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US Strikes Iran - Ezekiel 38 Relevance

As many most likely know by now, the United States has joined alongside Israel to strike Iran and take out their nuclear facilities. Here are a few headlines which tell the story of what happened in case anyone is unaware of what’s happened:

The main takeaways are that

-        Iran’s most difficult-to-reach nuclear sites have been destroyed along with many more of their military officials.

-        Iran has essentially been neutralized as an effective fighting force against Israel as we have been expecting. There are limited avenues they can use to inflict damage on Israel.

-        The US showed up as a strong Israeli ally and has shown that the back Israel. These nuclear facilities were not reachable by Israel’s bombers, and America was willing to take care of it for them.

In our last letter, we analyzed how Israel’s strike on Iran fits in with prophecy as relating to the first latter-day conflict of Psalm 83. What we aim to examine now is the ramifications and implications of America’s involvement, where this leaves Iran, and how it relates to the Ezekiel 38 conflict which we firmly believe to take place as a result of the Psalm 83 war.

Iran’s Dire Position

Now that Iran’s greatest weapons have been almost completely destroyed, the nation is arguably weaker than it has ever been since this government assume power in 1979. This makes sense with Psalm 83 as they are not included in that prophesied alliance, for it has been expected that Iran must be too weak to take part in it. But like a cornered animal with nowhere to flee, this also makes Iran more dangerous as they begin to open up their options for what is considered an acceptable response. We are witnessing Iran doing things they have not done before, the reason being that they don’t have any other option:

Because of their desperation, Iran has been able to inflict some (minimal) damage on Israel, and some images of the destruction can be seen here. As we shared in our last letter, it’s seems plausible to me that Iran could weaken Israel to a degree that’s sufficient to cause the Psalm 83 Islamic nations to come against Israel, and perhaps this will be achieved through Iran’s desperate attempts. We shall see.

Relevance to Ezekiel 38 – A Sign of Timing

Yet this desperation has caused Iran to turn to their Russian ally, and it is here that we see a point of great importance concerning prophecy. The only conflict that Iran is said to be part of is that of Ezekiel 38-39, and in that context, we find Russia assuming the lead over a confederacy of nations, one of which is Iran (Ezekiel 38:5). It is critical to note the nature of Russia’s relationship with these nations. We’re told in

Ezekiel 38:7 – Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

Russia is to be a protector and defender of her allies. It’s likely that they will act on their behalf as America has just done for Israel. Indeed, this is what Iran’s ruler is seeking:

If we were to look at no other news, these headlines would cause excitement in us as they appear to align with what is prophesied. Yet Russia’s response shows that the conditions of Ezekiel 38 require much, much work to be developed. Iran has gone to Russia to plead for their help, and if our day was the day of Ezekiel 38, we would expect Russia to respond on Iran’s behalf just how America has acted on Israel’s behalf. Yet all that Iran has been offered is a “strong statement” from Russia made to the public. An analyst with CNBC explains the situation in an article aptly titled, Russia watches on as ally Iran is pummeled — and it's unlikely to go to Tehran's rescue. The article says,

“Iran has helped Russia with military drones throughout the war in Ukraine, but analysts now say there might be very little Moscow can or will to do to reciprocate.” Why is it unlikely that Russia will return the favor and help Iran in their war? The analyst says that Russia likely can’t spare any weapons as they are all needed for the Ukrainian conflict. Instead of Russia coming strongly to Iran’s side and offering to replenish their nuclear abilities, they are handing the job off to anyone else and have stated that “many nations” are willing to give Iran what’s needed – although none of these nations are named, and it’s almost certain that this is just a bluff. Russia appears to be too weak and limited to be a guard to Iran.

Another reason supplied to explain Russia’s muted response relates to the US-Russian relationship. The same CNBC analyst observes, “Russia also has to tread a fine line between placating and assisting ally Iran and keeping the U.S. sweet, as it looks to re-establish ties with Donald Trump's Russia-friendlier administration.”

But what about Russia’s “chilling response” to America and Israel that the Daily Express published? This article is a sad (but common) show of how news agencies are simply a business. They will often post some loud, scare-mongering headline, but the article itself shows that the situation is far less dire. What is this “chilling” response?” Russia said,

“The consequences of this action, including radiological ones, have yet to be assessed. But it is already obvious that a dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security. The risk of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, already engulfed in multiple crises, has increased significantly.”

