End Time Prophecy - Armageddon

There is a conflict growing in the world today. It is just the sprouting of the seed of this conflict, yet it is there and it is growing at an quickening pace. Prophecy in the Bible has informed us of this conflict twice. but, first we need to refresh our understanding of some of the principles of revelation prophecy from God.
_Genesis 41:32; "32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."
First, God records for us a lesson in understanding His Word in this verse. If God gives a prophecy one time, that prophecy can change by circumstances and actions of the part of men. But, if a prophecy is given by God twice, it is established by God, and God WILL bring it to pass in the time frame He has set. In Isaiah 46, are recorded for us some other aspects in understanding the prophecies of God._
_Isaiah 46:8-11; "8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it."_

God declares to us through His Word the events that would unfold from the beginning. He spoke things in ancient times that have all come to pass and things in ancient times that are yet to come to fulfillment. In Isaiah God further states that His counsel absolutely will stand, that He will do all His pleasure. In plain words, if God says something will be done according to His will, no man or group of men on earth can do anything to keep the thing God has determined to happen from happening. There are events leading to the fulfillment of some prophecies yet to be fulfilled, that the Word of God does not completely map out for us. The main factors in the fulfillment of these prophecies are stated for our understanding and our guidance in our interactions during these times to either participate of stay out of the way (avoid participation in some manner).

Now about the prophecies in the Bible concerning the final conflict to be waged on earth between the forces of God and the forces of the Devil. We are well advised to be knowledgeable in our decisions, as to our actions and policies regarding the nations foretold to be present and take part in this battle. First to take into consideration is the fact that God in His Word says that these nations will not only be in existence for this fight but will also constitute themselves as a world power in this day. That means that there is nothing anyone can do to stop these nations from rising to this level of power by opposition in this day and time and the results of unwise diplomacy could be most negative in repercussion. We are witnessing today, the progressive stage of the development of the confederations and unions that will culminate in the final conflict recorded in the Bible. Dealings with these nations will have an effect on those diplomatically interactive with them prior to the fulfillment of the prophecy. As we are dealing with these forces in their formative stage, the obvious diplomatic and strategic advise in dealing with them is to be found in the Bible, not in the five senses reasoning of men. From the Bible we can clearly see that Israel will be the basic element of the triumphant forces of God against the Devil and his forces. God has never rejected His covenant with Israel and the reserved servants of God in the Revelation account, Israel will be significant in the prophecy. Those supporting Israel will fair better than those who oppose Israel. Therefore, through simple reasoning, the best people to deal with the players involved in this final battle to come (in the not too distant future), would be diplomatic individuals with a sound basis of knowledge in the prophecy of the Bible and the culture of the participants from God's perspective. The details of this event were revealed to Ezekiel, the Apostle Paul, and the Apostle John. Ezekiel was instructed by God to record some details of this event. Paul was instructed by God not to say anything but to only acknowledge he knew <_2 Corinthians 12:1-4; "1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.">. Sometimes when God gives you advance knowledge of events, He does it for your benefit only (in this case Paul was shown the event and the following 3rd Heaven & 3rd Earth). But to John, the majority of the prophecy was revealed to be written (with exception of the things in the Book of Seven Thunders - <" Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.>).

Keep in mind that these things will happen after the Body of Christ, the Church, has been gathered together and met Christ in the air and is awaiting their future part in Heaven with Christ and God. When the gathering together occurs, the Age of Grace has ended and the tribulation will begin and last for seven years. After the tribulation this final battle will take place. The start of the count down to this conflict has already occurred in our times. Now let's go the the scriptures and review the accounts of the prophecies in order to gain understanding of what is to come and how these events might affect this present time.

First, the gathering of the scattered tribes of Israel back to the land God gave them is the preliminary event that has to happen to set the stage for the unfolding of the prophecy. The prophecy of this gathering of the children of Israel is given in Ezekiel 37 and Ezekiel 38.
_Ezekiel 37:21-22; "21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:"_
_Ezekiel 38: 8; "8 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."_

