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Federally funded research at the University of Illinois has produced a microchip that can be put on skin like a temporary tattoo and is successful in linking the physical world and the cyberworld in stunning new ways, according to a university announcement.
“We think this could be an important conceptual advance in wearable electronics, to achieve something that is almost unnoticeable to the wearer,” said university electrical and computer engineering professor Todd Coleman.
Coleman helped lead the multi-disciplinary team that worked on the project that is being touted for its uses in medical monitoring as well as treatment of disorders that require links to computers.
Find out the startling evil taking place in secret that’s looking to change what it means to be a human being.
“The researchers found that, when applied to the skin of the throat, the sensors could distinguish muscle movement for simple speech,” the university report said. “The researchers have even used the electronic patches to control a video game, demonstrating the potential for human-computer interfacing.”
Coleman said the technology “can connect you to the physical world and the cyberworld in a very natural way that feels very comfortable.”
The development recalls a recent WND report about the area of study called “transhumanism,” a term often used synonymously with “human enhancement.”
Basically, it’s a sort of regenesis, altering human bodies – genetically, mechanically or both – to make them better than they’ve been for thousands of years, affording them Superman-style abilities in both brains and brawn.
Futurists describe it as being “posthuman,” the next step in what they believe to be the evolutionary process.
According to the University of Illinois, “Skin-mounted electronics have many biomedical applications, including EEG and EMG sensors to monitor nerve and muscle activity. One major advantage of skin-like circuits is that they don’t require conductive gel, tape, skin-penetrating pins or bulky wires, which can be uncomfortable for the user and limit coupling efficiency. They are much more comfortable and less cumbersome than traditional electrodes and give the wearers complete freedom of movement.”
The report said the technology will allow a more accurate understanding of how the human brain functions.
“If we want to understand brain function in a natural environment, that’s completely incompatible with EEG studies in a laboratory,” said Coleman, who has since moved to the University of California at San Diego. “The best way to do this is to record neural signals in natural settings, with devices that are invisible to the user.”
The report said the skin-mounted electronics also could be used for patients with neurological disorders, connecting them to computers.
The research was discussed in the Aug. 12 issue of the journal Science.
The new product is a circuit that bends, wrinkles and stretches with the skin, yet maintains the full functions of the sensors, LEDs, transistors, radio frequency capacitors, antennas and other components.
“We threw everything in our bag of tricks onto that platform, and then added a few other new ideas on top of those, to show that we could make it work,” Rogers said in the university report.
The chips are applied in a method similar to affixing a temporary tattoo.
Rogers collaborated with Northwestern University engineering professor Yonggang Huang to develop what they call filamentary serpentine, in which circuits are made up of squiggled wires. The circuits are mounted on a flexible surface.
“The blurring of electronics and biology is really the key point here,” Huang said in the report. “All established forms of electronics are hard, rigid. Biology is soft, elastic. It’s two different worlds. This is a way to truly integrate them.”
The scientists’ next goals, they said, are to integrate various electronics into a system and add Wi-Fi capability.
“The vision is to exploit these concepts in systems that have self-contained, integrated functionality, perhaps ultimately working in a therapeutic fashion with closed feedback control based on integrated sensors, in a coordinated manner with the body itself,” Rogers said.
WND previously has reported on chips used in hospitals to identify newborns, VeriChip’s desire to embed chips in immigrants, a government health event showcasing the product and Wal-Mart’s use of chips to track customers.
1BUT AS to the suitable times and the precise seasons and dates, brethren, you have no necessity for anything being written to you.
2For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night.
3When people are saying, All is well and secure, and, There is peace and safety, then in a moment unforeseen destruction (ruin and death) will come upon them as suddenly as labor pains come upon a woman with child; and they shall by no means escape, for there will be no escape.
4But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.
5For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness.
6Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect).
7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night.
8But we belong to the day; therefore, let us be sober and put on the breastplate (corslet) of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
9For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)
10Who died for us so that whether we are still alive or are dead [at Christ's appearing], we might live together with Him and share His life.
11Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing.
12Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]–your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you.
13And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
14And we earnestly beseech you, brethren, admonish (warn and seriously advise) those who are out of line [the loafers, the disorderly, and the unruly]; encourage the timid and fainthearted, help and give your support to the weak souls, [and] be very patient with everybody [always keeping your temper].
15See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.
16Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);
17Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];
18Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].
19Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit;
20Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].
21But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.
22Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.
23And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
24Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].
25Brethren, pray for us.
26Greet all the brethren with a sacred kiss.
27I solemnly charge you [in the name of] the Lord to have this letter read before all the brethren.
28The grace (the unmerited favor and blessings) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. Amen, (so be it). — Amplified Bible
According to the Bible an unprecedented war will occur in the future. It will be fought on land and sea, in the heavens above, and in the earth below, in the physical and spiritual worlds. It will include “Michael and his angels [fighting] against the dragon; and the dragon [fighting] and his angels” (Rev. 12:7).
Heretics will join the battle, calling upon “idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood” (Rev. 9:20) to convene their evil powers against the Christian God. They will unite with “unclean spirits….to gather them to the battle of that great day….[to] a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon ["Mount Megiddo"]” (Rev. 16:13-14;16).
The fowl of the air will “eat the flesh of the mighty” and hybrid locusts will sting the enemies of God until the omnipotent Christ utterly repels the forces of darkness and destroys the New World Army.
At least that’s the way fundamentalist Christians believe it will happen.
When reading about the war mentioned above I find particular interest in Revelation 9:1-11 where it speaks of synthesized insectoids and arthropods emerging from the bottomless pit to join the End-time battle.
Down through time myriad preachers have terrified sinners with tales of demonic locusts bursting upward from out of the abyss and torturing unfortunate earthlings during a future time of great tribulation. Is that really what the prophet saw?
Some scholars believe ‘John the Revelator’ actually beheld future technologies, and that he simply referred to them in terms he understood; i.e. a military helicopter was perceived as a giant locust whose wings sounded like “many horses running to battle” (Rev. 9:9).
I couldn’t help thinking of that theory recently when reading an Israeli newspaper report about Israel employing nanotechnology to create a robot no bigger than a hornet that could chase, photograph and kill its targets. The flying robot, nicknamed the “bionic hornet”, would be able to navigate its way down narrow alleyways to target otherwise unreachable enemies.
In the United States, similar developments has DARPA investing in Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) and mind-controlled cyborg insects as future agents of surveillance and warfare.
Then there was a report by Jim Wilson in Popular Mechanics presenting evidence supporting this interpretation of the Book of Revelation. It may even shed light on a different, much older Biblical subject — ‘the lord of the flies.’
“Ron Fearing has the future of warfare at the tip of his finger,” writes Wilson. “It isn’t pressing on the trigger of a laser death ray or button of a doomsday device. It’s holding a stubby-winged mechanical bug.”
“Flies are one of the most stable and maneuverable of all flying animals,” he goes on to quote Fearing as saying. “They are the jet fighters of the animal world.”
Evidently the Pentagon agrees and is working with engineers and biologists to create a lethal arsenal of micro-mechanical fighting bugs that combine insect aerodynamics with GPS navigation and molecular electronics.
Micro air vehicles (MAVs) represent one of the most fantastic opportunities for military surveillance and weapons delivery. “When perfected,” Wilson points out, “Fearing’s stainless steel and Mylar robot flies will be able to flap their way into the most secret places on Earth–the bunkers where Saddam Hussein plans his genocidal campaigns, and where Chinese spymasters plot their raids on America’s nuclear weapons laboratories.”
Consider these scenarios from Popular Mechanics:
Alan H. Epstein, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), recently described….GPS-guided MAVs landing on structurally critical points along bridges deep in enemy territory. Each MAV would carry a small piece of shaped-charge plastique. Responding to a command transmitted from half a world away, the MAVs would explode in sequence, bringing down the bridge with only one-hundredth of the amount of explosives required by a pinpoint-accurate smart bomb.
