By Timothy Johnson
Preacher’s Point
Over the weekend, Iran launched 300+ drones and missiles toward Israel. The Western powerhouse nations of the United States, Great Britain, and France, along with Jordan, came to Israel’s aid and, along with the Israeli air force, shot down ninety-nine percent of the invasion. Authorities claim there was no significant damage. There is a seven-year-old in intensive care fighting for life because of the one percent that made it through. Authorities should reconsider the meaning of “significant damage.” After all, World War One started because of the death of one person.
The United States and others are calling on Israel not to make things worse by escalating the situation. Would other nations, if attacked by hundreds of missiles and airborne war machines from a country that has vowed to wipe you off the planet, sit back and do nothing in an attempt not to make your enemy mad? I don’t know about you, but to me, if someone shoots at someone else over 300 times, they must be pretty upset already.
Headlines from around the world are warning of war, possibly WWIII.
From the London Telegraph – “The World Stands on the Brink of All-Out War.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ar-BB1lzMD3
Newsmax – All Pieces of WWIII Interlocking. https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/blaine-holt-wwiii-iran/2024/04/13/id/1160902/
From UN News – ‘Step back from the brink,’ to avert full-scale Middle East conflict, says UN chief. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148551.
Will WWIII start by the end of the year? The month? The week? God only knows.
What does the Bible say about WWIII? The Bible speaks of WWIII as much as it does about WWI and WWII – it says nothing at all. Having numerous world wars before Christ’s return is a possibility. Not having a world war before the rapture is also a possibility.
What about Armageddon? Isn’t that the war that destroys the world? No, it is not. All the world’s armies are at Armageddon, but they are not fighting each other. The armies gather at Armageddon to fight against Christ. Revelation 19:19, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”
A reading of Revelation 19 clearly shows that “him that sat on the horse” is Jesus Christ. Armageddon is the second coming. After the battle, Christ enters the Temple at Jerusalem and establishes His kingdom, which will last 1,000 years. Armageddon is more of a new beginning than the end of all things.
Since Iran’s aerial attack on Israel, I have received dozens of emails asking if this was the beginning of the battles of Psalm 83 or Ezekiel 38-39.
The event of the weekend is neither of those Biblical prophecies.
Both prophecies list the invaders of Israel. Psalm 83 does not mention Iran. Jordan (Biblical names Ammon and Moab) is also one of the attackers in Psalm 83. Jordan played a significant role in stopping Iran’s attack this weekend. These two facts—that Iran is not named and that Jordan helped Israel instead of invading—prove that recent events do not fulfill Psalm 83.
Neither is this weekend’s aerial attack, the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39.
Ezekiel’s prophecy is a ground invasion. With that said, the attack may include aircraft, but we do know that 84% of the invading army will die in the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 39:2,4, “And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel…Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.”
Iran (Persia) is listed as one of the invaders, but Russia (Magog) is the main power behind Ezekiel’s invasion. Also included in the Ezekiel prophecy are Ukraine (Gomer), Turkey (Togarmah), Ethiopia, Libya, and several of the former Soviet Republics (Meshech and Tubal), which are Muslim states today.
The 300+ drones and missiles sent by Iran Saturday are nowhere near the scale of the invasion prophesied by Ezekiel. What happened this weekend is not Ezekiel 38-39.
Does what happened this weekend fall into Bible prophecy? If you are looking for a chapter and a verse you can point to and say, “Here it is!” you will not find one.
However, Iran’s attack fits into what Jesus said in Matthew 24:6: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
Do not fixate on the war and rumors of war part. Do not forget the end of the verse, and don’t be troubled; these things MUST come to pass. If you are a Christian, looking forward to the rapture, the Ukraine war, the war between Israel and Hamas, Iran’s attack, and all the minor conflicts the news doesn’t tell us about are all part of the plan. God is working to an end. These events are to show us that the time is at hand.
Preacher Johnson is the Pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County Indiana. Website: www.preachers-point.com; Email: [email protected]; Mail: 25 W 1200 N; Kingman IN 47952. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Timothy-Preacher-Johnson-101171088326638. All Scripture KJV.