No wonder Benjamin Netanyahu is smiling from ear to ear. The country he leads, Israel, has massive amounts of recently discovered natural gas and crude oil. Announced in October of 2015, massive oil reserves have been located in the Golan Heights, close to the country’s border with Syria. Based on geological estimates, the strata or geological zone that contains this oil is ten (10x) times the average size of most oil fields around the world. Israel long complained that every other major country in the Middle East had oil, but them. They will complain no more. Formal Israeli estimates have this field being big enough to supply Israel’s energy needs for centuries. In November of 2017, Israel also announced discovery of huge natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea (off of Israel’s coast) that could turn the country into a major exporter, transforming its geopolitical status and giving it energy independence and greater sway worldwide. Israeli officials have gone on record indicating that the natural gas find is so big, that the country will benefit from the huge influx of revenue associated with exporting natural gas to European countries and other customers.

There are three known gas fields under development; Leviathan, Tanin and Karish. Leviathan is the largest and has an estimated 613 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Leviathan should be up and running by the end of 2019, initially servicing Israel’s domestic market and Jordan. The Karish reservoir should be up and running by 2020, and then Tanin. Karish and Tanin have an estimated combined reserves of 67 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Israel is in talks (2017-2918) to export natural gas to Europe, with tentative plans to build an unprecedented, 2,200-km. subsea pipeline in the Mediterranean. It would connect gas fields off the shores of Israel and Cypress to Greece and possibly Italy, costing at least $6-7 billion. The gas could start being pumped within six to seven years. What a ‘great spoil.’!!! Ten (10) is God’s divine number of allness or completeness of anything on earth. Israel will have enough energy resources to power the country for the next 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ on earth. Yes, it has discovered that much energy wealth in just the past few years. This is a substantial turnabout or change of circumstances since Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) commented well over a century ago about the land surrounding Jerusalem as being a desolate, barren patch of desert of poverty. Thus, the great tempting spoil of crude oil only came on the scene at the end of 2015, followed by the next great spoil and discovery of natural gas at the end of 2017. Although this great spoil was prophesied thousands of year ago, the true manifestation of these spoils just came to pass. Do the ‘great spoils’ of Israel go unnoticed by Russia/Putin?

Russia will covet Israel’s ‘great spoil’ of natural gas and crude oil. Vladimir Putin visions himself a worldwide energy czar. Russia/Putin feels economically threatened by Israel’s rising stardom in the worldwide energy platform. Israel is targeting European countries with its natural gas and wants to build a pipeline to Europe. Conversely, Europe is Russia’s/Putin’s main natural gas customer and Russia’s economy would be seriously threatened if Israel succeeds in supplying Europe with natural gas, instead of natural gas being supplied by Russia/Putin. This would cripple Russia’s cash flow. Israel’s growing economic strength would become Russia’s avalanching weakness. Eventually, a light bulb will switch on in Putin’s mind regarding this great, tempting spoil.  God puts an ‘evil’ thought into Russia/Putin’s mind to attack Israel, an un-walled country to get said spoils. This may not be a current political motivation, but the Bible indicates that this evil thought will come to the mind of Russia/Putin at some point in the extremely imminent future. This will come to pass most likely when the United States is militarily gone from the Middle East picture, under Donald Trump or whoever the next president might be. Once the bully train leaves Moscow, Russia/Putin pick up a few more passengers along the way who can’t wait to jump on board. Turkey and Iran. Once the other opportunistic wannabees see what is happening, they don’t want to miss out on the party that is going to beat up on Israel, so … they also jump on the train as well. Thus is formed the Gog/Magog alliance. One big happy nut-job family, headed to gang up and beat up on Israel. All with differing intentions and motivations. There is something to be gained in beating up on Israel for everyone. How convenient! How close by! How opportunistic! How evil! Let Israel invest billions of its own funds in building an energy mining infrastructure for oil and natural gas, and then …. pounce like a bear!  After getting a prophetic butt-kicking (putting it diplomatically for children reading this), Putin along with Rouhani and Erdoğan,  will head back home, like dogs, with his tail between his legs and with and only 1/6th of his military left intact. Instead of being the energy czar of the world, he will sit in his corner, facing the wall with a dunce cap on. He took his risk. Lived by the sword, died by the sword.

