The Lord, in answer to the question as to what would be the sign of His coming and of the consummation of the age, warned against accepting false messiahs and drawing erroneous conclusions with reference to some conflict that might break out. He declared that wars would occur all during His absence. They indicate nothing with reference to the end of the age. Hence, whenever one should occur, the disciples were not to draw the conclusion that the closing of the age was at hand, for, declared our Lord, the following international upheaval must first come to pass: "For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and earthquakes in diverse places, but all of these things are the beginning of travail" (Matt. 24:7,8). This passage points to a world war, famine, and earthquakes in diverse places as constituting the sign of the end of the age and the coming of the Lord. Thus earthquakes are to figure prominently, declared our Lord, in connection with a world war, famines, and pestilences, which united are "the sign of the end of the age," the first birth pain (Matt. 24:8). (For a full discussion of the Olivet Discourse, read my volume Future Events Revealed according to Matthew 24 and 25.)

At the end of the first quarter of the great tribulation (Rev. 6:12-17) there will be a great and mighty earthquake, which will cause havoc throughout the world. In the middle of the tribulation an earthquake will rock Jerusalem and will destroy one-tenth of the city (Rev. 11:13). At the end of the tribulation the mightiest earthquake that has ever occurred will shake the earth so very violently that every city upon the face of the globe will be destroyed (Rev. 16:17-21). Thus the forces of nature will be used of God to forward His plans and purposes. This is in perfect harmony with the general outburst of praise set forth in Psalm 148:6-13:

6. He hath also established them forever and ever:
   He hath made a decree which shall not pass away.
   

7. Praise Jehovah from the earth
   Ye sea-monsters, and all deeps;

8. Fire and hail, snow and vapor;
   Stormy wind, fulfilling his word:

9. Mountains and all hills;
   Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10. Beasts and all cattle;
    Creeping things and flying birds;

11. Kings of the earth and all peoples;
    Princes and all judges of the earth;

12. Both young men and virgins;
    Old men and children;

13. Let them praise the name of Jehovah;
    For his name alone is exalted;
    His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

When this great shaking occurs in the land of Israel, according to Ezekiel's vision, it will be so very severe "that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and 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 shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground." In order to understand this prediction, we must remember that this wreckage is in the land of Israel; that is, in Palestine. The things mentioned must be understood as being in the territory where the earthquake occurs. Since it is said to be in Palestine, we must understand that all life affected by it is in that area. What sea is referred to in the phrase "fishes of the sea"? Does it mean the Mediterranean Sea, or the Sea of Galilee? It cannot indicate the Dead Sea because there is no life in it. Since the Sea of Galilee is in the land, it is quite likely that reference is made to it, although it is possible that it might signify the Mediterranean Sea, because it washes the western coast of the Holy Land. The birds, the animals, and the creeping things "upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth" certainly must be understood to refer to the earthquake zone, Palestine.

C. The Sword of the Lord

"And I will call for a sword against him unto all my mountains, saith the Lord Jehovah: every man's sword shall be against his brother" (Ezek. 38:21). When one hostile nation invades the territory of another, the government of the latter country calls to its man power to wield a sword against the aggressors. Such a procedure has been practiced throughout the annals of history. In this instance, as foretold by the prophet, however, God does not use men to combat the aggressors, but rather calls to His mountains for the sword. His calling to the mountains for weapons against the invaders is but a graphic, pictorial way of saying that He will slay these armies by tumbling rocks and landslides as they crash into the valley from the heights of the mountains above. Walls and buildings likewise will topple to the ground during this mighty earthquake. It is a well known fact that usually the casualties resulting from an earthquake are indeed very great. For instance, the recent one which rocked central Turkey caused the death of more people, according to reports, than have been caused by modern weapons during the four months of the European war.

When this earthquake occurs, those who are not killed by it will be thrown into utter confusion, for we are told, "every man's sword shall be against his brother." What is the significance of these words? The meaning becomes apparent in the light of such a passage as Judges 7. Here we find a record of the overthrow of the Midianite hosts which had invaded Israel, and which were encamped in the plain of Jezreel between the Hill of Moreh and Mount Gilboa. There were between 120,000 and 135,000 of the enemy. When they lay asleep in camp, Gideon with his company of three hundred men threw them into consternation and stampeded the entire army with their shouts of praise to God and the waving of the torches together with the blowing of their trumpets. The Biblical writer describes the event in the following words: "And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and Jehovah set every man's sword against his fellow, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abelmeholah, by Tabbath" (Judges 7:22). Being thrown into utter confusion and being unable to see who was near him, each soldier drew his sword and slew the man next to him-every man's sword was against his brother. A situation somewhat similar to this one is found in I Chronicles 20.