Those who are familiar with the science and nature of public announcements of nations know that this is anything but “chilling” – it is as weak as it gets. A “chilling” response would be for Russia to pledge to act on Iran’s behalf just as America has done for Israel and strike US assets, but as of now, we find nothing of the sort. Instead of threatening war or Russia’s increased involvement, their statement is merely a fancy-worded observation of what just happened. In plain in English, it is merely, “We don’t know the full consequences of the strike, but things are continuing to escalate in the Middle East.” This kind of response is a clear indication that Russia isn’t planning to do anything about the strike, likely because they can’t without harming their own military interests.

The point is, Russia is not being a guard to Iran as prophecy says they will be prior their descent toward Israel. Russia’s foothold in the Middle East has been severely weakened in general, and this relates to why their aren’t being the guard that they one day will be. Things can change quickly, but as of this moment, it is an observable fact that the Ezekiel 38 conflict requires far more development and remains well into the future (and as we’ve talked about before, is something which Scripture teaches, in my view).

This statement might not be well-received by some, but this is the only honest assessment I can offer based off of Scripture and current events. To say that “Ezekiel 38 is about to be fulfilled” would seem only to act as a way to try and keep brethren excited and watching regardless of where things truly are. Such statements can work to temporarily keep people excited, but they have a “boy cried wolf” affect. My aim is to share honest assessments of what is happening and where we are regardless of whether that means a conflict seems imminent or distant. It is truth which we all desire, and this applies to understanding where we are on the prophetic timetable. Many, many things must change for the world-landscape to match the conditions of Ezekiel 38. The confederacy, Israel’s position, the position of the Tarshish powers – nothing fits today. These aspects will have to be discussed in a separate letter, but we must explain why believe these conditions are expected from prophecy.

Not a “Set Back” in Prophecy, but Just What We Expect!

Instead of being saddened by how distant the Ezekiel 38 conflict appears to, we are unaffected because this is precisely what I believe we find in prophecy. We should not expect the stage to be set for Ezekiel 38, for the Scriptures show that the Psalm 83 conflict ends in such a way that it sets the stage for Ezekiel 38. We stress this frequently, and current events only lend credence to this fact. Below, we share just a few points of the conditions before Russia comes against Israel and prophecies which show those things to be executed by Christ and the saints in the earlier proximal Islamic war of Psalm 83. We highly encourage reading these passages. If you are reading this on the website on a computer, simply hover your mouse over the passage and you should be able to view it.

-        In Ezekiel 38, Israel dwells safely (Ezekiel 38:8, 11). Israel only dwells safely when the Islamic nations “round about” are executed and Christ dwells in the land (Jeremiah 23:5-6, Ezekiel 28:24-26, 34:22-28, Zechariah 12:6, 14:5, 11, Isaiah 33:2-24, Hosea 2:18). Note in all of these passages that THE LORD is the cause for Israel’s safety, nothing else. This, along with other points to follow, shows that Christ must be in the land when Russia descends.

-        In Ezekiel 38, Israel is so safe that they have no defenses or worldly protection (Ezekiel 38:11). This is merely an emphasis of how safe Israel truly is at this time, for “all of them” dwell “without walls, and having neither bars nor gates…” These conditions exist because Christ will be their protector once he is in Israel’s midst, and he will disarm Israel to drive home the fact that Israel needs no other protection than him. See Zechariah 2:4-5 which even calls out that “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls… For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” Israel’s disarming is seen in Zechariah 9:9-10.

-        In Ezekiel 38, Israel is increased with riches which they have recently acquired, specifically goods, cattle, silver, and gold (Ezekiel 38:12-13). To no surprise, all of these things are acquired by Israel from “the heathen round about” – the Psalm 83 nations. Zechariah 14:14 answers this clearly – “the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, silver, and apparel, in great abundance.” It does not mention cattle here, but this aspect is seen in chapter 2:4-5 and is explained to be part of the reason why Israel no longer has bars or gates – “for the multitude of men and cattle therein.” 

There are yet other things that ought to be outlined, and Lord willing, we will have availability to discuss it all in a cohesive article. In the meantime, we encourage each Bible student to study the details of Ezekiel 38-39 intricately, not over-emphasizing certain aspects of the text, but taking what is written and searching for other places in the Bible which explain those same conditions.

In the days ahead, we will be watching to see whether this Iran conflict will somehow explode into a larger conflict, potentially even WWIII. If that happens, things can change very quickly. As always, we stress that the saints are in Christ’s company as he goes forth to save Israel from her Psalm 83 enemies, so we must always be watching and waiting to be gathered (Zechariah 14:5, Obadiah 1:21). There is only cause for rejoicing and preparation for our bride groom! May all of the saints be gathered soon!


In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

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