The Disappearance of Peace | Stephen Davey

How is it that we can be at peace with God?

The Bible is clear and here's Steven Davey with an important reminder. Through him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. This is the peace treaty between you and God, my friend, through Jesus Christ. There is no lasting peace apart from the Prince of Peace.

Everything else is paper. The world longs for peace, but what the world desperately needs most is to be at peace with God. God offers mankind the ability to be at peace with him through the Gospel, but many reject that opportunity. For them, there will be no peace. The book of Revelation describes a time when four horsemen come riding, bringing judgment.

On today's broadcast of Wisdom for the Heart, Steven Davey is looking at the red horse and its rider. You'll learn what he symbolizes and what happens when he comes. Stay with us for this message called The Disappearance of Peace.

John the Apostle sees the lamb open the first seal of that special scroll and a white horse we studied in our last session gallops forward with a rider representing the culmination of spiritual deception and great diplomatic skill. His pseudo peace treaty will promise Israel the peace accord they have longed for for centuries, but the peace of the Antichrist will soon be interrupted by wars breaking out all around the globe and most specifically a coalition of nations intent on looting and stealing from Israel. In fact, their intent will be to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth. Is that desire there today?

It is open and admitted. However, it is restrained at this point by the civility of people who will defend Israel, primarily from countries who have some semblance of remaining respect for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, there is a day coming when no one will step forward to defend her and surrounding armies will march to destroy her, but that will be the end, not of Israel, but of them. With your Bibles open to Revelation chapter six, let's watch as Jesus Christ opens the second seal as the tribulation period continues in its opening days, specifically at verse three. And out came on another horse, bright red, this writer was permitted to take peace from the earth so that people should slay one another and he was given a great sword.

This is where the story turns ugly and it will remain so this way until the true king returns to establish his kingdom. One of the four creatures before the throne of God gives the command and the rider on a red horse gallops across the earth. The color of this horse perfectly fits the nature of terror and bloodshed which will ride on the heels of this horseman. The word for red is piras.

You could translate the word fiery, this is the color of blood. This horseman is riding a fiery blood red horse which will bring bloodshed and war of all kinds which will reach around the entire world. There is going to be mass rioting like the world has never seen and it all begins here as Jesus Christ himself intimated a growing in intensity as he spoke in Matthew 24 like the birth pangs of a woman in labor and it climaxes with the battle of Armageddon as the tribulation period sweeps to a close. This is a book of prophecy.

This is yet to come. Now some would say that the rider of this horse was Nero and that the battles that erupt are persecutions against Christians but that would make this a scroll of history not of prophecy which John the apostle clearly said it was. This is the second birth pang of Matthew 24 predicted by Christ on the Mount of Olives in that discourse.

This is the unfolding of the first days of tribulation primarily occurring at the beginning or the outset of the first three and a half years. Now it's true that mankind has been able to catalog war the ever present existence of war somewhere in the world. War isn't new so perhaps the horseman has already ridden through. I have read myself that by the 12th century more than 2,000 wars were cataloged on the planet. That number increased to more than 13,000 wars by the 20th century. One author estimated up to perhaps 10 billion people have been killed in the wars of the human race. I thought it was funny when General Dobie, the British commander of Malta during World War I was stationed in Israel in 1916 and aid commented to him on one occasion he said, sir this is a funny war. The Muslims won't fight on Fridays, the Jews won't fight on Saturdays, and the Christians won't fight on Sundays.

With a twinkle in his eye Dobie responded well if you can find four other world religions that refuse to fight on Monday through Thursday you've solved world peace. In the last century alone 37.5 million died in World War I. 45.4 million died in World War II. The conflict in Vietnam, those injured and those who died numbered half of a million and were not finished. Just as our country fights for the rights and the peace of people abroad and those who will die fighting for countries who desire to conquer and subjugate or expand their own empire war and bloodshed stain nearly every page of history. Listen 400 years before John wrote what we're studying in this revelation the philosopher Plato complained only the dead have seen the end of war. So how is this red horseman bringing in anything new?