It is altogether possible, though no one would dare to assert, that this earthquake which brings about such a catastrophic judgment upon the forces of Gog as they will be encamped in Palestine will be at night. If this supposition be allowed, one can easily see how these forces will be stampeded. With an earthquake of any proportion there is always a rumbling, roaring noise. It is altogether possible that some may interpret the rocking of the land, the roaring caused by the quake, and the rolling of the stones down the mountainsides, as the result of aerial bombardment. Of course this is a mere suggestion. It is not put out as a statement of fact.

D. Pestilence

The next judgment that falls upon these forces of the invader is a pestilence from the Lord. Throughout the predictions of the Old Testament we constantly see that a pestilence is mentioned in connection with war and famine. What form this judgment will take, no one at the present time can know. From Zechariah 12 and 14, we learn that there will be pestilences or plagues from God, both upon the men and upon their horses. As to whether this pestilence, which comes upon the forces of Gog and his associates, is in the form of these mentioned by Zechariah to occur at the end of the tribulation, no one can say. It is sufficient, however, to believe that there will be such pestilences, which will reduce materially the number of those who survive the earthquake and the fighting that will be between every soldier and his neighbor.

E. Floods

"And I will rain upon him, and upon his hordes, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones." When Joshua and his forces together with the Gibeonites fought against the armies of the Amorites, chasing them from Gibeon down the pass of Beth-Horon and through the valley of Ajalon, "It came to pass as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon that Jehovah cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword" (Josh. 10:11). Thus the Lord caused hail to destroy many of the opponents of Joshua and the Israelites. Hail as a rule is accompanied by rain, and it is quite likely that there was a terrific cloud-burst at that time.

When Deborah and Barak fought against Jabin king of Hazor, whose forces were led by Sisera, the Lord sent a downpour of rain which aided the Israelites in their fight against their enemy (Judges 5:19-21):

19. The kings came and fought;
    Then fought the kings of Canaan,
    In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:
    They took no gain of money.

20. From heaven fought the stars,
    From their courses they fought against Sisera.

21. The river Kishon swept them away,
    That ancient river, the river Kishon.
    O my soul, march on with strength.

According to the prediction of Ezekiel there will be a terrific downpour of rain together with hail at the time of this earthquake, which will shake the land of Palestine from center to circumference.

F. Fire

At the time of this disaster the Lord will rain fire from heaven. He did it when Moses and Aaron, appearing before Pharaoh, brought the seventh plague upon Egypt in the form of a thunderstorm. The rain came, the hail fell, "and fire ran down unto the earth; and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt" (Ex. 9:23). From this historical reference, it is clear that the fire refers to lightning. Thus, in the future overthrow of the enemies of Israel, the storm and all of its attending destructive agencies will be brought into operation to slay the invading army.

G. Brimstone

According to Ezekiel 38:22 brimstone likewise will be rained down from heaven upon this army. What is the meaning of this prediction? A clear understanding of this passage may be obtained by reading the account of the overthrow of the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities of the Plain found in Genesis 18 and 19. The passage having a special bearing upon this event is Genesis 19:23-25:

"The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar. Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven; 25 and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground."

According to these verses the Lord Jehovah rained brimstone and fire from heaven upon the doomed cities. God, who created the universe and has sustained it throughout its existence, is able, as He declares He will, to rain fire and brimstone upon the forces of Gog in concluding this catastrophic judgment. He who believes the Bible can by faith see that this prediction will be fulfilled literally as it has been uttered.

Not only will the Lord rain down fire upon the invaders of Palestine, but according to Ezekiel 39:6, He will send forth fire on "Magog, and on them that dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Jehovah." Magog, the land of Gog, which is Russia, is in view in this passage, together with the lands of those "that dwell securely in the isles." Not only will there be an electrical storm, if this is a proper name for it, in connection with the overthrow of the hostile forces in Palestine, but there will also occur similar ones in Magog, Russia, and in those countries whose population dwells securely. The words in the original translated here as "isles" literally mean "coast lands." It does not necessarily signify a small portion of land surrounded completely by water. It is a nautical term, the viewpoint which is that of the sailor as he approaches the shore of a given country. In some instances it does refer to an island, but the word in and of itself does not inherently connote such an idea. Other facts must give us this information. It is synonymous with countries. Such is the only significance that it can have in many different places. In the passage under discussion it refers to nations which at this future time will be dwelling securely. As to what is connoted by this expression of security, I am unable to say. What nations were in the prophets view is impossible to determine. We may be sure that certain nations will dwell securely at that time and that upon them this fire will fall, bringing havoc and chaos everywhere.

