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By Jason Charles on 10/6/2015 (9 years 81 days ago) Theology & Religion
In 1971 speaking to state legislators, then Governor Ronald Reagan regurgitated a widely held view of prophecy when he stated,
“Ezekiel tells us that Gog, the nation that will lead all of the other powers against Israel, will come out of the north. Biblical scholars have been saying for generations that Gog must be Russia. What other powerful nation is to the north of Israel? None."
This idea of Russia being the great Beast, that would rise up in the End Times to make war with Israel is one of many false interpretations of prophecy that can now FINALLY be laid to rest. This dispensationalist view of end times prophecy was made over a century ago via the Scofield Reference Bible. The controversy surrounding Russia as being the initiator and aggressor in this war against Israel is detailed out in this commentary taken directly from the Scofield Bible which was originally published in 1909.
"Gog - That the primary reference is to the northern (European) powers, headed up by Russia, all agree. The whole passage should be read in connection with Zechariah 12:1-4 ; 14:1-9 ; Matthew 24:14-30 ; Revelation 14:14-20 ; 19:17-21, "gog" is the prince, "Magog," his land. The reference to Meshech and Tubal (Moscow and Tobolsk) is a clear mark of identification. Russia and the northern powers have been the latest persecutors of dispersed Israel, and it is congruous both with divine justice and with the covenants (e.g. (See Scofield "Genesis 15:18") See Scofield " Deuteronomy 30:3 " that destruction should fall at the climax of the last mad attempt to exterminate the remnant of Israel in Jerusalem. The whole prophecy belongs to the yet future "day of Jehovah" ; Isaiah 2:10-22 ; Revelation 19:11-21 and to the battle of Armageddon Revelation 16:14 See Scofield " Revelation 19:19 " but includes also the final revolt of the nations at the close of the kingdom-age. Revelation 20:7-9 ."
As you can see this viewpoint at that time was so widespread, that even Ronald Reagan was caught spouting off this particular prophecy "theory" as if it was the end all, be all of prophetic interpretation. Sadly, almost all of the prophetic books, timelines, and seminary eschatological teachings are built off of this model of interpretation. If you have been around the church for any period of time, no question you have run across people that emphatically finger Russia as the aggressor in end times events.
During the earliest part of the 1970's when Ronald Reagan made these statements, the Christian world was caught up in a whirlwind of prophetic foreshadowing largely due to the bestselling book by Hal Lindsey called The Late Great Planet Earth. A book that sold millions of copies and was even made into a movie narrated by Orson Wells and was largely based on the dispensationalist interpretation found in the Scofield Bible surrounding these verses in Ezekiel 38.
Here we are in 2015 and so much of the Scofield Bible and dispensationalist view point has not only proven to be wrong, it can almost be looked at as a device of the enemy to deceive Christians. When we think about our enemy the devil, never ever discount his ability to analyze human nature and lay multi-generational plans to bring about his one-world, global empire. The 1909 edition of the Scofield Bible in my opinion was seeded into Christian thinking by our spiritual enemy. The amount of chaos and backward thinking that has been accepted as infallible doctrine as result of the Scofield Reference Bible is legion. One cannot simple untangle it's twisted web without stepping on the toes of so many famous and authoritative men of God who accepted the commentary found in these books without question. Some have hung their entire careers on its doctrines. I can't help but think that the Pharisees were the same way in Jesus' time. Some men would rather die and risk hell than have their worldview regarding Biblical Doctrine and Prophecy upset and shown to be a lie. The amount of pride wrapped up in one's ability to interpret prophetic scripture accurately is a source of major ego bloat for many so called Christian laymen and leaders alike. You better believe in Jesus' times he upset these false prophet's understanding of prophecy big time, and God will undoubtedly do the same in our time as he flips everything these would be modern prophets think they know about prophecy on its head. Be very careful who you take instruction from in these days on end time events, no one has made that fact more clear than the actions of Vladimir Putin in these past weeks.
Russia a Christian Superpower? Bet You Didn't See that Coming?
Hal Lindsey wrote a second book entitled The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon, where he predicted that "the decade of the 1980s could very well be the last decade of history as we know it". This prediction was based off the fallacious thinking that Matthew 24: 32-34 predicted the generation that saw Israel's return would be the last generation before Christ came back to Earth. You can bet that this statement had a dramatic impact on how Ronald Reagan viewed his presidency given the above quote. The Cold War could easily been seen as a fulfillment of everything laid out in these books during that time. Unfortunately for Hal Lindsey none of this came true. The Soviet Empire pathetically collapsed, communism was shown to be a total failure, and Russia never invaded Israel nor attempted to draw in other allies to destroy Israel.