Some military strategists envision swarms of robot flies fluttering onto battlefields. Scout flies, equipped with miniature cameras, would do the work of reconnaissance teams by eavesdropping on tactical communications and sending back real-time videos of enemy positions. Sniper flies would seek out field commanders, recognizing them by the iris patterns of their eyes….Then, they would become the 21st century incarnation of the tribesman’s poison dart as they hurled themselves into the carotid arteries of their targets.
Meanwhile, titanium-tipped robot flies too small to register on radar screens would gather in the weeds at the end of enemy runways. Then, rising as a swarm, they would allow themselves to be sucked into jet engine air intakes. The MAVs’ titanium bodies would fracture the whirling turbine blades and send a rain of red-hot fragments through thousands of pounds of jet fuel and ammunition.
While such stratagems obviously appeal to the highest levels of US military intelligence, theologians could be troubled by the glaring similarities between MAV technology and fundamentalists predictions of an end-time spiral by mankind into a cataclysmic war where locust-sized weapons are “given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power” (Rev. 9:3).
When one considers the exponential achievements of modern science and humanity’s newfound interest in playing god, the inevitability of soul-free soldier-clones keeping eye on a biometric chip-implanted humanity with the help of GPS controlled micro air vehicles… well, it just kind of takes the fun out of wondering where our once-idyllic world is headed.
On the other hand, fundamentalists Christians may have been right all along. Perhaps our pretentious sciences are forging Armageddon.
The Bible — a book repeatedly proven to possess astounding mathematical codex’s and incomprehensibly accurate predictions — states that Jesus Christ will return at a future time and will defeat a well-equipped Antichrist army made of soldiers that kill without conscience. Could these be clones?
The Bible also depicts flying locust-weapons. Are these micro air vehicles developed by the military?
We also note the ‘MAVs’ of Revelation 9 torment those who receive the Mark of the Beast. Are we looking at GPS enabled biometric chip implants?
Whatever the case may be, it’s interesting to note that while the locust hoards of Revelation 9 are presided over by Abaddon and may have been created in human laboratories, the flying weapons of the Apocalypse ultimately do whatever Jesus commands, as every member of humanity ultimately will.
Add to the recent fallen leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and leader the fallen leader of Libya. The capital of Libya has fallen to rebel forces. Col. Moammar Gaddafi has fled from power, his whereabouts currently unknown. Over the weekend, Gaddafi’s sons were captured. “President Obama declared as much in a brief address, saying that the future of Libya ‘is in the hands of its people,’ reported the New York Times. “Emerging from his vacation home on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Mr. Obama hailed the rebels’ victory. ‘Although there will be huge challenges ahead, the events in Libya remind us that fear can give way to hope,’ he said. He pledged that the United States would seek to help the country in its attempt to establish democracy.” Meanwhile, “the Arab League and Egypt threw their weight behind Libya’s rebels on Monday as opposition forces cornered Muammar Gadhafi’s loyalists in their remaining strongholds in the capital Tripolil,” reported Haaretz.
In the near term, the people of Libya face an uncertain and turbulent future? Who exactly are these rebels and what are their intentions? Who specifically will emerge as the next leader of Libya, and what will be his attitude towards the U.S., Europe, Russia, the Islamic world and towards Israel? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, it would be useful to examine carefully what the Bible tells us about the future of Libya. After all, the nation of Libya is referred to numerous times in the Scriptures, both directly and indirectly.
In Matthew 27, for example, we learn that it was a Libyan man — Simon of Cyrene (a part of ancient Libya) – who carried the cross for our Lord Jesus.
In Acts chapter 2, we learn that God-fearing men from Libya were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost and heard the Apostle Peter preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. Some 3,000 people that days repented of their sins and became fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. It is likely that Libyans were among them since they are mentioned in the text.
In Acts 11, we learn that Libyan (Cyrene) followers of Jesus Christ helped bring the gospel to Antioch, Syria, and made disciples for Jesus there.
In Acts 13 we learn that a Libyan man — Lucius of Cyrene — becomes one of the leaders of the church at Antioch, helping send out Barnabus and Paul to take the gospel to Asia and Europe.