Israel appears defenseless (or is it?). The United States (under President Donald Trump) is pulling out of Syria and the Middle East. No major world power is on the scene or in the region to help protect Israel in any regional conflict or sizable threat. Israel appears to be “easy pickings” to Russia/Putin. Israel stands by itself, alone and literally against major world powers and armies.  Israel has to defend itself, it can’t benefit from any other ally coming to its aid (or can it?). Why is the United States mysteriously omitted or missing from this worldwide-centered event unfolding in the Middle East? Why doesn’t the United States come to the aid of one its closest allies? The United States is either unable or unwilling in coming to aid Israel’s defense. Possibilities include that a new president is at the helm and is neutral towards Israel. Another possibility is that the United States is caught off guard by the sudden attack on Israel. Russia, Turkey and Iran in Syria is nothing new, geographically speaking. The U.S. is aware of this, even as it pulls out of Syria and the region.  The third possibility is the rapture of the Christian Church, and of Christians in the military ranks of the United States are gone (Rapture imminent? Be watching and waiting!). There is no mention whatsoever of the Church or Bride of Christ in Ezekiel 38-39.  As mechanized and electronically controlled as warfare is, people are still needed to make decisions, follow orders and ‘push buttons.’ Rockets, missiles, and artillery rounds don’t fire themselves, someone has to push a button to fire them. Someone has to take the order to fire them. Planes don’t fly themselves, someone has to fly them. Aircraft carriers and supporting carrier groups and flotillas require human coordination and planning. This can’t be automated. A carrier group from the U.S. can’t make it across the Atlantic theater and to the Mediterranean by itself. There is no U.S. presence in the Middle East.

The U.S., like Saudi Arabia, can only stand by and watch this movement come against Israel. Likewise, the U.S. complains and questions Russia’s motive for coming against Israel. Up until this point, politically and militarily, Russia was/is not viewed as an enemy or threat to Israel. All of a sudden, why does it look like Russia is going to invade Israel? Why all the troops and supporting supplies and equipment being brought near into Syria? The world views Russia’s move against Israel as a shocking surprise, not knowing Russia’s/Putin’s intent. Russian/Putin wanting to take Israel’s newest, prized possession worth $Trillions (a great spoil) by military force? Who heard of such a thing?! What idea got into Putin’s head? What is he thinking? Where did he get that idea? This prophecy is not about the United States. It is about Israel and God turning his attention back to Israel and coming to her defense against the gang of three bullies and their tag-along opportunists, cronies and toadies. As long as President Trump is in office, it is unlikely that his support of Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel will weaken. It is unlikely that the U.S. would do nothing to help Israel against her enemies. It is also unlikely the U.S. would be caught off guard by the impending forces on Israel. It is not hard to monitor a one million soldier army headed in one direction or another. In the event that the U.S. becomes aware of this threat, it could take considerable time for a carrier task force group to arrive in the Mediterranean Sea and perhaps arrive too late to help its ally. In any event, the U.S. just issues a rebuke thrown towards the Gog/Magog alliance. What is the likelihood for the rapture? No one knows. No one would be around to man (or woman) the ships and rudders, or fly the planes off of the carrier strike force.

