I will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet, Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarmah and the north quarters and all his bands, and many people with thee that we call the Northern Confederacy. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited. In the latter years thou shalt come unto the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste, but is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. And thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy bands, and many people with thee." Let's pause right there. Heavenly Father, I praise you. Bless the reading of your words to our hearts. May we learn together. May I say nothing amiss. May we be understanding. May you enlighten all of our minds as we look around us. May we lift up our heads. Our redemption surely draweth nigh. Lord, we believe in the imminent rapture at any moment, rapture of the church. I pray that each one here this morning, under the sound of my voice, is truly ready to meet you. And Lord, we look forward to that day. There's gonna be a meeting in the air. And then after that, there's gonna be a very difficult time on earth. I pray, Lord, that each one here knows you as Savior. If not, to get that settled, be it those teaching downstairs this morning, may you give them wisdom and direction. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Three simple little points. Number one is the Russian adversary, the Russian adversary. The second one is the Russian attack. And third one is the Russian annihilation. We've got three RAs there, Russian adversary, which is God. For God says, I am against thee, chapter 38, verse three. Thus saith the Lord God, behold, I am against thee, O Gog. chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. We've talked about last few weeks how that there's going to be a rise of the leadership of Russia and at some point in time in history I personally believe after the rapture of the church perhaps before but certainly I believe before the tribulation starts there's going to be a time when Russia and the cohorts are going to gang up on if you have your map there you can see how little Israel is a little little dot there in the middle, size of New Jersey, and of all these huge nations around them, it was said to me this morning how it is such a hatred for the Jewish people. We see it abound even in our own country. There's so much anti-Semitism because Satan hates Israel, thus those who follow Satan even unwittingly also hate him. Rosh, the prince of Russia, it's like Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Study or be diligent. So it's like there's two aspects of the same thing. And so we are to study it. And not only are we to study, but we are to be diligent in our study. We have the chief prince and we have the Prince of Rosh. It's like the same person, just different titleage, if you would. And we find that Rosh always refers to Russia historically. Rosh is Russia. You can see up there in the red, in your outline there, Russia there, et cetera. Not only historically, linguistically, geographically. In verse 15 of our text, 38.15, looks what it says in 38.15. And thou shalt come from thy place, out of the what parts? North parts. So when Bible gives directions, it's always directions in reference to whom? Israel. Always in reference to Israel. When the big wars come on the scene, the battle here, the battle of Armageddon and the battle of Gog and Magog, what is the centerpiece of every single big battle in the Bible? Israel, the battle of Armageddon and Israel. Surrounding Jerusalem, the last battle in Revelation 20. So when we think about the scriptures, Israel's such a prominent role. When you were in grade school, I was looking back there, and I don't think it's correct, but that map back there, normally when you're in school, the centerpiece of the map is the United States of America and how everything else dovetails around it, that does not do that. The centerpiece of that one's Africa. When God looks at the world, I'm telling you, the centerpiece of the world is this little dot country that is right now currently the size of New Jersey. Everything else goes out from there. So where are we? I don't even see us on this little illustration. We're not on there. We're on the opposite side of the world. So when we think, oh my goodness, how is this affecting what we're doing here? How's it affecting prophecy, what we're doing here? Probably not much at all. It's Israel, that's what you, what happens over in the Middle East is so vitally important regarding biblical prophecy. Verse three, behold, I am against thee, O Gog, and the prince of Meshech, and the table of nations. I don't believe it's really Moscow. Now, there's some disagreements now on some of the finer tunings of these countries. You go back to Genesis chapter 10, the table of nations, that's where it's not so much about countries as ethnicities. Long before there was 23andMe, is it 23andMe where you can look up who you were, who I am, where I was, how'd I get to be here? Before that, God said there's gonna be a table of nations coming off the ark, the three, and that's