Again and again in the Scriptures we see that the Lord loves the people of Libya. He wants them to know Him and receive His free gift of salvation.
That said, Bible prophecy also tells us the government and many of the people of Libya will be engaged in great evil in the End of Days.
In Ezekiel 38-39, we learn that Libya is one of the nations that joins the Russian-Iranian alliance against Israel in “the last days.” In this prophecy, Ezekiel uses the name “Put.” The first century historian Flavius Josephus wrote in his famous book, The Antiquities of the Jews, that “Put” or “Phut” is “ancient Libyos.” Ancient Libyos, we know, certainly included the territory of the modern nation state we refer to today as Libya, but also included Algeria and possibly Tunisia. This tells us the no matter what the near term outcomes of the revolutions underway in North Africa are, in the not-too-distant future Libya for certain and possibly her neighbors will have virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Israel leadership who will eagerly join a coalition bent on destroying the Jews and occupy the land of Israel. Gaddafi, of course, is already such a leader. Perhaps he will ride out this storm and stay in power. Perhaps someone worse will rise up after him. Hopefully Gaddafi will be deposed and a more moderate leadership will rise up for a season before the prophecy of the “War of Gog and Magog” comes to fulfillment. Either way, the Church should be using this window of time to do everything possible to get the gospel into Libya and to strengthen the persecuted believers in Libya before the country faces God’s judgment for attacking Israel.
In Daniel 11, we learn that Libya is one of the countries that will be under the control and direction of the Antichrist in “the last days.” The Hebrew Prophet Daniel tells us that “a despicable person will arise” during “a time of tranquility” and will seize global power “by intrigue” and by “overflowing forces” in the End Times. This person, known in Christian theology as the Antichrist, ”will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.” The Bible tells us the Antichrist “will enter the Beautiful Land” — that is, Israel — and “will stretch out his hand against other countries.” Eventually, the Antichrist will gain control of the entire world and force all people who haven’t received Christ as Savior and Lord to bow and worship him or be beheaded. But the Bible specificially notes that the Antichrist ”will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians [the people of "Cush," which includes modern Sudan, Ethiopia and possible Eritrea] will follow at his heels.” It is not entirely clear why the Bible points specifically to “Libyans” and “Ethiopians” as among those who will follow and serve the Antichrist, but this is what the Lord tells us in advance will happen.
This is all the more reason the Church must seek to reach all of North Africa with the gospel of Jesus Christ before it is too late. Please be praying faithfully for Libya and all of North Africa at this critical hour.
Last year, an international crisis exploded when Israel stopped a flotilla of ships from breaking its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The incident left Israel feeling more isolated, but some Jews saw the pages of scripture coming alive through the crisis.
When Israeli commandos stormed the Turkish-owned flagship, Mavi Mamara, leading the flotilla, things quickly turned deadly. Pro-Palestinian activists attacked the soldiers, who then defended themselves. Nine activists died in the melee.
Israel acted to keep weapons out of Hamas-controlled Gaza, but that didn’t stop an international rush to judgment.
The U.N. Security Council condemned Israel and called for an investigation.
Sweden, Ireland and other nations planned boycotts against the Jewish state.
Shifting Allegiance
The incident also revealed Turkey as a major player in the Middle East, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shifting his allegiance from Israel to Iran, Syria and their axis of power.
“Turkey was a friend of Israel for much of the last six decades,” author Joel Rosenberg told CBN News.
“It’s a democracy, it’s a moderate Muslim country, it’s a NATO ally and a friend of the United States, a tourist destination spot for tens of thousands of Israelis, and yet all of that is changing right now,” Rosenberg said.
This change represents a major realignment in the Middle East.
Turkey – once a close ally of Israel and the West – is now openly courting the likes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ultimately Russia’s Vladmir Putin.
Gog and Magog Soon?
So what does this shift of power and increasing isolation of Israel mean? Some in Israel and around the world believe it reflects biblical prophecy.