Regionally, Saudi Arabia won’t come to Israel’s aid or defense because of its ‘Bromance’ of political and energy ties with Russia/Putin. Saudi Arabia, has to share oil output decisions with Russia under the latest OPEC agreement. The Saudi economy is financially and economically reeling from the continuous price drop in crude oil, and the kingdom needs higher crude oil prices to balance its fiscal budget. By some measures of analysis, including its fiscal break-even point, Saudi Arabia needs even higher crude oil prices than Iran or Russia. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s sweeping crackdown on corruption, including the sudden arrests of scores of royals and billionaires, appears to have only increased the kingdom’s newfound reliance on Russia. The purge upended the decades-old model that held the elite together and turned the success of his ambitious economic-reform program into a battle for survival. Because of this battle for survival, the kingdom and Mohammed bin Salman needs strong oil revenues and higher oil prices in order to ensure he stays in power. Saudi Arabia has absolutely no choice but to avoid any conflict, militarily, or otherwise with Russia/Putin. All Saudi Arabia can do (like the United States) is stand by and watch Russia come against Israel, and complain. “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” (Ezekiel 38:13). Although Saudi Arabia is friendly to Israel and not considered an enemy, it can’t be motivated to come against Israel… or to her aid, for that matter. Saudi Arabia is forced by economics, OPEC agreements and limited military strength to stay ‘neutral’ and out of the way of the impending forces coming against Israel, including Russia. As a nation and a country, the hand they are dealt is the one they have to play, and dictated by God.

Under Hassan Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran uses any and every excuse and occasion to attempt to annihilate Israel. Iran is Israel’s arch enemy. Period. Iran has repeatedly said their focus and main goal of existence is to destroy Israel and wipe them from the face of the earth. They ignore the fact that Israel/Jerusalem is the ‘apple of God’s eye’. They jump on the Russia/Turkey military train to finally invade Israel. Who, in the world, will be able to stand up against the military might of the triumvirate of Russia, Turkey, Iran (et.al)?  (God, can and does). Iran is a follower, not a leader. Their economy has fallen into a bottomless pit because all of the country’s continuous insistence of investing in its weaponry and missiles of terrorism, and from the stockpiling of missiles for a war against Israel. Their hatred towards Israel borders on the insane. Now is their chance to finally get at Israel. Iran will not let this opportunity to strike Israel decisively pass. The temptation is overwhelming to satisfy their lust of anger and vengeance towards its neighbor. However, also like the rats following the pied-piper, they are led to their doom on their way to Israel, along with Russia, Turkey (et.al). It is no coincidence that Iran and Turkey share the same political/religious ideology. Although Iran is the biggest bully in the region, the new kid on the block (Turkey) desires to be friends because they share the same thinking towards everyone. Iran and Turkey make nice with each other because in doing so, each country furthers its individual goals. Two bullies, combined, can make a better statement in the region than either bully alone. It is a child’s game, played by despotic, egotistic adult dictators. Rouhani will head back home, like a dog, with his tail between his legs and with and only 1/6th of his military left intact.

The United States is out of the picture and out of the region, China and India could care less. This is a Middle East problem and they want no involvement. They have no axe to grind against Israel. Individually, the European countries are no military equal to the combined forces of Russia/Turkey/Iran. The ten (10) nation European confederacy is currently forming today as I write this, but has not come together at the time of this battle. Therefore, the forming confederacy and/or no individual member of the confederacy can come to the defense of Israel, even if they wanted to. Any individual European country coming against Russia/Turkey/Iran would be suicide. Canada? Japan? South America? Africa? All of these countries are out of the picture economically, militarily, politically and motivation-wise. There is absolutely no, zero, nada reason for their involvement at any level, in coming against Israel. As so, there is no mention of their involvement in Ezekiel 38-39. All they can do is to stand by and watch all this unfold via satellite communication.

Turkey, under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has recently become a dictatorship. He has the grandiose idea, and vision in his head, of rebuilding and reforming the past glory of the Turkish/Ottoman Empire. He desires to unite all Islamic/Muslim dominated countries under his rule. Getting Iran under his wing, and their allegiance against Israel, plays handsomely well into his grand strategy of uniting all these countries under his rule of the political/religious ideology he envisions. At one time, Turkey was a friend and ally of Israel. No more. The convenience of a war against Israel is just a means to an end. It is a chance for this dictator to flex his political and military muscles in the region. In 2017 and 2018 he has gone on record in becoming extremely threatening towards Israel. He doesn’t seek spoils. All he needs is an excuse to exercise his will, a platform that will enable the expansion of his goals through an alliance with like-minded parties (Iran). Attacking Israel (along with Russian and Iran) is all the motivation, catalyst and opportunity he needs. Turkey/Erdogan also jumps on the Russia/Iran military train headed to Israel. Just like Iran, Turkey is not a leader but a follower. He will also follow the pied-piper (Russia) against Israel to his doom. Erdogan will head back home, like a dog, with his tail between his legs and with and only 1/6^th of his military left intact. He will find a nice, dark doghouse in the corner of Instanbul to hide in.

