U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates can't. Whether Gog-Magog comes before the advent of Antichrist or afterward, the winds of war are presently blowing in the Middle East and it's just a matter of time before Iran and a Russian-led Arab confederacy is going to make the biggest mistake in military history, providing God the Father an opportunity to magnify Himself.

Ezekiel 38:23: 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.

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