“Given the fact that Ezekiel 36 and 37 have largely come true – the rebirth of Israel, Jews pouring into the Holy Land after centuries in exile, rebuilding the ancient ruins, isn’t it remotely possible that Ezekiel 38 and 39 – the war of Gog and Magog – couldn’t that come true in our lifetime also?” Rosenberg reasoned.
Following last year’s flotilla incident, the Rabbinical Council of Judea and Samaria issued a statement saying the aftermath seemed to “place us at the beginning of the Gog and Magog process, where the world is against us, but which ends with the third and final redemption.”
Gog and Magog is a biblical reference in chapters 38 and 39 of the Book of Ezekiel when a coalition of nations attack the land of Israel. No one knows whether or not this will happen soon, but many believe war in the Middle East is looming.
“As you watch the trajectory of events geopolitically here in the epicenter, the events are living up more and more in favor of Ezekiel 38 and 39 coming true, possibly sooner than most of us realize,” Rosenberg said.
Hezbollah in Lebanon now has more than 50,000 rockets for a future conflict with Israel. Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues to arm itself and Iran’s nuclear and missile programs stand poised to fulfill the mullahs’ dream of destroying the Jewish state.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while, I will once more shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake all the nations….I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.” (Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22)
Dear American Pastors:
In the last few weeks, the U.S. stock markets have tanked. Americans have lost more than $2.3 trillion in personal wealth. Our economy has nearly stalled. Some 14 million American are out of work. We may be facing a double-dip recession. Our debt is exploding. And Washington is nearly paralyzed with partisan gridlock, even as Iran is building nuclear weapons, Syria and Libya are slaughtering thousands, Egypt has imploded, and Israel is increasingly threatened. Put it simply: Storm clouds are gathering. The winds are picking up. The tectonic plates beneath us are shifting. America is being shaken. Israel and the Middle East are being shaken. The Church is being shaken. Why? Where are we headed? What is God doing? And what is He asking followers of Jesus Christ to do?
At this critical moment in our history, I would ask you to please prayerfully consider hosting a special 3-hour simulcast at your church on Saturday, October 22, 2011. It is called, “The Gathering Storm: An Urgent Call To Prayer, Fasting and Repentance for America, Israel and the Church in the Light of Bible Prophecy.” In the first hour of this event, I will teach from the Holy Scriptures, analyze current events in light of Bible prophecy, and offer practical suggestions on how Christians should respond Biblically. Then, for the next nearly two hours, I will answer questions from believers all over the country.
Among the pressing questions I look forward to addressing:
What are the current and growing economic, social, moral, and spiritual threats to America, Israel and the Church in 2011?
How high are the stakes if God’s people don’t humble themselves and pray, fast and repent in the last days?
How serious is the threat of Radical Islam to America, Israel and the Church?
How serious is the threat of Rampant Secularism to America, Israel and the Church?
Why are economic troubles and natural disasters intensifying here at home and around the world?
What will happen to America if we turn our back on the nation of Israel?
What does Bible prophecy say about the future of America, Israel and the Church?
What are specific, practical, Biblical steps followers of Jesus Christ can take to seek God’s mercy for America, Israel and the Church at this critical hour?
Clearly, Washington doesn’t have the answers to the fundamental moral, spiritual and financial crises we are facing. Neither does the media or academia. The Bible does. But much of the Church seems to be asleep. What’s more, there are many false teachers out there, seeking to lead Americans — including believers — down dangerous paths. That’s why I believe it is so important to call followers of Jesus Christ together and provide them sound, truthful, theologically solid, Biblical answers to the most pressing questions of our times. I hope you will find this event helpful to you in your ministry, and will choose to host the simulcast in your church and encourage your congregation to attend.
Thank you so much for your partnership in the gospel. May the Lord bless you as you continue to preach the Word of God in season and out, make disciples, and feed Christ’s sheep in these critical times.
Sincerely,
Joel C. Rosenberg
P.S. — If you’re not a pastor, please let your pastor know about “The Gathering Storm” event and encourage him to participate.