IV. THE WORLD IN CHAOS

Thus far in this investigation, we have seen that the forces of Russia, Germany, Turkey, Persia, Ethiopia, and Cush and Put with all their allies and associates will be destroyed with one catastrophic blow of the Almighty after they have invaded the Holy Land. Such a stroke of annihilation of these vast armies will cripple those nations and will throw them into utter consternation. The fire that will fall from heaven upon Russia and those countries that are secure will completely annihilate the civilization and the material wealth of the same. Thus nothing but chaos and havoc, in those special sections of the world, will be in evidence on every hand. Those nations, therefore, will be rendered powerless and become a ready prey of their enemies. Such conditions as these prevailing all over the earth, Rome will have an opportunity to become a world empire as is foretold in Daniel 7:23. This question, however, will be dealt with in a later chapter.

V. GOD MAGNIFIED BEFORE THE NATIONS

"And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah" (Ezek. 38:23).

By the complete overthrow and annihilation of this invading army, God the Almighty will become known among many nations. It is not without significance that the two outstanding nations, whose leaders have largely turned away from God, are the ones that are completely overthrown by this catastrophic stroke of divine justice and judgment. It shall be as it was at the time when Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage. The Lord manifested his presence and power in such a way that no thinking person could avoid the conclusion that Almighty God had miraculously intervened and delivered Israel. At this future time, the Lord will burst forth through the natural order and will easily be recognized, figuratively speaking, by all who have eyes to see. The overthrow of these armies will be of such a nature that it will be utterly impossible to explain what has happened to them apart from direct intervention from Almighty God. Although the evidence will be crystal clear, there will be those who, not desiring the truth, will not recognize the supernatural element which will manifestly characterize the entire situation. Men become wedded to naturalistic theories to the extent that is utterly impossible for them to see and to recognize such divine intervention.

The principle enunciated in John 7:17 will find an illustration in these future events, although it is applicable at all times and under all circumstances. The import of this verse becomes very evident when studied in the light of the facts of the context. Jesus went up to Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, as we learn in the first paragraph of that chapter. Upon His arrival in the midst of the Feast, he taught the people. The Jews marveled at His wisdom saying, "How knowest this man letters, having never learned?" It was indeed a mystery to them that Jesus, who had not attended any of the rabbinical schools, could teach as He did. In reply to them, the Lord said, "My teaching is not mine, but His that sent me. If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself." The Jews could not understand the source of Christ's information. Thereupon Jesus affirmed that, if anyone desired to do God's will--God's will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else--he would have the spiritual insight and could know whether He was speaking simply as a man, giving forth His own conclusions with reference to life, morals, and the spiritual life, or whether He was speaking as a messenger from God Himself. When the Lord thus signally overthrows all these armies by employing natural means such as the earthquake, floods attended by lightning, and hail, and the supernatural elements such as the raining of brimstone out of heaven upon them to complete the annihilation of these hostile armies, these events will be such a demonstration of divine interposition that it will be impossible for anyone who will look at the facts to avoid the conclusion that this is nothing less than the judgment of the Almighty upon these godless hordes. Moreover, when the Lord sends fire, not only upon Russia, but upon all that dwell securely in the isles, all thinking people will likewise recognize the fact that this is divine interposition--a call from God for men to repent and to turn to Him.

As a rule God hides Himself and works in an obscure and unobservable manner; that is, unnoticed by the average person. When a crisis arises, however, He comes out boldly into the open, figuratively speaking, and performs His mighty acts in a manifest way, which we call miracles, in order that men's attention may be arrested and that they may have no excuse for continuing in a godless life.

"And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel" (Ezek. 39:7). As the result, or one of the results, of this miraculous interposition, a revival will start in Israel. Such is the force of the prediction contained in this verse. The mighty overthrow of these confederated enemies of God and man will be correctly interpreted by those in Israel who have a thirsting and a hungering for the Lord. Thus there will begin at that time a mighty revival among God's Chosen People.

In this connection, however, let us not think that the working of miracles, such as were wrought at the time Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage or those performed by our Lord during His personal ministry, can sustain faith, for such is not true. On this point the Lord spoke unto Moses saying. "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?" (Num. 14:11). Miracles call attention to God's presence and actions, which can be explained only by the statements found in the Word. When one thus recognizes God's presence and His overruling providence in the affairs of men, when his attention is centered upon the word of God and when he reads it to know and to do the will of God, his faith is sustained. "So belief cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). On this point our Lord declared concerning the rich man who lifted up his eyes in Hades, being in torments, that his five brothers who still remained in life would not believe, even though one should arise from the dead and deliver a message of warning to them. They had Moses and the prophets. If they would not read and believe, neither would they accept a message from one who had come back from the dead. The ability to see and recognize the presence of God and His overruling providence in any event is always conditioned upon one's thirsting for God and having a heart yearning to do His will.