Instead, America has now fallen to communistic philosophies, we are totally lost morally, we have legislated every Constitutional Right we have away, and our foreign policy is as aggressive and destructive as any empire in history, if not the most destructive. And who is our allies in all of this aggressive unilateral action? Israel, Saudi Arabia and other NATO actors, that's who.
Instead of rising up against Israel as some aggressive communist state, Vladimir Putin has decried the West's promotion of communist ideologies and Godlessness. In a speech he made this last July he said,
“Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values. Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan. This is the path to degradation.”
This is what you didn't read in all of these prophecy books that flooded the market place over the years. America has become more Beast-like in the past 30 years than Russia had been in the last 100, we aren't just a minor component of Global Government we are THE engine of Global Government. We are the aggressors in almost all wars abroad globally. It is our political leaders that are the culprits who have been utilizing American backed, Saudi supplied and Israel trained rebel/ISIS fighters to take out democratically elected leaders and countries all over the middle east. This agenda started with the Bush administration and has only expanded under the Obama administration. This is the honest to God truth, it is time we start rethinking everything we know about end times. Every bit of past prophetic thought has collapsed in light of who the real global aggressors and players are. These false prophets have all turned out to be horribly wrong, and they make Christians who still buy into this satanic deception and chess game look like hypocritical dupes as they back warmongering nations. No wonder to the unsaved world Christians are perceived as bigoted warmongers that reflect nothing of the peaceful teachings of Christ. Their beliefs on end times are filled with preconceptions, all based on misinterpretations of scripture. They defend evil actions by their own nations because of these preconceived notions of prophecy.
Putin Vs. the New World Order
In what has to be the most deviant act in history towards the agenda of the global, New World Order elite, Vladimir Putin has conducted multiple air strikes on American backed ISIS terrorists cells all throughout Syria. Russian sources made these statements this week on the heels of a major offensive,
"... Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: "Over the past 24 hours, Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24M fighter jets have performed 20 sorties and hit nine Islamic State installations.
“A bunker-busting BETAB-500 air bomb dropped from a Sukhoi Su-34 bomber near Raqqa has eliminated the command post of one of the terror groups, together with an underground storage facility for explosives and munitions.
"These and other highly exact means of attack in recent days have been used to target objects of Islamic State terrorists: command posts, stores of weapons and oil products, workshops where weapons of suicide bombers are made."(Express.co.uk)
Russia has shown the world that ISIS is nothing more than a CIA/Mossad controlled proxy army to bring about the Globalist plan of a "Greater Israel", nothing about it has proven to be organic. Without the US backing, it is but a fictional entity allowed to terrorize the nation of Syria and Iraq. In a extremely rare showing of his cards, the architect of the New World Order plan there in the middle east, Zbigniew Brzezinski threatened military action against Russia this week. He was so incensed that Russia dared disrupt his multi-decade long plan of bringing about the collapse of Syria that he wrote an opt-ed piece in the Financial times where he said,
"...evidence of a dangerous desire to highlight American political impotence... ...In these rapidly unfolding circumstances the U.S. has only one real option if it is to protect its wider stakes in the region: to convey to Moscow the demand that it cease and desist from military actions that directly affect American assets," he said.
"The Russian naval and air presences in Syria are vulnerable, isolated geographically from their homeland," Brzezinski noted. "They could be 'disarmed' if they persist in provoking the US."(Politico)
When a man like Brzezinski makes statements like this against Russia you know that Vladimir Putin has hit a major nerve. Just in case you may not believe the reports regarding the military hegemony established by the Russian military there in Syria, it was reported just recently that 4 Israeli F-16 fighters attempted to enter Syrian airspace and just nearly avoided being shot down by 6 Russian military SU-30 SM fighter jets. The Israeli jets had to divert at high speed back into Lebanon airspace as reported by a French source just this week. If reports are correct he is also amassing a 150,000 man army in the region, the man is not playing around.
One of the most beautifully ironic and perfectly fitting descriptions of Israel being a false God of the Christian church, Netanyahu himself is having to travel to Russia to meet with Russian military heads in what can only be seen as humiliating defeat in foreign policy terms.