The nation of Iran was called Persia, its Biblical name, until 1935. Persia was one of the former great empires of the world, ruling from 539 B.C. to 331 B.C, until they were conquered by Alexander the Great. Kings such as Cyrus the Great, Darius, Ahasuerus (commonly known as Xerxes), and Artaxerxes ruled this once great empire. Persia was also the setting for the book in the Bible entitled Esther. Ironically, the book of Esther tells how a Jewish girl became the queen of Persia and how God used her to save her people from a plot to destroy them. The book also explains how a special festival, called Purim, was established to remember and celebrate the deliverance that the Jews had experienced. Purim is derived from the Persian word pur, meaning ‘lot’. It recalls how Haman, the enemy of the Jews, cast lots to determine the best day to carry out his plan to exterminate them.
It would appear not much has changed in 2,500 years. A ‘spirit of Haman’ still influences the leaders of Iran in the present day. I quote now from The New York Times (October 27, 2005). “Iran’s conservative new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Wednesday that Israel must be ‘wiped off the map’…Referring to comments by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution, Ahmadinejad said, ‘As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map”. Don’t think it is just Iran’s President who believes this. He is only a puppet of the Ayatollahs who actually run the government. Amazingly, Psalm 83:2, 4, is prophetic for our day. It says, “For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you (God) have raised their heads. They say, ‘Come, LET US WIPE THEM OUT AS A NATION; let the name of Israel be remembered no more”. Iran’s leaders, in their hatred of Israel, have become a self-fulfilling prophecy by quoting Psalm 83:4. One day soon, according to the prophet Ezekiel, Iran will experience a 7-fold judgment from God. Its end has been decreed.
Unknown to many, Iran is an important player in the Bible’s prophecies of the end of days. It was 2,600 years ago, prior to Persia even becoming a world empire, that the prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of the future that most every Biblical scholar agrees is speaking of the time period in which we are currently living. Specifically, in Ezekiel 38, there is a list of nations that will come together at the end of days for the express purpose of destroying the nation of Israel. This battle has been traditionally called the ‘Gog and Magog’ war. Among those nations listed is Turkey, who is identified by multiple ancient place names/locations that existed within that country’s current borders (i.e., Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Togarmah). Also, Libya is identified. Some Bible translations use the word ‘Put’, which is simply the Hebrew place name for the area currently occupied by present-day Libya. Finally, Iran has been singled out by its ancient name Persia (Ezekiel 38:5).
This coalition of nations, and the Bible implies many more nations with them, will make an all-out assault on Israel at the end of days with the intention of destroying her. God told Ezekiel that this event would occur in the “latter years” (Ezekiel 38:8). At the last moment it will look like Israel will be wiped out, but God will intervene and Iran and the other nations will suffer a 7-fold judgement from God – a great earthquake, pestilence, bloodshed, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:19-22). To be sure, God will not need Israeli airplanes and troops to get this accomplished. In fact, the context of the Scripture implies that this event occurs when Israel is isolated by the nations, as is happening now, and is vulnerable to attack precisely because they are unable to rely on friends and allies. This is also occurring with each passing day.
When God makes Iran and the other nations an example of His divine judgement, He also reveals His divine purpose. Seven times, God’s perfect number, He makes similar statements as the one found in Ezekiel 39:7, “my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel…and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” There you have the reason for God’s intervention. God’s coming judgement on Iran and the other nations with them will be to reveal Himself, to magnify Himself, to reveal His holiness, to glorify Himself, and to make Himself known in the eyes of many nations – all these phrases found in the Book of Ezekiel. God intervenes on behalf of Israel in order to reveal to the nations that He is God alone, that the prophecies of old that spoke of Him are true, and that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah who came to bring salvation to all of mankind.
Additionally, revival will come to Israel. At the end of Ezekiel 39 it says that God will pour out His Spirit upon the house of Israel. God says, “then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land (prophecy fulfilled May 1948), and left none of them captive any longer. And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:28-29). According to the Apostle Peter in the New Testament, only Jesus Christ has been given this authority to pour out the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:33, Peter said, in referring to Jesus upon His resurrection, “…being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear”. On that day, Jesus Christ will gloriously reveal Himself to Israel and an unbelieving world as the one true Savior, Lord, Messiah, and God!