how God sees the world today. It's not as Americans or South Americans or Canadians. He sees it in relation to the people who came from Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Tuvalu, also part of Turkey. So you can see that in there. It's the orange color on your outline there. Those two countries, they're part of Turkey there. Turkey, as you well know, is 90, or may not have known, it's 99.8% Muslim. Turkey today. There is a conglomeration, a trilateral meeting between Turkey and Russia and Iran. They are, pictures of them holding hands now. They are in together. They are working together to have what they want done, which of course obviously is going to be the eradication of Israel. So the Russian's adversary is Christ, God himself. Verse four, we find in there also is not only in the almighty God, but there is the arch enemy Gog, and I will turn thee back and put hooks in thy jaws and will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company of bucklers and shields and all of them handling swords, How does this happen? Well, it's one of those things we're just going to trust God for. Well, we have tanks and we have AR-15s now. And I looked at one yesterday that was actually used, which I'm very thankful for, the Kentucky State Police. Logo right on it. We have we have all these weapons to use now. Why are they using horses and swords perhaps? There's been the bomb that has destroyed all all of their Silenced all the media. It's might be a good thing, but silenced all the internet and there's no computering going on So we're back to horse and buggies. They were not mad bruggies, but horse days I will turn thee back. The idea is turning around. In the Jewish mindset, often it was repenting. In this case, it's going to be, I will turn you around, I will put hooks in your jaws. Perhaps they did not want to do it if it was Vladimir Putin who is in charge of the world. He's, I don't know, I'm just guessing. Perhaps he has read his scripture, I don't know. And he said, you know what, if we go down there, it's going to be bad, because I've read chapter 39, too, and it just doesn't end very well for all of us who are going to have to fight. Fine, then, why are they coming? Well, we know Israel is of great wealth for its size, very, very wealthy, the Dead Sea, 45 billion tons of minerals, et cetera. In November 20th of 23, Russia admits it was on the verge of economic collapse. There have been so many sanctions against Russia and rightly so for their unlawful invasion and persecution and killing of the Ukrainian people. Why'd they even go? Well, the Bible says, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water, he turns it withersoever he will. What made Caesar Augustus do that taxing thing when Quirinius was governor of Syria? Possibly God, you think. What made Herod do all these wicked, you think God's yet? Yes, God's yet in control. In the darkest hour of history, the great light of the world is born. In Bethlehem town. Bethlehem town. Why did even Ham have children? Why did God allow Ham to get off the boat and have all these people have been so much against Israel? Well, God knows. What about, why did Hagar and Ishmael, why even Ishmael and all the Arab nations that have hated Israel for so long? God knows about this. And by the way, can we just say God is God and we are not? And we just have to say, I'm trusting you, Lord. I don't understand everything. Is this really soldiers and horses? I think likely so, yes. When do you say something symbolic? When the literal sense makes no sense, then we can look for maybe allegorical interpretation, but I can understand horses and swords. I've seen swords on movies. I've seen one of those, I've got one of those canes that you pull out that has a sword inside. I got it in India. I've never used it, so don't worry, probably never, hopefully never have to use it. I have a gun now, I hope I never have to use. And you probably have guns in your home you never, hope you never have to use either. But we want to be prepared. and butlers and shields and all these different things that are come down and they're gonna, for lack of a better term, whip up on Israel. That is the plan because Israel is such a terrible nation because they've done so many bad things. Hasn't Israel done so many, oh my goodness, Israel is now the agricultural wonder of the world. They have turned deserts into great agricultural things. How many, the little thumb drive you use on your computer, an Israeli, a Jewish person made it that. How many Jewish people have offered so many Nobel Prize winners in physics and all, have been Jewish? And I think pretty much the Jews don't bother you if you let them alone. But that can't be the way it's gotta be because remember, you may not know, but Islamic people are waiting for the 12th Iman. Iman, Iman, sorry, Iman. And the when he comes, there's gonna be turmoil across the world. So that's why there's so much about stirring the pot. Because when we get the pot stirred enough, the 12th Imon, who's been around since the 8th or 9th century, will appear again. And he will bring what? Peace. Peace. I'm telling you, there's only one prince that's going to bring peace. It's the Prince of Peace, Christ. And there's an anti-Semitic group in verse 5. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya. Persia, modern day Iran, 1935, they became Iran. Ethiopia, same, Ethiopia and Libya. Sudan, Sudan is one of the trainers of all the terrorist groups find themselves lodging in Sudan, I believe. Libya, Libya's pretty much, and they're all on board with Russia. We are, if you've not noticed across the world, there's becoming this dividing line of those who are communistic, who want to do, who want to run Russia, who want to rule the world on one side and their cohorts. And then there are those who do not, who are, we would call it the Western side if you want. America, England, NATO. And it is a divide, you do not see that now. Like World War I and II, you must choose a side. Oh pastor, I don't think I want to decide for Christ today because you know what? I've got time. You've got what? Time. You have no time. People go out in eternity every moment. Every moment. Just like that. Majority of them don't go to heaven either by the way. They've rejected Christ. I don't know why they'd want to reject Christ, but they do. They've been, is it possible because Satan has blinded their eyes? Lest they believe the light, the glorious knowledge of Christ? Yes. And receive him? Yes. Do you not know and understand Satan? It's a battle. It's a spiritual warfare. It is not a game. And the team just down the road from me lost in the state, sadly here, they lost in the state football tournament. I wish they would have won. But losing that game is nothing like losing your eternal soul, spirit. I rejected Christ. There is no comparison. This anti-Semitic group, Persia. Libya, all of them with shield and helmet. Verse six, we have Gomer. We find it as part of, Josephus identifies the people of Gomer as Gomerites, believe it or not, that's actual, as people living in Galatia or the western part of Turkey. Some would say it's part of Germany, et cetera. Would Germany be in an anti-Jewish conglomeration? Now, just think about it. Would Germany be in an anti-Jewish conglomeration possibly? I'm afraid Armenia and America would be an anti-Jewish conglomeration if they could control things. The house of Togarmah, Beth Togarmah, not B-E-T-H. House of Bethlehem. in Bethlehem, house of bread, Bethlehem. So Beth Torgarma, or just simply Torgarma, house of Torgarma, that also would be a northern part of Turkey, you can see there on the map. So the folks that from Genesis 10, these ethnicities that they settled, this is where they, the table, this is where they settled. Be thou prepared, verse seven, prepare thyself, thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. He's telling Israel to get, or excuse me, Russia, to get ready. Get ready to go and invade his own country. Now let me just ask you here in America, if God's gonna send evil people, as he's done in the past, into Israel to wake them up, are you even wondering why we're struggling in America? in America for many parts. And I'm not saying I'm just, I'm just throwing it out. There's a generalization. We've rejected God generally in many, in many parts of America. I trust you have not the Russian adversary to the Russian attack. Verse 38, After many days, thou shalt be visited in the latter years." Now, latter years, if you go back again and jump over to 15, I think it is 15, chapter 38, verse 15, or maybe it is verse 16, we'll see there. It's verse 16. And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days. I think the latter, last days started when Christ sort of left the earth. That's the last days. But now this is the latter days of the last days. Pastor, are you saying when Christ, I don't know when he's coming back for his church. I don't know. It could be today. Honestly, believe that. He could come back for his church and we'll meet him in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. not up in heaven for eternity. You know that, right? We're not living up in heaven for eternity. We're coming back to the earth as He rules and reigns, and then we'll live on the new earth for eternity. And I think we'll be expanding and going through all the universe. That's my personal opinion, but we are living on the new earth for eternity. It's gonna be the capital of God's universe, if you would. Be prepared. There's gonna be a Russian attack after many days, and they're going to go into Israel the latter days, after many days. We find in verse 38, brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people against the mountains of Israel, which that has been waste. Israel has been brought back. Now I grant you as an unbelief, I am not saying by any means a stretch of the imagination that we should support Israel because they're all believers. There's only about approximately 30,000 true believers in Israel. Last survey, only about 30,000. Now there are a lot of Palestinians as well. Israel is not populated by the Jew only. There's a lot of Palestinians in Israel as well. But there's a lot of Palestinians, some Palestinian believers. But Israel as a nation as a whole, they have