The Coming Invasion of Russia - Part B

In God's geography class, He put Israel at the center of the world. So much so that in the Bible, whenever you get geographical areas, north, south, east, and west, they're all relative to Israel and Jerusalem in particular. North is always north of Israel, south is always south of Israel, east and west, etc. Israel is the geographic center of the world. Today on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Pastor Skip shares why the precise location of Israel on the globe is no mere accident.

It's central to the entire planet. But first, here's an offer for a study guide to complement your study of prophecy with Skip. Here are some of the titles in the End is Near series by Pastor Skip Heitzig. Israel Must Survive, Rapture Ready, and Russia's Coming Invasion. Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets.

So when God is going to do something, He warns His people, He sends a sign so His people will know that He's going to do something. Skip Heitzig's teaching series now has a companion study guide available to you. The End is Near guide covers all 26 messages that Skip recently presented. We can just look at the chessboard.

The pieces are all lining up in interesting fashion. The End is Near study guide includes notes, summaries, and questions for group or personal study. We need to understand the times, and this study guide will aid in this effort. With your gift of $50 or more to connect with Skip Heitzig, you will receive a copy of the End is Near study guide from Skip's in-depth 26-part series. Your gift will support the production and expansion of the Connect with Skip broadcast. Call 1-800-922-1888 or go online to connectwithskip.com.

That's 1-800-922-1888 or connectwithskip.com. Alright, now let's turn to Ezekiel 38 as Skip begins his message, the coming invasion of Russia. When Ezekiel, 25-2600 years ago, is writing this stuff, there was no such alliance happening. When he wrote this, there was no connection between these peoples, certainly not military at all. There is today a connection, connection as we've seen between Russia and Iran, but also a connection between Russia and Turkey. Turkey is run by Recep Erdogan. He is the president of that country. In 2017, he signed a $2.5 billion deal with Vladimir Putin to acquire state-of-the-art anti-ballistic defense systems. Amazing.

Never happened before is happening right now. So that's the who. Let's answer the second question, and that is where? Where will they invade?

You already have a hint. We've already read a couple verses, but look at verse 7. Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you, and be on guard for them. After many days you will be visited. In the latter years, you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. You will ascend, coming in like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.

So you get the picture. It is a multinational, multi-army coalition, all attacking one nation, the nation of Israel. It's also interesting in verse 8, it describes that as a wasteland. It says, which had long been desolate. Now, if you've ever been to Israel in the last few years, any of you been on a tour to Israel? Okay, if you've been and you read this, that the land is desolate, you go, it's not the land I saw. The land that I saw had lots of farming, lots of wealth, lots of beautiful scenery.

That's because it has changed in recent times, since 1948. A few years before that, back in 1867, a guy named Mark Twain went to Israel on a tour, and it was a total fiasco. He wrote a book about it.

I recommend it to you. It's called Innocence Abroad by Mark Twain, and it's his tour of the Holy Land. He says of Israel this, of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine, the old name for Israel, must be the prince. Israel is desolate and unlovely, hardly a tree or shrub anywhere.

That's exactly what it was like. Until 1948, the land that was desolate and desert and swampland became productive and vibrant agricultural land. Now, these armies come down, it says, on the mountains of Israel, the mountains of Israel. Most of the mountains in Israel are up north. The Golan Heights, the area that leads up toward Mount Hermon is the mountainous region. There's a spine of mountains down the center, but most of the mountains are up north, and that's the border with Lebanon and the border with Syria. So they're going to come in from the north. We have a map to kind of show you what this attack is going to look like from all of these places mentioned. Look at them, all coming from different places, but most of them coming from the north on down. By the way, let me take you to verse 12.

I want you to just get this for this week and next week. To take plunder and to take booty, I'll explain that word in a minute, I know it's kind of weird. To stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against the people gathered from the nations who have acquired livestock and goods who dwell in the midst of the land. Now that last little phrase, the midst of the land, literally in Hebrew is the navel of the earth. The navel of the earth. When you were in school and your teacher showed you a map of the world, do you remember when he pulled or she pulled the map down? What country was at the center of the map?

The United States. I don't know about your classroom, but in my classroom, America was the center. So we grew up as kids and we're the center of the world.

We're the center of the world, we're Americans, center of the world. In God's geography class, he put Israel at the center of the world. So much so that in the Bible, whenever you get geographical areas, north, south, east, and west, they're all relative to Israel and Jerusalem in particular. North is always north of Israel, south is always south of Israel, east and west, etc.

Israel is the geographic center of the world. So who? We covered that. Where will they invade?

We covered that. When will they invade? Look at verse 8.

After many days. Ezekiel is writing this 2,600 years ago. So after many days, you will be visited. In the latter years, you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from the people on the mountains of Israel. Verse 16, you will come up against my people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you. So it's not going to happen in the days of the prophet. There is no time in history that we know of that we can point to and say, that's when it happened.