As it regards the nation of Iran and the other participating nations, they may want to consider the Bible’s graphic description of the aftermath of this judgement captured in Ezekiel 39. It says, “For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land” (v. 12). Then the Lord, speaking through the Prophet Ezekiel says, “Speak to the birds of every sort and to all the beasts of the field, ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth…” (Ezekiel 39:17-18). God says that one day He is going to make a feast out of these fallen armies for all kinds of scavengers. Iran’s destiny and end has been decreed. The Persian people need Jesus Christ. They need their eyes to be opened, the same way that King Ahasuerus’ eyes were opened because of a young Jewish girl named Esther.
1FOR BEHOLD, the day comes that shall burn like an oven, and all the proud and arrogant, yes, and all that do wickedly and are lawless, shall be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
2But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves [released] from the stall and leap for joy.
3And you shall tread down the lawless and wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts.
4[Earnestly] remember the law of Moses, My servant, the statutes and the ordinances which I commanded him on [Mount] Horeb [to give] to all Israel.
5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
6And he shall turn and reconcile the hearts of the [estranged] fathers to the [ungodly] children, and the hearts of the [rebellious] children to [the piety of] their fathers [a reconciliation produced by repentance of the ungodly], lest I come and smite the land with a curse and a ban of utter destruction.
1AND YOU, son of man, prophesy against Gog, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince (ruler) of Rosh, of Meshech, and of Tubal.
2And I will turn you about and will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north and will lead you against the mountains of Israel;
3And I will smite your bow from your left hand and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.
4You shall fall [dead] upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your hosts and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken [it], says the Lord God.
6I will send fire on Magog and upon those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].
7And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name any more; and the nations shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
8Behold, it is coming and it will be done, says the Lord God; that is the day of which I have spoken.
9And [when you, Gog, are no longer] they who dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth and shall set on fire and burn the battle gear, the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, the handspikes or riding whips and the spears; and they shall burn them as fuel for seven years,
10So that My people shall take no firewood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they shall make their fires of the weapons. And they shall despoil those who despoiled them and plunder those who plundered them, says the Lord God.
11And in that day, I will give to Gog a place for burial there in Israel, the valley of those who pass through on the east side in front of the [Dead] Sea [the highway between Syria, Petra, and Egypt], and it will delay and stop those who pass through. And there shall they [a]bury Gog and all his multitude, and they shall call it the Valley of Hamon-gog [multitude of Gog].
12For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, that they may cleanse the land.
13Yes, all the people of the land will bury them, and it shall bring them renown in the day that I shall be glorified, says the Lord God.
14And they shall set apart men to work continually who shall pass through the land, men commissioned to bury, with the help of those who are passing by, those bodies that lie unburied on the face of the ground, in order to cleanse the land. After the end of seven months they shall make their search.
15And when these pass through the land and anyone sees a human bone, he shall set up a marker by it as a sign to the buriers, until they have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog or of Gog’s multitude.
16And Hamonah [multitude] shall also be the name of the city [of the dead]. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
17And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Say to the birds of prey of every sort and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves and come, gather from every side to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, even a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel at which you may eat flesh and drink blood.
18You shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, of goats, and of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan [east of the Jordan].
19And you shall eat fat till you are filled and drink blood till you are drunk at the sacrificial feast which I am preparing for you.
20And you shall be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mighty men, and with soldiers of every kind, says the Lord God.
21And I will manifest My honor and glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see My judgment and justice [in the punishment] which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them.
22So the house of Israel shall know, understand, and realize beyond all question that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.
23And the nations shall know, understand, and realize positively that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they trespassed against Me; and I hid My face from them. So I gave them into the hand of their enemies and they all fell [into captivity or were slain] by the power of the sword.
24According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them and hid My face from them.
25Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now will I reverse the captivity of Jacob and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel and will be jealous for My holy name.
26They shall forget their shame and self-reproach and all their treachery and unfaithfulness in which they have transgressed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land and there is none who makes them afraid.
27When I have brought them again from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and My justice and holiness are set apart and vindicated through them in the sight of many nations,
28Then shall they know, understand, and realize positively that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into captivity and exile among the nations and then gathered them to their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations any more [in the latter days].
29Neither will I hide My face any more then from them, when I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord God. — Amplified Bible
Footnotes:
Ezekiel 39:11 The number of dead bodies left after the great catastrophe which God will send upon Gog and his hosts would necessarily amount to several millions. Their graves would naturally interfere with traffic on the interstate highway. The dead will not be slain in battle. God will slay them by a great “cosmic catastrophe” (Ezek. 38:18-23). And not just some, but “all” of Gog’s multitude will die then (Ezek. 39:4, 11); before they have had a chance to use their weapons, God will strike them from their hands (Ezek. 39:3). That one-sixth of the horde from the north will be left alive, as the King James Version says (Ezek. 39:2), is without noted exception conceded to be a mistaken translation by all authorities of modern times.
2Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of [a]Magog, the prince of Rosh, of Meshech, and of Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3And say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince (ruler) of Rosh, of Meshech, and of Tubal.
4And I will turn you back and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords–
5Persia, Cush, and Put or Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet,
6Gomer and all his hordes, the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north and all his hordes–many people are with you.
7You [Gog] be prepared; yes, prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and you be a guard and a commander for them.
8After many days you shall be visited and mustered [for service]; in the latter years you shall go against the land that is restored from the ravages of the sword, where people are gathered out of many nations upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste; but its [people] are brought forth out of the nations and they shall dwell securely, all of them.
9You shall ascend and come like a storm; you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your hosts and many people with you.
10Thus says the Lord God: At the same time thoughts shall come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.
11And you will say, I will go up against an open country [the land of unwalled villages]; I will fall upon those who are at rest, who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates,
12To take spoil and prey, to turn your hand upon the desolate places now inhabited and assail the people gathered out of the nations, who have obtained livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth [Palestine].
13Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all their lionlike cubs [or satellite areas], shall say to you, Have you come to take spoil? Have you gathered your hosts to take the prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take a great spoil?
14Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: In that day when My people Israel dwell securely, will you not know it and be aroused?
15And you will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army.
16And you shall come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. In the latter days I will bring you against My land, that the nations may know, understand, and realize Me when My holiness shall be vindicated through you [vindicated and honored in your overwhelming destruction], O Gog, before their eyes.
17Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I have spoken in olden times by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for years that I would bring you [Gog] against them?
18But in that day when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, My wrath shall come up into My nostrils.
19For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I said, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking or cosmic catastrophe in the land of Israel,
20So that the fishes of the sea and the birds of the heavens, 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 tremble and shake at My presence; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steep places shall fall and every wall [natural or artificial] shall fall to the ground.
21And I will call for a sword against [Gog] throughout all My mountains, says the Lord God, every man’s sword shall be against his brother [over the dividing of booty].
22And with pestilence and with bloodshed will I enter into judgment with [Gog], and I will rain upon him and upon his hordes and upon the many peoples that are with him torrents of rain and great hailstones, fire and brimstone.
23Thus will I demonstrate My greatness and My holiness, and I will be recognized, understood, and known in the eyes of many nations; yes, they shall know that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service]. — Amplified Bible
Footnotes:
Ezekiel 38:2 Gog is a symbolic name, representing the leader of the world powers antagonistic to God (see also Rev. 20:8). Meshech and Tubal are understood to have been the same as the Moschi and Tibareni of the Greeks–tribes that inhabited regions in the Caucasus. Rosh, which some would identify with Russia, must have designated a land and people somewhere in the same area. And therefore the Gog of Ezekiel must be viewed as in some sense the head of the high regions in the northwest of Asia. (Patrick Fairbairn, The Imperial Bible-dictionary).
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