God never forces any man's will. Wherever He, figuratively speaking, bursts through the natural order and performs miracles working through any of His servants, He always allows Satan to operate through his own children of disobedience and to perform similar miracles. This may be seen in the case of the magicians of Egypt who up to a certain point duplicated the miracles of Moses and Aaron, but beyond this point, which was set by the Lord, these servants of Satan were powerless. God does allow Satan to perform, in a measure, similar miracles in order that there might be a margin for the exercise of the faith of the one who has a yearning and longing for righteousness and for the will of God.

Notwithstanding the fact that the evidence crystal clear, proving beyond a doubt that this overthrow of the hostile forces is divine interposition, the majority of men will explain the unusual phenomena upon a naturalistic basis and thus count God out of His universe. The average person living then, being imbued with the spirit of the anti-religious philosophy current in our day, will explain every phase of the judgment upon a natural basis. By this materialistic philosophy, the force of the evidence of the miracle will be largely counteracted.

Notwithstanding the delusions of Satan relative to this catastrophic overthrow of these armies, there will be those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear, and hearts to understand. These will step forth upon the promises of God and take their stand upon His Word. They will begin a mighty revival which will eventually sweep the Jewish nation, bringing her, to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And eventually through saved Israel the world will be brought to the foot of the cross. That there is to be such a revival which begins in Israel before the great and terrible day of the Lord is affirmed by the prophet (Joel 2:28b-32). There cannot be any revival of the Biblical type apart from the preaching of the Word. The Lord has always approached man through his natural faculties--the seeing, hearing, and touching. Whenever the Lord wanted His Word delivered to His people, He did not thunder His message from on high, but inspired some faithful servant of His to deliver it, speaking to man in his own language. Hence, He raised up a long succession of prophets who proclaimed His Word to His people. John the Baptist broke the silence of four centuries by proclaiming that the time was fulfilled and that the kingdom of heaven was at hand; men, therefore, were called upon to repent and believe in the Gospel. After the resurrection and before the ascension, the Lord charged His disciples to go forth into all the world and to proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Men cannot believe on another of whom they have not heard, and they cannot hear without a messenger. (See Romans 10:1-16 for the proof of this proposition). In keeping with this declaration is a statement that God is seeking to save those that believe through the foolishness of preaching (I Cor. 1:21). Paul affirmed that God has committed unto men the message of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18,19). In view of these statements, and many others that might be quoted, it is evident that the Gospel must be preached in order that there may be a revival. God has always used this method. When this revival, therefore, starts in Israel after the destruction of these armies of the Northeastern Confederacy, we may be assured of the fact that the awakening and turning to God among His Chosen People will be directly the result of the preaching of the Word.

Those who are led to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the beginning of the revival in Israel will be added to the body of Christ, if the rapture has not occurred by the time it takes place. If they are thus added to the body, they will be taken out of the world when the Lord comes for His saints (I Thess. 4:14-5:11). One cannot speculate as to how long before the beginning of the tribulation this revival in Israel begins. We only know that it does start among the Chosen People prior to the great and terrible day of the Lord.

After the church has been removed from the earth, a revival will burst forth and will sweep over the world in the first half of the great tribulation period. The facts concerning it are seen from a study of Revelation 7, when this chapter is examined in the light of its context in the Book of Revelation. According to this prediction, there will be 144,000 Jewish evangelists, servants of God, who become the heralds of the cross during the tribulation. The results of their labors will be an innumerable host of saved people who come out of the great tribulation, washing their robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb. These are not the saints of the church age, but are those who hear the message delivered by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists in the first half of the great tribulation, and who accept Christ personally, washing their robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb. We may not understand the "whys" nor the "wherefores" concerning this glorious revival. Our failure to comprehend this great spiritual phenomenon does not militate against the fact that it is to be. God clearly states that such is the case. We who are willing to take His Word at its face value must accept this fact.

A study of the Book of Revelation shows that, notwithstanding the fact that the revival which sweeps the world during the first half of the tribulation is put under the ban and is outlawed in the middle of that time of distress, it will go on in a concealed and silent way, even during the latter half of the day of the Lord.

The smoldering flames of this mighty revival in Israel will break forth into a great conflagration of soul saving at the end of this period of Jacob's trouble--when all Israel living at that time will turn to God.

When this occurs, the Lord will use converted Israel in bringing the entire world to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Her turning to God and accepting her long rejected Messiah are, as all Bible students recognize, at the very end of the tribulation period. We are told that Israel in the person of her leaders will have to declare, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord," before the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth to reign. Hosea informs us that they must acknowledge their offense, which they committed against Him at His first coming, and seek His face earnestly before the Lord will arise from His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on High in order to return to earth. But she will do this someday. When she invites Him to return, He will do so. Israel will be converted in a day. Then she will become the missionary nation and bring about the conversion of the world.

The prophet (Ezek. 39:7), therefore, by the Spirit of God viewed the future world-wide revival as beginning in Israel, moving forward by stages among the Chosen People, and finally resulting in the conversion of the world.