Russia, Iran and Turkey all come together against Israel, but with different motivations and intent in mind. Russia wants to take spoil (natural gas, crude oil, energy wealth). Iran wants to destroy Israel as a people and a nation, and because of its economic depression, Iran desires to pillage and plunder food sources and the material wealth of Israel (gold, silver, cattle/livestock and consumer goods). Israel has become the most prosperous country in the region, even more so than Saudi Arabia. Israel’s economy is diversified and growing very rapidly (parable of the fig tree), unlike every other country in the Middle East. Turkey wants to use Israel as a stepping stone to build up its vision of a united Ottoman Empire throughout the entire Middle East. The invasion and destruction of Israel serves the desires of these three dictatorial stooges of biblical proportion and prophecy (pun intended). They are like the smallest of fruit flies that want to take a bite out of God’s prized apple.

There are a number of ‘lesser’ mentioned countries and players that jump on board the military bandwagon of Russia/Turkey/Iran that is headed towards Israel. These countries are followers and not leaders. They are opportunists. They are making an attempt to side themselves politically with the three dictatorial bullies. Just like children, when there is an opportunity to gang up on someone unpopular or the un-liked kid at school or in the neighborhood, everyone wants to get in on the act and pick on the poor kid. Adults do this too, but on a much bigger stage and with more ‘toys’ and hatred at their disposal. The prize or spoil is greater than just lunch money.

In 2018, Russia has an estimated 1,000,000 active forces and 2,500,000 reserve forces. Iran has 500,000 active forces (not including her proxies or toadies). Turkey is estimated to have 350,000 active forces and 500,000 reserve forces. In total, these three countries have almost 2,000,000 in active service and almost 3,000,000 in reserve forces. Russia will commit at least half of its active forces (apx. 500,000), a ‘great spoil’ is to be gained and worth the risk. Russia wants to leave no chance, whatsoever of failure. The reward is too great. Her other forces are left to protect the European border and Chinese border. Russia will not fire all of her guns at once. Iran, will send everything she’s got … men, women, children and her paid toadies. Iran will also throw the proverbial ‘kitchen sink’ at Israel. She thinks it’s now or never. She will never get another, or better chance, at wiping Israel from the face of the earth. Iran will fire everything she’s got, she will desire to fire all her guns at once. All the stockpiled missiles and mortar rounds. The potential death of her own citizens is a price to be paid. Collateral damage accepted in their ‘holy’ effort of destroying Israel for ever from the face of the earth. Besides, Russia and Turkey are on board, how can we lose? Let us commit everything we have. Victory will surely be ours (not)! Turkey will commit 350,000 active soldiers. The toadies and opportunists will bring their pocket knives to the celestial gun battle. They will be worthless and of no consequence. All told, the bully Gog/Magog alliance will commit almost 1,000,000 poor souls to this battle, for doing their master’s bidding.  All combining to gang up on an extremely small piece of land called Israel, who has no defense other than itself, and lives in walled-less cities. Staggering, unbelievable odds await the littlest kid in the neighborhood, as the bullies come strutting against him. How can he protect himself against one big bully, let alone three? And their toady cronies? Israel needs a miracle, and receives one, in no short order.

