Lesson 4 - When the Stars Fall (part 1)

Technology and Bible Prophecy

Technical Insights for

Bible Prophecy

by

Dwight Wickersheim

2018

Lesson 4 – When the Stars Fall (part 1)

Lesson 3 examined John's vision of the first four seals that are opened to begin the end-time events. History has shown that these four seals, also known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse, have already been opened and are visibly operating today. It now appears we are in the time of the green horse which has been shown to be Islam. These Muslim nations will cause death and war over 1/4 the earth.


Will Muslim Nations attack Israel?

·       Green Horse indicates war or terror over ¼ the earth.

·       The Old Testament provides some evidence of war against Israel.

·       Specific end-time wars are identified by the military technology.

o   Jeremiah 4 - Evil from the far north and great destruction

o   Evil from the north, a destroyer of nations

o   Cities in ruin and pulled down, cities are forsaken, men hide

o   The whole land is devastated – houses instantly

o   Aircraft used and Nuclear effects – no light in heavens, earthquakes

o   Joel 1,2 - Great and Mighty Northern Army

o   Noisy war horses that leap on the tops of mountains and fire that consumes before them

o   Specific nuclear effects – earthquakes, clouds darken the sky, and columns of smoke

o   Removal of the Northern Army

o   Pour out His Spirit on all mankind

o   Gather all nations for final battle with Christ and His mighty ones

o   Ezekiel 38,39 - Northern Army (Gog) and Alliances

o   Israel re-gathered to their land at the center of the world

o   Flying machines and missile warfare in the last days

o   Call for a mighty sword against the northern army

o   Nuclear warfare and radiation effects

o   Defeat of Gog of the land of Magog from the remote parts of the north.

Several Theories on Ezekiel 38-39 Prophecy

·       The prophecy is about Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, defeating Judah in 598 BC.

·       The prophecy is about the war after the millennial reign of Christ on earth.

o   Rev 20:7-9  And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.  And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

o   Many aspects in Exekiel 38, 39 do not fit the war after the millennium in Rev 20.

o   All the birds and beast invited to the supper of the Great God (Rev 19:18)

o   After this battle, Israel is re-gathered from the nations.

o   Israel now a believing nation (this happens when Christ returns).

o   The nature of the burial of the armies takes 7 years in order to cleanse the land.

o   Nations of the earth come to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

·       Others theories correlate this prophecy to the latter years before Christ’s return using the tribal names provided in Ezekiel.

o   Gog of Magog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal

o   Gomer, Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north.

o   Alliances with Persia, Ethiopia, and Put.

 

How Prophets identify Nations/Kingdoms

·       The ancient name they used is similar to the name used today.

o   Dan 11:42  "Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.

·       They used the symbol of an animal to represent a kingdom or empire.  Horns, claws, mouth, wings generally represented kings or kingdoms joined together as allies within the empire. Multiple heads on the beast represent kings that have ruled, are ruling, or will rule over this empire. The color of the animal describes its nature, character, or influence.

o   Rev 17:9  "Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

o   Rev 17:10  and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

o   Rev 17:11  "And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

o   Rev 17:12  "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

·       They described the nation’s location on earth relative to the nation of Israel

o   Dan 8:5  While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.

o   Dan 8:21  "And the shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

 

National Alignments from Ezekiel 38

·       Israel – Center of the World – Ezekiel 38:12

·       The Russian and Middle East Alignment

o   Ezek 38:2  "Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

o   Ezek 38:3  and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.

o   Ezek 38:4  "And I will turn you about, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords;

o   Ezek 38:5  Persia, Ethiopia, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet;

o   Ezek 38:6  Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops-- many peoples with you.

·       The Western and Middle East Alignments – Ezekiel 38:13,

o   Ezek 38:13  "Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all its villages, will say to you, 'Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?'"'

Tribal Lands and Definitions

·       Gog of the Land of Magog – means Leader of the Land of Magog

·       Rosh – means Nation, some believe it refers to Russia

·       Magog, Meshech, and Tubal - Ancient names for the tribes and descendants of Japheth that settles in the far north from Israel.  Russia is the main territory for these tribes. However, some believe these names refer only to Turkey.  Note: Ancient Hebrew words did not have vowels so some names can be traced into modern times by their consonants.  The consonants of Meshech and Tubal are M-S(h)-C(h) and T-B-L relating to Moscow (capital of Russia) and Tobolsk (historic capital of Siberia). 

·       Beth-Togarmah – means House of Armory, Weapons are from Russia

·       Persia – during Ezekiel’s time, the Persian Empire included Iran, Media, Elam, Armenia, and the Hittites. These territories today are mainly found in Iran and Turkey (Hittites).

·       Ethiopia or Cush – during Ezekiel’s time Cush was Sudan and Ethiopia.  Some believe Cush’s descendents expanded as far east as China.

·       Put – identified as Libya in the Septuagint.

·       Gomer – Descendents of Japheth that settled in the far north or Asia Minor, possibly Turkey (member of NATO) or Ukraine.

 

Who will stop the Invasion on Israel?

·       The Protest (Eze 38:13)

o   Sheba and Dedan – Arab countries , Sheba (Yemen) and Dedan (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait)

o   Merchants of Tarshish and its Villages – Tarshish is a European port in the Mediterranean references possibly Europe and United States. 

·       Israel to Battle (Jer 4:5)

o   “Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, "Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry aloud and say, 'Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.‘”

·       The call for a Sword against the Northern Alliance

o   Ezek 38:21  "And I shall call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord GOD. "Every man's sword will be against his brother.

o   Ezek 38:22  "And with pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him; and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

·       Does the sword comes from the US to defend Israel?

o   Isa 5:26  He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation, And will whistle for it from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.

o   Isa 5:27  No one in it is weary or stumbles, None slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the belt at its waist undone, Nor its sandal strap broken.

o   Isa 5:28  Its arrows are sharp, and all its bows are bent; The hoofs of its horses seem like flint, and its chariot wheels like a whirlwind.

o   Isa 5:29  Its roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it seizes the prey, And carries it off with no one to deliver it.

o   Isa 5:30  And it shall growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.

 

 

The Northern Army is Defeated

·       Israel is not completely destroyed

o   Jer 4:23-28  I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro.  I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.  I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.  For thus says the LORD, "The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.  "For this the earth shall mourn, And the heavens above be dark, Because I have spoken, I have purposed, And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it."

·       The Northern Army is Defeated in the Middle East

o   Joel 2:20  "But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things."

·       Gog is defeated in the first attack on Israel

o   Ezek 38:18-22  "And it will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," declares the Lord GOD, "that My fury will mount up in My anger.  "And in My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.  "And the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.  "And I shall call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord GOD. "Every man's sword will be against his brother.  "And with pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him; and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone.  "And I shall magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD."'

 

The Significance of the Fifth Seal

·       John sees Christians in heaven that have been slain for their testimony.

o   Rev 6:9  And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;

·       John sees direct evidence that our souls are with Jesus in heaven at death .

·       They cry out to God, how long do we wait for your judgment on earth.

o   Rev 6:10  and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

·       The Fifth Seal states that God will not bring his judgment until later, see bowls of wrath (Rev 16-1).

o   Rev 6:11  And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.

·       Believers in Christ are still involved in the events following the fifth seal.