rejected. We're gonna throw my rocks at Israel. And many in past, Martin Luther being one, and many of the old time theologians hated Israel so much and they were themselves so anti-Semitic. Why? Because Israel, I mean, they crucified Jesus. By the way, we crucified Jesus as well. It was us. It was you. It was me. He died because of my sin. He died because of your sin. And before you throw out, and before you throw out Israel with the bath water, look at our own country, how much we have rejected the truths of God's word. We have made laws that are diametrically opposed to the clear teaching of God's word, and we expect God to be okay with that. I think not. I think not. You wonder why we're not in prophecy, perhaps because we have imploded, are currently imploding now. Now, I pray for revival. I pray every day, repentance and revival. Start in the church, start with us, that we repent and be revived. been brought back with a sword, and they've turned their land into an agricultural wonder. You can go on there. You can go on two videos. One title was Israel, America, and Agriculture, and Israel is, agriculture is changing the world. You know, when they divided up the land when the treaty was made, of course, Israel doesn't have nearly the land they were supposed to have. They gave Israel the worst part of it, the desert part, and they've taken that desert part, and wow, now it's like an agricultural Bonanza! Brought back, they brought back, and they shall dwell safely. Verse eight, if you notice that interesting there, says, they shall dwell safely, all of them. That does not necessarily mean they're dwelling in peace. I think I would say security. Now I have to say, up until October the 7th, or October the 6th, I think Israel probably felt fairly safe. They had all their ducks in a row. But I think we felt fairly safe until September 11, 2001. September 10, 2001, Monday. We got it all under control. Nothing could happen here in America. And the next day, we have the attacks. I think Israel were pretty safe until now, now this last month or so, the surrogate tide has changed. They have one of the top ranked armies in the world. They have people, we send our stuff over there and they tell us how to tweak it because they're using it in real time space. Verse 9. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm. Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land. Thou and all thy bands and many people with thee, so command to Gog. Incredible, they're gonna come like a cloud to cover the land. A massive number of people, Gog, and all the troops. What's their motivation? Verse 10, thus saith the Lord God, it shall be come to pass that at the same time shall things come to thy mind that thou shalt think an evil thought. Well, it's the bad guy's plan under God's direct supervision. He is sovereign Lord. Nothing happens outside of his control. It's not like, Oh, I wonder what God's going to do now with this happening. God knows what's going to happen and he's going to be in control. And I've still gives us, I think the opportunity to choose, but he is super intending. My cats may choose to do something nefarious, which I think is on their mind continually, but I can, when that one cat of ours wants to get in the Christmas tree now, I've got the answer for her. Squirt bottle and water. And so she was, yesterday, last evening, we were wrapping presents, she was doing this thing, she lays on her back and she claws her way up under the bed. Oh, that is, it drives me bonkers. I said, I'm getting the squirt bottle. So I went, by the time I got back from my room back over to the other bedroom, she had stopped and she was sitting there and I showed her the squirt bottle. Put the fear in her, I hope. She did stop for just a moment, probably. She would go back. I'm sure not permanently stopped. You find then that they're going to come and there's going to be the fear Israel people are going to fear, but God has it yet in control. It's an evil thought. Verse 11, in either case, the specifics here, and thou shalt say, here he says, this is what you're going to say, Gog. I will go up to the land of unwalled villages. I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely in all, dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates to take a spoil and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations. That talks about how Israel has really made their land so much better. which have gotten cattle and goods that dwell in the midst of the... Why are they going? Basically, they want some booty. They want spoil. They want the alababa and the 40 thieves. Why were they thieves? So they could get money the easy way. They're gonna go up. By the way, that word up, Now if I were thinking, and I was thinking up from Russia, I'm going up, not so, Bible, that's elevation. I'm going up to 2,500, over 2,500 feet above sea levels, Jerusalem. We're gonna go up. And we're going to take over Jerusalem, verse 12, to take a spoil and take a prey to turn thy hand upon the desolate places. A spoil. I was just, one pastor estimates Israel's economy is a hundred times stronger than Russia. As you will know, I've read