This is the prophecy of the gathering together of the children of Israel. in the time of Jesus the land was know as Judea. Only been since the modern nation of Israel was established in 1948, was this prophecy fulfilled. The major motivating factor for the Jews to return to Israel was the persecution that they suffered in Europe and from the Nazi's killing 6 million plus Jews in their attempt to destroy God's chosen people. They were to have gathered out of many people (nations) and that is still continuing today as Jews are still returning to Israel. They have returned from over 100 different countries to "the land which have always been waste. The land they returned to at first was not fit for any type of agriculture but now thrives producing a great harvest each year. They will dwell securely and confidently in the land. Today, even though there is ongoing troubles in Israel with sporadic terrorist attacks, Israel as a nation lives in security and lives confidently since they acknowledge no threat from the nations around them. Only in our times has the conditions of this prophecy been met and having been met in 1948, 57 years have progressed since the fulfilling of this prophecy and the events leading on to the next segment of the prophecy have been progressing. Since 1948 there has been significant world and political events that fall in alignment with the further advancement of this prophecy. We have seen the development of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and most recently the European Union. All of these represent the forward movement toward a one world government and economy and are world institutions that are now in place will be the foundation on which the totalitarian government of the Beast will be built. Keep in mind that the tribulation period of the rule of the Beast only lasts 7 years. Immediately afterward, the progression of events toward the Second Coming of Christ Jesus continue on. We then, are in the preparatory period leading to the take over by the Beast in the near future.

Next we have two instances of the same prophecy about the final battle, the battle of Armageddon. The book of Ezekiel was written between 593 and 573 BC. This time period is determined by the chronological records in the book in comparison to the worldly recorded historical accounts of the time. The book of Revelation was written the the seven churches in Asia Minor (the area today contained in Western Turkey), and was written some where between 54-68 AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. These prophecies were given somewhere between 647 to 661 years apart.

The Revelation account starts with the Devil (Satan) being bound for 1,000 years. This section of scripture came into fruition with Christ's death and resurrection, the point in which the "old dragon" the Devil and Satan were bound for 1000 years in the bottomless pit. That he will be released for a little while is yet to come (Rev. 20:1-3) . Then we have in the next verse, the prophecy stated the second time that was stated in Revelation 7:9-17, of the great multitude which no one could number who had come out (away from) great tribulation. These are the "asleep in Christ" and we that are alive and remain at the coming of Christ to gather together his body (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is the reign with Christ in Heaven of those who were gathered together by Christ, and, those martyred for the witness of Christ or killed for not accepting the mark of the Beast during the tribulation (Rev.20:4). The rest of the dead who were not part of the first resurrection and gathering together were the Old Testament believers and their time for resurrection will take place after the great conflict is concluded (Rev. 20:5-6)
_Revelation 20:1-6; "1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."_

Next, in this section of scripture, is the account regarding the final battle between the forces of the Devil and the forces of God. Only some of the facts are revealed because the rest of the facts had been revealed earlier. From the Revelation account we see that the Devil was set free to go out and deceive the nations and to gather them to battle against the servants of God in Jerusalem (Israel). The size of Devil's army is accounted as the sand of the sea and it is also recorded that God would destroy them with fire come down out of heaven, almost descriptive of the effect of multiple atomic weapons being dropped on this massive army, rated in Ezekiel at 200,000,000 men. After this defeat, the Devil is judged and cast into hell with the Beast and his prophet (who ended up there after their 7 year reign).
_Revelation 20:7-10; "7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."_

The account that gives descriptive details of the prophecy is found in Ezekiel 38. From this account we gain understanding to know the nations who side with the Devil and those who side with Israel in this final conflict. Also the major points in Revelation 20 are covered in somewhat more detail. These two sections of scripture are the only places that Gog an Magog are mentioned in prophecy.
_Ezekiel 38:1-14; "1 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: 5 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. 8 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. 13 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?"_

In the Old Testament account of this prophecy, we are given an exact accounting of the nations that will be involved in this final battle. It is easy to trace their names through history to determine their modern day names. Some of the names are still the same today and are easy to recognize. In verse 2, God directs this prophecy at a particular confederacy of nations when he direct the son of man to "set his face against Gog, the land of Magog, Rosh the prince of Meshech and Tubal". When God gave this prophecy to Ezekiel he used the names for the nations that the people of the time were familiar with, that they, as well as ourselves would understand this prophecy. "Gog" is not the name of a nation, it is a title of an individual ruler and in Hebrew means, "to be elevated, to rise up". When this title is used in reference to an individual it is comparable to the modern time descriptive title of "absolute dictator." Gog is the ruler of the land of Magog and the Prince of Meshech and Tubal and as such he is undisputed in ruling authority. Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were the sons of Japheth, the oldest of Noah's sons.