Certainly this is history. Well the red horseman signifies a time of increasing world anarchy and disorder and murder. He comes and completely engulfs the world not necessarily in a world war or wars between major nations alone but war, fighting, revolution, rioting everywhere. It would be sort of akin to having the French Revolution and the Civil War and World War II and the Iraq conflict and the China wars and the African tribal wars and the Korean conflict all at once.

All at the same time. And that's just for starters. Notice in verse 4 John writes of the red horseman that he is permitted to take peace from the earth. In the Greek language this has global implications. It clearly states or means that this is not limited to Israel.

This is not limited to the Roman Empire. This is conflict worldwide. It's as if the red horseman strikes the transformers that have kept the lights of civility and peace burning.

He knocks out the power grid of global surveillance systems and looting and bloodshed break out all around the world. Lightning strikes. By the way I was at this very moment working on my sermon yesterday and that thunderstorm came in and at this point lightning struck. Boom!

And our house went dark and my computer blinked off. I thought Lord is this a sign that you want me to stop my sermon? I didn't hear a voice so let's keep going.

Alright? Look at verse 4. Maybe you could circle the word permitted.

Interesting word. He is permitted to take peace from the earth. As bad as it is, as terrifying and bloody as it gets, just as the white horse is on a leash so is the red one. And listen God is the designer of the judgment. God will laugh as it were in the heavens against the nations that shake their fist at him. This is not ultimately Satan's wrath or the wrath of man though they are secondary causes. This is the wrath of the lamb.

This is the wrath of God. So the red horseman can gallop as fast as he wants but there is a fence. There is a divinely ordained corral and he cannot get out of it.

In fact he's allowed to roam in it by God's permission. Well maybe you're wondering what happened to that peace the first horseman brought? Well God now moves in this second seal, the second horseman, the second birth pang to show the frailty and futility of man's attempts at peace. Even from this amazing rider of the first horse, the white horseman will be known as the peacemaker.

He will undoubtedly win the Nobel Peace Prize for the year. But his peace won't last as the peace treaties of the planet never do. Out of World War I the League of Nations was created and it failed. Out of World War II came the United Nations and they have also failed to keep peace on the planet. Historian Gustav Albert chronicled that from 1500 BC to 1860 AD European nations signed at least 8,000 peace treaties. And they were meant to remain in force forever.

On average they remained in force for, can you guess, less than two years. Just think of all the treaties that have been signed and broken since 1860. Now even though the Antichrist has brokered peace with Israel, that peace will be threatened within a matter of months by those who do not wish to see the Jewish nation breathe one more breath of air in Israel. Peace will be disturbed. Not by, or because of the Antichrist by the way, not in these initial days, but because of the surrounding nations who come to annihilate Israel at the outset of the tribulation. And one of these many wars that break out on the planet during the gallop of this red horse takes place in the Middle Eastern region. This is what authors call the coming Russian invasion described by the prophet Ezekiel as the war of Gog and Magog. Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 give numerous details about this coming predicted battle as nations converge on Israel. Gog and Magog lead the way and the fact that they are specifically mentioned leads many to believe that this battle is actually taking place at the end of the millennial kingdom because Gog is mentioned there in Revelation chapter 20.

However, by closely comparing Ezekiel's prophecy with the war in Revelation chapter 20, several key distinctives should be made to let us know these are different battles. In the early battle of Gog and Magog, the invaders are killed by earthquakes and hailstones among other things. In the final battle of Revelation chapter 20, the Lord simply brings down one huge fireball that consumes all the armies that march against Israel. In the battle of Magog, the dead troops will be buried and it's gonna take at least seven months to do so, Ezekiel tells us. However, after the final battle, the judgment of the great white throne will commence and the dead will be raised to stand before the Lord. Furthermore, in the early part of the tribulation, which is where I believe the battle of Magog takes place, it concludes with the burning of all the weapons.