There's the fulfillment. And it says specifically, in the latter years or the latter days. According to Dwight Pentecost, an authority on all things eschatology, he said that is a phrase often used of Israel's final time of distress. You who come here and are astute in your Bible study know that that refers to probably the tribulation period. Okay, latter days.

When is it going to happen? In the latter days. But I know what you're thinking. Yeah, but when exactly in the latter days?

I hope you're thinking that way. I get a lot of questions about this. Well, there are three basic theories as to when this is going to happen. Theory number one, it will happen at the end of the tribulation period. And this group believes that the battle of Gog and Magog is stage one for the Armageddon sequence, that it leads to that mother of all battles, Revelation 16, the battle of Armageddon. They even see Gog as being the antichrist.

That's one theory. Another theory is that the battle of Gog and Magog will happen during the first part, not the second part, but the first part of that seven-year tribulation, the peaceful part. Because it says here that Israel is dwelling in peace when this battle occurs. And we know from Daniel 9, 27, a verse we've already covered, the antichrist is going to make a seven-year peace plan with Israel.

He'll break it in the first, after three and a half years, in the middle of that seven-year period. So this then must take place in not the last part, Armageddon part, but the first part of the tribulation period. So we have two theories. The third theory is that it will happen before the tribulation, perhaps even before the rapture.

Now, why would somebody say that? Because if you keep reading, the battle continues in chapter 38 into chapter 39, and when the battle is won by God in chapter 39, we are told that Israel spends six months burying their dead. The dead in the battle, and seven years burning the implements of war. Seven years. Well, that length of time requires that it must occur before the tribulation, which lasts seven years, and possibly before the rapture. You follow me? So then, I think it can happen any time between now and the end of the tribulation.

I know that didn't help you very much. But let me give you a bigger picture. In order for this battle to happen, there are some prerequisites that have to be in place, right? Number one prerequisite, there has to be an Israel. Israel has to exist for this prophecy to take place, right? I mean, you don't have a coalition that you gather against a nation that doesn't exist. So this prophecy could not have taken place before 1948. It either had to have happened between the time of Ezra, Nehemiah, and 70 AD, or between 1948 and now, and in the future.

Those are the only time slots for it. There has to exist the sovereign nation of Israel. Number one. Number two, Israel not only has to be in the land, they have to be prospering in the land, because this coalition comes down to take the riches and the wealth of that country. And then third, Israel has to be at peace in the land. Verse 8 and verse 11 talk about a peaceful people dwelling safely. Look at verse 10. It says, The Lord God on that day will come to pass. Thoughts will arise in your mind.

You will make an evil plan. You will say, I will go up against a land of, what does it say? Unwalled villages. Well, that's interesting because Ezekiel had never seen a city without walls.

They didn't exist. Every ancient city had walls to protect it. You will go up against a land of unwalled villages. I will go to a peaceful people who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, having neither bars nor gates. The reason some people argue that this battle hasn't happened yet and won't happen any time soon is that Israel is not at peace, and the only peace they're going to experience is the first part of the tribulation when the Antichrist makes a pact with them and gives them peace agreements, and then they'll be at peace before he finally pulls the plug.

But not everybody believes this. There's a growing number of people who say this could happen at any time because Israel is living in security right now. Okay, they've got millions of people around them who want to destroy them, but they're quite secure. First of all, they have something called the Iron Dome system.

Ever heard of that? When a rocket goes off to shoot into Israel, there's a system around Israel called Iron Dome that by radar detects where it's coming from and shoots the missile down in midair. It's not flawless, but like 99% flawless, and it's protected them for many years. Also, Israel has the most effective air force in the region. Israel has nuclear submarines, so they won't admit they're nuclear submarines. They just say, we have submarines, but most everybody believes they have nuclear capabilities. There's a security wall in Israel that has cut down on suicide bombing almost completely, and Israel has made a strategic alliance with the world's only superpower.

Who's that? Us, the United States. Certainly, they're becoming more peaceful. I hope you know by now that there are no less than six peace agreements between Israel and Arab neighbors, due largely to the Abraham Accords. Benjamin Netanyahu even said this year he intends to make peace with Saudi Arabia.

That's his intention. So in the very least, wherever you are in believing what this means, in the very least, the chess pieces are lining up on the board, and the alliances spoken of in Ezekiel chapter 38 are falling into place. So that's who, where, and when.

The last question I want to leave you with is why. Why will they attack Israel? Well, let's look at verse 8. After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come to the land of those brought back from the sword, gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which has long been desolate.

They were brought out of the nations. Now all of them dwell safely. You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all the troops and many peoples with you. Thus says the Lord God, on that day it will come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind. You will make an evil plan. You will say, I will go against the land of unwalled villages. Look at verse 12. To take plunder and to take booty.

This is not the kind you shake. This is the kind you take, you steal. It could be translated wealth. So let's do that.