the statistic that people in Russia are waiting for the economy to collapse at any moment. The people in America are waiting for the economy to collapse at any moment. When our interest alone on our what we owe, our national debt comes due, you should go to the, you won't get discouraged, go to the national debt clock and watch how fast we are going further and further and further into oblivion. Yet there's gonna be this wealthy group, as you well know, Israelite Jewish people have a way to make money, they're very money savvy. Russia wants some of that. 13, and Sheba and Dinan, ethnicities currently living, we believe, in Saudi Arabia area, possibly, and the merchants of Tarshish, modern day Spain, with all the young lions thereof. I was listening to a message from a guy from Australia, and he said that he believes that these two references are to the countries like of Spain and England. And then the young whelps are those who came from England Now what country do you know of that originated from England? And those who are asking them, the young whelps, they're saying to thee, art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? To carry away our silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? Well then we're gonna stay with Israel, we're gonna go with their world. I don't see that anywhere, they're sort of silent. Sort of like. Were we in agreement to send army over to Ukraine? You see, you've signed on to do, isn't that what the NATO alliance is? If you attack that country, then we're supposed to go over and defend. Isn't that what that's supposed to be? I think so. Yet these don't do that. Oh, are you going to do that? Well, I'll just turn it the other way. I'll just look the other way while you go do your thing. The Russian adversary, the Russian attack, and in closing, the eyes on the clock, the Russian annihilation starting 14. Therefore, Son of Man prophesied saying to Gog, remember that's the leader of the Russian Confederacy. Thus saith the Lord God, in that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, thou shalt not know it, shalt thou not know it. In other words, they think not in peace, but they've got everything, they've got their ducks in a row, defense-wise. And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north part. It's interesting, you trace a line, you look right on here on your map, a straight line up from Jerusalem, it goes almost directly through Moscow, Russia. Almost directly. from the north parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army. And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against them. I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, and I will be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. My people, Israel, and my land." I'm telling you, This whoever is leading this gong, you know, I just tell you, he may have read this already. That's maybe why the Lord has to put hooks in his jaws. They're getting to turn around and because I know, I know what it says right here. This is God's land. And if we go, I've read the same old, same old, same old. The sun came up in the morning. It'll come up tomorrow morning. God's really, he's got, No, we should be awake to what God's doing. God's got a plan. This is going to happen. It is. Secondly, be thankful for his faithfulness. He remains the same. Jeremiah 31, 37. Thus saith the Lord, if heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all they have done, saith the Lord. He's not going to cast them off. They're his chosen people. I struggle with those who say God's done with Israel. He's so not done with Israel. He's so not done with Israel. Says in Romans, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid, Paul says. And thirdly, we should be ready for Christ's return. When the world's falling apart in our eyes, it is not falling apart in God's eyes. It's part of his prophetic schedule. Have you ever heard the little poem, ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down. Did you know where that comes from? 1665 in London, there was a plague called the Black Death. Ring around the rosies was referenced to a small red rash like areas that developed on people infected with the plague. Pocket full of posies, that was a reference to the ancient belief that evil smells were the poisonous breath of demons who afflicted people with the disease. So the thought was sweet smelling herbs and flowers would drive off the evil spirits. Ashes, ashes. It's called a tissue. A tissue is a reference to the sneezing that was symptom of the plague. So it really was, at first, a tissue. A tissue. We all fall down. We pretty much know that means death. So the common nursery rhyme that we sing around, ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down, was actually a reference to the 65, 1665 plague that brought death to so many. Now, you may not have known that. Not a big deal. But I'm telling you, ignorance of the truth of God's Word, that is a big deal. If you do not know Christ as Savior, you are not ready for eternity. And if you do not know Him, you need to receive Him. He died for you. Let's pray together. Heads are bowed, eyes are closed.