In fact, it takes seven years for them to burn. It may very well stretch into the early days of the millennial kingdom. However, in the final battle of Revelation 20, which occurs, it will occur at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ known as the millennial kingdom. After the battle of Gog and Magog, life will go on as normally as it possibly can. However, after the final battle, life is gonna change almost immediately.

In fact, there will be the soon newly created earth and heaven. So the battle of Gog and Magog to me is clearly not the final battle of Revelation chapter 20. There are others who believe that this battle takes place in chapter 16, which is the battle of Armageddon, which we'll study in detail later. But I don't believe it's the same battle and let me give you several reasons. Again, comparing the two battles, we discover that the battle of Armageddon takes place during an outbreak of plagues and unrest. But Ezekiel clearly states that the invasion of Israel or this battle of Gog and Magog will take place when the nation of Israel is enjoying peace and security. Something Israel hasn't experienced, by the way, since the Babylonian captivity. In fact, let me say this. If some country were to invade Israel right now, it would not be the fulfillment of these prophecies in Ezekiel and this description of the red horse in Revelation chapter 6. And there are some teachers that give the indication that that would be true.

Why is that? Well, because clearly from the prophecies, we're told that there is a time of peace and security in Israel before the battle takes place. And there is no peace and security in Israel. In fact, right now, every Jewish male in Israel has to sign up for compulsory duty. He has to serve for three years, whether he likes it or not.

Every female serves for two years. They are on ready. Just read the newspapers. Peace? Security? No.

Far from it. But a time of peace is coming, brief though it may be. Daniel 9 recorded and Revelation 6 reported the vision of a coming peacemaker who will sign a peace accord with Israel. Furthermore, the battle of Gog and Magog involves six allies marching against Israel, where the battle of Armageddon involves many nations.

In fact, all of them are affected, certainly more than six. The early battle in the tribulation of Gog and Magog covers the region primarily of northern Israel, where God destroys them. All of the march converging there in the mountains where Armageddon covers all the land of Israel. Another distinctive is that the alliance of Gog and Magog with other nations, they are destroyed. But in the battle of Armageddon, many nations are completely wiped out. The early war of Gog and Magog fits perfectly the scene prophesied by Daniel. It's a time of peace interrupted by war, which occurs at the beginning of the time of trouble, the tribulation. The battle of Armageddon, on the other hand, climaxes at the ending of the tribulation as the enemies of Israel are wiped out when Christ returns, which is described in glorious detail in Revelation chapter 19. So the battle of Armageddon and the final battle ending the tribulation are not the battle of Gog and Magog. This battle prophesied by Ezekiel fits into this period of temporary peace established by the peacemaker, the antichrist, as the tribulation period begins. It takes place during the coming of this red horseman. War and bloodshed around the world are going to give the nations surrounding Israel the perfect opportunity to march against her undeterred by the rest of the world.

And they're right. There is no mention in the prophecies of any other nation coming to the rescue of Israel, coming to defend her. None show up. Well, who are these six nations that Ezekiel prophesied would form a coalition against Israel at this point, in fact, against the antichrist who has pledged to defend her?

By the way, they're in the slip of a tongue. At this point, the antichrist is actually a distraction for this coalition. This coalition doesn't want the peace that he's brought. He isn't feared at this point early in the tribulation as a man of war. He's a man of peace. It is pseudo-peace. He is a false messiah.

But at this point, he is in the way of this coalition. Well, first and foremost in this coalition is Rosh, Ezekiel says, which many Bible scholars identify as modern Russia. Rosh is often translated as a common noun and translated chief, which I think is unfortunate. The Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint translates Rosh as a proper name so that Ezekiel 38 verse 2 says, O Gog, prince of Rosh.

From all of the evidence that I have studied, Rosh prefers to what we know today as the land of Russia. It is this northern kingdom which will march as predicted by Ezekiel against Israel. The next coalition member, Ezekiel tells us, is Magog. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, identified the ancient Scythians inhabiting the land of Magog, which then helps us identify another northern territory that comprises modern Central Asia, or what we know today as the former Soviet Union.