No nukes. Really? Yes. Nuking Israel and Jerusalem would contaminate the land and sea that contains the great spoil (crude oil and natural gas), with radioactivity. No great spoil could be extracted and collected. The land would not be clean. The spoil would become spoiled. Conventional weaponry is used. Shields, bucklers, bows, arrows, handstaves, spears = armour, side arms, rocket launchers, rockets, artillery, mortar rounds, swords, knives, missiles. Run-of-the-mill, conventional weaponry is used by today’s military force making up the Gog/Magog alliance. No nukes. No nukes. No nukes.

Through God’s perfectly time intervention and through his divine use of nature, God effectively brings his celestial sledgehammer of wrath against this evil, motley crew of militants, pillagers and thugs before they can inflict any damage to his little apple/fig tree. The Gog/Magog alliance comes and desires to poke the apple of God’s eye, instead, they get two eyes poked and a seriously inflicted butt-whoop’in on top of it. One sixth, 1/6^th of the combined military force is left standing and able to crawl back home with their tail between their legs. (Ezekiel 39:2). 5/6^th of the forces are pushing up desert shrubs.  They come to do the showing, but they got showed. Out of the combined 1,000,000 forces, maybe only 150,000 are left. Russia’s military strength is hammered and rendered impotent. The currently reviving Roman Empire’s ten (10) nation combined confederacy’s military strength will greatly exceed Gog/Magog’s leftovers or battle remnant.

[Author’s Special note]: Ultimately, the military strength of the ten (10) nation confederacy under the beast’s control will only be surpassed by the military strength of the kings of the East, China and India. Russian, Turkey and Iranian military strength has been rendered a shadow of their former selves. The military strength of the revived ten (10) nation confederacy will be the strongest military force in the western hemisphere. Period. The United States’ military strength is inconsequential at this point because of the earlier rapture. This is why Satan, the beast and false prophet tempt the kings of the East to head West, into the Middle East, so their combined forces can fight against Christ at Armageddon. The battle of Gog/Magog is but a field skirmish compared to the 200,000,000 man army that will challenge Christ. Satan and the beast will throw everything they have, from throughout the world, against Christ. The battle of Gog/Magog is but a ‘warm up’ towards the final battle of the size and scope of Armageddon. Satan, the beast and false prophet will tempt the kings of the East to come to the Middle East under the spirit of lies or false pretenses having to do with the energy stores/spoils of the Middle East. The beast will try to gain the allegiance of the kings of the East by using the Middle East’s energy spoils as ‘bait.’ These kings will be deceived by the lies and false guarantees, but once they arrive, they quickly realize that they have been bait-n-switched, ‘duped’ and made fools of. After they realize they won’t be getting the agreed upon spoil they came for, they attempt to do battle with the beast and his ten (10) nation confederacy. At this point, the world’s entire military strength is completely concentrated in the Middle East and starting to fight each other. This completes Satan’s end game strategy, the ruse to get everyone (all armies) into the Middle East to confront Christ. Satan knows when Christ is coming. Mankind does not. At this divinely appointed moment, the Great Day of Lord occurs upon unsuspecting mankind. All the evil armies gathered by Satan, the beast and false prophet stop fighting each other and commence to try to do battle against Christ and his army from heaven, as he arrives at his second coming. The result of men’s attempt to battle Christ is exactly the same as the result from the Gog/Magog battle earlier. The world armies of men (kings of the east + ten nation confederacy) are completely annihilated, almost instantaneously. Once again, scavenger animals and birds are able to eat until they can’t anymore. The 200,000,000 dead is 200 times greater than the 1,000,000 killed previously at the Gog/Magog battle. The glory and strength of Christ shines exceedingly and brilliantly as he destroys the entire combined strength of the world’s armies under the beast’s control, just as a tiny, insignificant fruit fly. End of note.