"...despite reports that Russia informed Washington and Jerusalem in advance of its air missions. Israel is among the losers, notwithstanding boasting by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Tuesday that Israel doesn’t need to coordinate its actions in Syria with Russia. Really? If so, then why did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself travel with the chief of staff and head of military intelligence to meet in Moscow two weeks ago? And why is the deputy chief of staff traveling next week to meet with his Russian counterpart? Of course, to have talks on “deconfliction” to avoid accidental clashes between Israel and the Russia armies."(JPOST)
If modern Israel was really the chosen nation, and can do no evil in the eyes of God, and would be righteously avenged by God against all those that would thwart Israeli plans then going to Russia and having to kiss the ring of Putin would never have happened. This is just another telling example, that everything you think you know about prophecy is based on the prideful interpretations of men seeking glory and fame in the eyes of other men. Netanyahu has just been emasculated along with Obama in a very public and humiliating way by Vladimir Putin over this row in Syria. I don't see how the actions of these past few weeks fit into anyone's view of prophecy, nobody could of predicted that the events would of unfolded like they have, and I bet more surprises are to come so buckle your seat belts.
It is Not for You to Know
So I implore every Christian out there that thinks they know a thing or two about the role America, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey , Russia, etc may have in prophecy to rethink all of their biases and preconceived notions in this regard. Everything we have been taught over the course of the last 100 years has turned out to be absolute drivel. A prime example of this is John Hagee and Jonathan Cahn freaking everybody out over the Blood Moons and comets and all sorts of other prophetic nonsense. None of what they said came true this last month and if this was Old Testament Israel they would have been dragged outside the city and stoned until dead.
" But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. " Deuteronomy 18:20
But like Hal Lindsey in the 80's they sold their prophetic fear mongering books, raked in millions of dollars in profits and once again made all of Christianity look like complete fools as result of their fanatical quackery.
As far as any of us know the enemy is using all of these false prophets to throw the Christian body of believers off the real trail of the real New World Order, and the real lineage that will beget a false messiah. I am sure Israel plays a huge role in all of this but judging by the way they have conducted themselves internationally alongside players like America, and Saudi Arabia they are not on the side of God and not on the side of Good. Instead it is America that has been playing out the role of the evil aggressive empire Gog, and Russia on the other hand has out of the blue become the savior of the Syrian people, many of whom are persecuted Christians. In Syria they welcome Putin with open arms. Due to Putin's intervention in Syria who knows how many Christian lives have been saved considering it is the Christian communities in Iraq and Syria that have seen massive, barbaric persecution by the CIA backed ISIS terrorists. If there is anyone that is anti-Christ in word and deed it is Obama who denies access to Iraqi Christians seeking refuge here in the states, he is the one that enables Christian persecution at home and abroad, he is the one that fails to decry Christians being shot point blank in our schools. He instead condones and facilitates Christian persecution.
So remember how the tables have turned the next time you hear a would be televangelist prophet like John Hagee start worshiping Israel, and running his mouth about the blood moons and God's timeline. These guys are apologists for Satan's New World Order, deceiving the elect with their lies, if there was any justice in the world anybody getting up on a national stage and promoting such things would be struck down by lightening.
Jesus could not be any more clear in the opening passage of Acts Chapter One when the disciples asked him when he would return to restore His Kingdom, Jesus rebuked them all sensing this prophecy obsessed spirit,
"And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power."Acts 1:7
That means anyone who claims to know the role that Obama, Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin may have in God's prophetic timeline are acting in their own power and their own wisdom and not God's. They are taking from God something solely reserved to Him and Him alone and promoting it as their own pet theory as if it were from God himself. That is blasphemy, that is beyond prideful and this sin of prophetic obsession needs to be repented of by a huge faction of Christians. How many times do these guys need to be wrong before you stop listening to their radio shows, buying their books, and regurgitating their nonsense to friends and families. They make you look foolish and in the end they just whitewash the evils of Israel and America. Evil is evil and as far as any of us know, God could raise up a Christian nation in Russia and bring down America just like that. I am personally sick of all this prophecy mumbo jumbo that dominates the church atmosphere anymore. Wake up and let's put our hands to the plow, if we are to restore this nation to its former glory than we can't get caught up in fantasies about our role in prophecy and how great America is, because America has long ago ceased from being great, and that is largely due to the fact the American church has ceased from speaking truth to power and instead goes along with evil. So much of that has to do with the seeds and lies of the devil that were planted many years ago. Just think how much division in the Body of Christ over these ideas about prophecy have occurred in the last 100 years. All of these imaginary concepts like pre-tribulation rapture, Israel/Zionist worship, Russia as Gog etc, are all a result of the dispensationalist view found in the Scofield Bible. They came about a hundred years ago, and have no basis in scripture. These ideas are absent for over 1900 years and have never been adhered to in church history until recently.
It is time to root the tares of prophetic false doctrine out of churches, and get back to the business of winning souls to Christ and standing up against the evil in our political, educational and social institutions. This and only this is what Jesus instructed us to do. This preoccupation with prophecy doesn't make us more spiritual it makes us thief's of God's mystery and future promise to his people.
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