Magog might also include modern-day Afghanistan. This region alone is comprised of more than 90 million people, and they are predominantly Muslim. In fact, as we go around this coalition, you'll see the unifying thread of the coalition should it come together in our generation is the religion of Islam, a religion that believes that Israel as a nation is squatting on their land, and they would like to see the nation Israel annihilated. The next coalition member, according to Ezekiel, is Persia, or modern-day Iran, a country openly anti-Jew. The president of Iran said this recently, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation.

This regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm. He said further, a new Middle East will prevail without the existence of Israel. Still again, he said, the Zionists and their protectors, so us, are the most detested people in all of humanity, and our hatred is increasing every day.

One more quote from this winsome man. Israel is destined for destruction and will soon disappear. Even now, ladies and gentlemen, the internal news media of Iran, which never quite makes it to the forefront of our news media, is talking about the preparations of what they are openly calling the Great War. They believe it will precede the coming of the great imam, the peace giver. They talk about this great war in which Israel is referred to as the beloved of the West, our beloved, because we protect it. One editorial said, and I quote, this great war is ahead of us and will break out perhaps tomorrow or in another few days or months or even in a few years, but the nation of Muslims must prepare for the great war to completely wipe out the Zionist regime and remove this cancerous growth. The ancient region of Persia is occupied now by the country known as Iran, a country that dreams openly of wiping Jews off the planet, and their quest, in fact, for nuclear power is fueled by one grand desire, that is to destroy Israel and all those who protect her. The next member of the coalition, Ezekiel says, is in the land of Cush.

Most scholars believe Cush represents the area east of Egypt and west of the Red Sea, which is modern-day Sudan. This region is extremely anti-Israel and, in fact, harbored for a number of years Osama bin Laden. It would gladly join in a coalition to attack Israel.

If it has one sliver of a chance, they will jump on board. The next member of the coalition is Putt, which I cannot do, by the way, when I play golf. You could pronounce this, perhaps, Putt or modern Libya. This is another region filled with hatred, a deepening hatred of Israel. One final member of this coalition is the modern land of Turkey, identified by Ezekiel as several smaller kingdoms.

Turkey is also an Islamic nation with a growing allegiance to Russia. Now, let me say this at this point, because this is where I think many go too far. The tribulation could be a thousand years from now. There is no biblical reference to anything either hindering the rapture or forcing it to happen. This is his hope, and perhaps it will succeed, but at this point, Israel can only wait and tremble as these armies march toward her. But then Ezekiel writes an amazing response of God. Let me read his words in chapter 38. But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger, for in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath, I will act.

How does God act? The first thing that happens in chapter 38 verse 20 is an earthquake, a decimating earthquake. Then verse 21, the next verse, the coalition turns on itself and they begin to fight one another, perhaps in the confusion, the panic.

And since all these nations are fighting together, they lose sight of who's their friend and who's their enemy. Then plagues come and torrential rainfall and hailstones the size of basketballs are hurled to the earth. And then a fire sweeps across the armies, destroying their kingdoms. Imagine in a matter of a few hours, Russia will be decimated, in fact, frankly disappears from any prophecies yet future until much later.

Imagine Iran and Libya in the Sudan and the proud armies of the eastern people who fight against Israel, destroyed and Israel never fires one shot. Now there's little doubt in my mind that the Antichrist will claim the victory as his own doing. And this will entrench him. This will give him great credibility as he takes the role of leader, not only in that world, but claims to be the leader of the entire world.

But that's, that's another study, another time. I hope you'll be with us for that. If you joined us late, you've tuned in to Wisdom for the Heart. Stephen Davey is the president of Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, North Carolina. You can learn more about Stephen and our ministry, Wisdom International, if you visit our website, which is wisdomonline.org. You can also access the audio archive of Stephen's teaching as well as the printed manuscripts. From the very beginning of this ministry, Stephen has said that we are empowered by prayer.

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