THE NATIONS IN THE ARMY OF GOG
In Genesis is the record of the sons of Noah and the areas of the world they settled after the great flood. It is the nations developed from the offspring of the sons of Noah (Japeth and Gomer) who figure heavily into the future army of the Dictator of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal. There is a different direction for Noah's son Javan's descendents.
_Genesis 10:2-5; "2 The sons of Japheth; 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 isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations."_

Please remember, these nations listed are different from what they are today, because the Body of Christ, the born again believers who are the light of this present world, have been removed. Well over seven years of spiritual darkness (the tribulation) has covered the earth during the reign of the Beast and his prophet. But of course, there still might possibly be some who are alive in these nations prior to the gathering together that will make it to the final battle, but it's dependent on God's time schedule. The nations deceived by the Devil and led into the assault on Israel and Jerusalem are comprised of Russia, a portion of the European Union, and a confederacy of Islamic countries. Here is an accounting of the nations on the side of the Devil and under the command of the absolute dictator Gog:

"Magog," in Ezekiel 38:2, it is the name of the nation of the Scythians descended from Japheth. Josephus in his Antiquities, identifies Magog with the Sythians. They were in the time of the writing of the prophecy fierce and too numerous to be counted and lived beyond the Caucasus (the mountain range in Caucasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea that forms part of the traditional border between Europe and Asia) and Lake Maeotis near the Caspian Sea (a large saltwater lake between Iran and Russia fed by the Volga River; the largest inland body of water in the world). The area of Magog encompassed central Europe; Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Holland.

"Meshech & Tubal," in Ezekiel 38:23 in verse can be identified with the siberian city of Tobolsk which is on the River Tubal. These nations were a people of the Asiatic highland west of the Upper Euphrates, the southern range of the Caucasus, on the east of the Black Sea. This was the areas today occupied by modern day Ukraine (formerly the center of the original Russian state which came into existence in the ninth century) and Russia (A former empire in eastern Europe and northern Asia created in the 14th century with Moscow as the capital). From this we can see that this prophecy is directed the ruler of all the Russia's, who is the supreme and undisputed ruler of his own land. Meshech & Tubal is the area occupied today by the Russia and the Ukraine.

"Persia," in Ezekiel 38:5. Persia changed its name in 1935 to Iran, and in ancient times was an expansive empire.

"Ethiopia," in Ezekiel 38:5, has not changed its name in the last 3,000 years although it comprised a greater area in ancient times.

"Libya," in Ezekiel 38:5, like Ethiopia, Libya's name has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

"Gomer, " Ezekiel 38:6. The eldest son of Japheth, and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah (Gen. 10:2, 3), whose descendants populated South Eastern Europe. He is generally regarded as the ancestor of the Celtae and the Cimmerii, who in early times settled to the north of the Black Sea. In the seventh century B.C. they were driven out of their original land by the Scythians, and then subsequently attempted to take over western Asia Minor but were driven out. They reappear in the times of the Roman Empire as the Cimbri of the north and west of Europe. They then crossed to the British Isles, where their descendants are still found in the Gaels and Cymry. The whole Celtic race could be regarded as descended from Gomer. The nations comprised of Gomer in our times that will be involved in the ruler of Magog's army would be: France, Belgium and Switzerland.

"Togarmah," Ezekiel 38:6. Josephus says the 'Greeks called them the Phrygians' in his Antiquities. A nation which traded in horses and mules at the fairs of Tyre ("Ezekiel 27:14 They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules."). Phygia is in modern Turkey.

The countries which Gog will dominate and use in his assault on the servants of God are as follows. The nations occupying the areas of present day: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Holland, Iran (Persia), Ethiopia, Turkey, and Libya. In short Gog, the ruler of the original Russian state and the most recent Russian state, will unite most of Europe, sections of the middle east, and sections of northern Africa under his banner for the invasion of Israel.

THE ARMY OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD AND THEIR ALLIES
This confederacy of nations under the absolute control of Gog will not go unchallenged by some of the other nations in this time who will be opposed to seeing Israel and Jerusalem destroyed. The opposing nations involved as recorded in the scriptures are as follow:

"Merchants of Tarshish", in Ezekiel 38:13. The Phoenicians traded with Tarshish an one of the chief commodity they sought was Tin. The name Britain is derived from from the Phoenician 'Baratanac', which is said to mean "the Isles or Land of Tin". The importance of Britain to the Phoenicians trade and the importance of tin is seen in historical evidence of Phoenician traders sailing through the straits of Gibraltar and discovering the English tin mines, long before the Egyptians or the Babylonians even knew that there was such a place as Britain. The Phonecians tried to keep the location of the tin mines secret in order that no other nation should discover the deposits of the useful and costly metal. But other people did find out about the island and it was mentioned in Greek writings as early as BC 350. Being recorded as merchants also is a definitive statement because Britain has been one of the premier trading nations of the world for many centuries. The first in the list of opponents to Gog, on the side of Israel and Jerusalem, is Great Britain.