It would just be easier all the way around, wouldn't it? To take plunder and to take wealth to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited and against the people gathered from the nations who have acquired livestock and goods who dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish and all their young lions will say to you, have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take wealth, to carry away silver, gold, to take away livestock, goods, and to take great plunder? Therefore, Son of Man, prophesy and say to Gog, thus says the Lord God, on that day when my people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and mighty army. You will come against my people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against my land. Why are they coming?

Three reasons. Number one, to crush Israel. To crush Israel. Verse 16, you will come against my people Israel like a cloud.

Okay, time out. Why Israel? Israel is a little country.

Why crush Israel? I mean, Israel is one of the smallest nations on the planet. It's the size of New Jersey.

Get this. It's one-third the size of New Mexico. It is one-nineteenth the size of California. So Russia and all these nations want to attack Israel? Russia is 785 times larger than Israel.

But Magog, that region where the Scythians settled, including Russia, include these countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, some think Afghanistan. Mark Hitchcock said, all these nations have one thing in common, Islam. It could be they're just tired of Israel existing in the Middle East in their arrogant way, they would suppose.

Living, garnishing, gathering, and we're going to get them and put an end to it. It is the same with Iran, Turkey, Libya, and Sudan. All of them are highly Islamic. And they've had a long-standing hatred toward the Jewish nation. So they're coming to crush Israel.

Second, they're coming to capture wealth. Did you know that Israel's economy is ranked as the world's third most innovative economy ahead of Japan, ahead of the United States? It's a nation of only 9.3 million people. In Israel, that small country, 9 million people, there are 500 startups each year. That's more than any country on planet Earth except the United States.

In Israel, there are 17 billionaires and more than 88,000 millionaires. So they're a highly prosperous country. Something else, they have managed to take their land that was a wasteland and make it so productive that most of the stuff they enjoy and live off of is homegrown.

They don't really need to bring anything in. You know, it's sort of funny if it weren't so tragic that global warming is now the newest religion on planet Earth. And you are judged based on what you believe about global warming. And experts will say, well, there's less rainfall than there ever was. And so because there's less rainfall, what you should do is tear up your grass and plant rocks because just rocks are just better for the environment. And Israel, on the other hand, has decided to do the exact opposite.

You know what they do? They plant more trees. They plant more trees. They have planted, since they've been in the land, they have planted 250 million trees. There are whole forests that are man-made when you go to Israel, or hand-planted, I should say. In 1948, 2.5% of the land mass had trees. Today, 8.5% of Israel has trees, foliage.

People are saying, why are you doing that? The rainfall is going down. The rainfall is going down. Listen to this, University of Haifa study. Local rainfall stats defy global warming fears.

Here's the quote. Despite warnings that global warming is already impacting precipitation quantities, local rainfall, that's in Israel, statistics have remained unchanged in the 60 years they've been tracked. So by planting the trees and putting them over there and attracting the clouds, the rainfall's levels have not diminished. They're saying, we're good. We're good. We've planted foliage. We're good. We may want to follow suit in New Mexico. I don't know.

I'll get into trouble probably with this one. So they come to crush Israel, capture wealth, finally to control the Middle East. Verse 12, to stretch out your hand against the places that are inhabited.

If you haven't noticed, Israel sits on a land bridge that connects three continents, and every ancient king knew if you control that land mass, you control the flow of goods into those three continents, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Keep something in mind as we close. This is a prophecy primarily given to one person, the leader of the coalition, whom God says, I've had enough. You've angered me. I am ticked off, and I'm going to move against you.

And the fascinating rest of the story is how God moves against them, and we'll save that for next time. So as we close, I want to say to you, don't duck and cover. Don't duck and cover.

Don't do that. Bad thinking on every level. First of all, ducking and covering will not save you from a nuclear explosion, if you didn't know that already. Number two, as Christians, the last thing we're called to do is duck and cover. We're called to stand and look.

Stand and look. Jesus said in Matthew 21, when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads. Your redemption draws near. That concludes Skip Heitzig's message. From the series, The End is Near, find the full message, as well as books, booklets, and full teaching series at connectwithskip.com. Now, here's Skip to share how you can connect you and many others with the truth of God's word with a gift to keep these messages going out around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. As Christians, we have a calling, and that is to win souls for Jesus, even as we await our glorious future with Him in heaven. And so our goal is to come alongside friends like you to encourage you to keep sharing Christ with others as long as you have the chance to do so. That's why we share these faith-building messages. And today, you can take action to ensure these teachings keep reaching you and so many others worldwide. Can I count on your support?

Here's how you can give a gift today. Get your favorite teachings or find new ones to dive into more solid biblical teaching to help deepen your walk. And be sure to subscribe to the channel so you never miss any new content. That's Connect with Skip Heitzig on YouTube. Come back next week for more from Skip's series, The End is Near. Make a connection Make a connection At the foot of the crossing Cast all burdens on His Word Make a connection A connection Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.