"with all the young lions thereof," in Ezekiel 38:13. These are the nations who had their origins in Britain and can trace their ancestry to Tarshish. This would indicate that Tarshish if the old lion and the young lions would be the nations that developed for a beginning in Britain. It might be of interest to note that the lion has been a well known symbol of Britain for a very long time. These would be the nations of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

"Sheba and Dedan," in Ezekiel 38:13. The nations that settled in the Saudi Arabian peninsula. and can be identified with modern Saudi Arabia, the gulf states of United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. Sheba, along with Dedan, are listed as of the descendents of Noah's son Cush as sons of Cush's son Raamah. Archeological evidence has indicated that the kingdom of Sheba controlled some coastal regions of Ethiopia while being centered on the southwestern tip of the Arabian peninsula, area occupied by modern Yemen and Oman. The name Dedan means "low ground". Dedan, a son of Raamah (Genesis 10:7). His descendants are mentioned in Isaiah 21:13 and Ezekiel 27:15. They settled among the sons of Cush, on the north-west coast of the Persian Gulf. These would be the nations of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen.

The nations which God will utilize to oppose the Army of Gog and defend Israel and Jerusalem occupy the areas of present day: Britain, United States of America, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Australia, New Zeland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen. It would appear to be a very strange alliance in terms of todays diplomatic stances, yet this is the group of nations who stand up for Israel and Jerusalem in the final conflict indicated by the statement in Ezekiel 38:13, "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?" This statement would stand as a diplomatic response to the movement of troupes toward Israel and these nations will oppose the Russian/European/Islamic coalitions attack, but the coalition will not be stopped by the nations that oppose them. Gog and his army will be only defeated by the intervention of God, as we see in the next section of scripture.

THE BATTLE WON, THE SERVANTS OF GOD VICTORIOUS THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD
_Ezekiel 38:14-23; "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."_
Here is recorded a three phase assault by God on the coalition directed by Gog. In verses 19-20 we see a great earthquake will strike this invading army. In verse 21, we see God calling for a sword against Gog. The sword against Gog is the attack of the nations who stand beside Israel and Jerusalem (even though not a final blow, it is a decisive one). In verses 22-23 we see the hand of God directly in the battle. First God brings a flood on the army of Gog, next God pounds them with great hailstones (when God says Great it's not a little piece of hail falling), and finally the same destructive force used on Sodom and Gomorrha - Fire and brimstone. The entire army of Gog is destroyed by the judgment of God.

Subsequently, the repercussion on the country of Maygog for this planned invasion that failed is foretold in the next chapter of Ezekiel. Like Sodom and Gomorrha, the entire nation will be destroyed by fire from God.
_Ezekiel 39:6; "6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD."_

Soon after this event, will be the Judgment Day of God before the great white throne. No one escapes participation in this time of judgment. Here the Old Testament people are judged according to their works under the law, and the Body of Christ will appear as well, not so much for judgment but for evaluation and reward. As born again believers we have the opportunity to earn rewards in heaven while we are alive on earth and we can also loose rewards previously gained through unrepented sin and failure to operate the Law of Love established by our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. To the believers this will be a time of joy and rejoicing. To the unbelievers this will be a time of sorrow which will culminate in the second death.
_Revelation 20:11-14; "11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."_

What we as believers can learn from this prophecy is that no matter how spiritually dark it is around us, no matter what we are doing in our lives, God still wants all men to be saved. God's Word is for ever and no one and no group of people and no nation or nations will ever to be able to remove God's Word from the world. His Word will be available till the end of the world for them who reach out to Him, to them who want to know Him. Even during the seal judgments and the trumpet blast judgments of God against mankind, He still left open the opportunity for repentance as is indicated in Revelation 9:21; "21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." Even after this Sixth Trumpet judgment God was still wanting men to repent and be saved and there will be believers on earth even until the end. As people living in the Age of Grace, the time of the Body of Christ on the earth, we are surely blessed with a lively hope...to us, the return of Christ Jesus to gather his body her on earth are to return to heaven with it (us) is a great joy to await. If you have no such joy of the return of Christ, there is still time to believe and receive the new birth, to be born again, to obtain a joint inheritance with Christ Jesus.

From a governmental point of view, a nation must be well advised to be knowledgeable in its diplomatic decisions. AsGod's Word states, "there is safety in a multitude of counselors," this does not mean unglodly world centered counselors, but men and women well grounded in an understanding of God's Word and prophecies. Regarding the nations foretold to be present and take part in this battle. First to take into consideration is the fact that God in His Word says that these nations will not only be in existence for this fight but will also constitute themselves as a world power in this day. That means that there is nothing anyone can do to stop these nations from rising to this level of power by opposition in this day and time. One might say in respect to the nations who are in the opposition to God, "if you think you can grab a poisonous snake by the tail and not get bit...you'd better think twice before taking action." If you are a nation backed by God no harm, if you are a nation that has kicked God out...you figure it out.