Russia is left inconsequential in terms of worldwide military strength. The great, fearsome Russian bear’s strength, ferociousness and craftiness is finally gone. He is sent packing to Siberia and is told to sit in a cave, pouting. Dreams of worldwide energy dominance long gone, like the burnt wisp of a natural gas flame. Iran’s military strength is completely and unequivocally neutered from the waist down. There is nothing left to wield. Her bat is broken, lying shattered in a thousand pieces all over the desert floor. Her provoking, threats, posturing and bravado are silenced. She also crawls into a corner unto herself and pouts like a punished dog. There is no kitchen sink left in which to mix and enrich her wormwood. All just a noisy, clamorous dance. Empire builder wannabee, Turkey, is left with so few forces, that they could barely fill a small college football stadium (less than 50,000 souls). A hundred thousand people attending a European soccer match, could easily outnumber and overtake what is left of Turkey’s forces that marched on Israel. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Oh, the shame, the worldwide embarrassment! All three bullies leave on one crutch each, each barely making it home to their isolated corner of the world. The leftover, remnant soldiers go home, waiting to be told again by the beast to fight again at the great, climatic and soon upcoming battle of Armageddon. They will get their revenge on God, or so they think. They will deceive themselves into thinking that their past defeat was a fluke of nature and not of God’s doing. Extended brewing of their bitterness, revenge, hate and anger will stoke their future egos for next ten (10) centuries, reminding them and urging them to fight again in a future battle at the end of Christ’s millennial reign.

[Author’s Special Note]: They have time to think about it, and think about they do! This is one reason why Christ has to rule the nations with a rod of iron. A lot of what is leftover of remnant of men from the Gog/Magog battle, the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon, will harbor resentment and anger following and during the one thousand year reign of Christ. For at least one thousand years, the leftover remnant harbor a deep seated resentment and hatred towards God for his judgement against their wicked and evil ancestors. When he wants to, man has a long memory of the past. Over this one thousand year period, this remnant regenerates and grows, and grows, and grows to become a multitude as great as the sand in the sea. Revelation 20:7-9, indicates that at the end of Christ’s 1,000 year millennial reign, Satan is released from his chains in the bottomless pit and he deceives and leads the regrown remnant of the defeated Gog/Magog alliance one final, last time against Jerusalem. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out his prison. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Given how the ancient hatred towards Israel has lasted for the last several thousand years, it is easy to see how this hatred continues to stew yet for at least another one thousand years. Hatred, bitterness, seething and evil continues to be generated in men’s hearts and are handed down from one generation to the next over centuries. Just as it has for thousands of years. This does not change and continues on as such. End of note.

What in the world? How is this possible? I’m at a loss for words! Um… what did I just see?” So goes the world’s thinking. Almighty God finally turns his eyes to the apple of his eye and decidedly protects her, against overwhelming, all consuming odds. The odds of something miraculously, supernaturally happening to protect Israel against the Gog/Magog bully alliance is the equivalent to the odds of winning a multi-trillion dollar, worldwide lottery in Babylon City. It just is not going to happen. Period. God says otherwise. In doing so, in coming to Israel’s defense, God is making a re-entrance into the world. He is making a statement to the entire world, for everyone who is awake and not deaf, dumb or blind, to see and witness his existence and to behold his covenant with Israel. It is almost as if God rolled out of a slumber and swatted a little fruit fly that was threatening to take a bite out of the apple on his nightstand. Everyone in the house hears and sees it. That little apple on his nightstand is his prized apple, it is the best apple from his entire orchard. He has spent thousands of years taking care and protecting this little apple from fruit flies and other ravenous insects. Nothing is going to touch his prized apple, let alone little, annoying fruit flies!

So, what’s left of this mess? Exactly. That is the point. What needs to be done next? Clean-up. Clean-up. Clean-up. After our children are finished playing with their little plastic toy soldiers on the carpet or living room floor and pretending they won the battle, we tell them it is time to ‘clean up.’ Real battles are no different, the losing remnant has to clean up and take home whatever can be salvaged. Wounded are carted off back home. The dead, too numerous or burdensome to collect, are left to rot in fields and left to feed animal scavengers and vultures. Their families will be told that they fought a glorious battle and songs will be written and sung about them. Books will be written of the event. Some families or relatives might even receive compensation. In the end and over time, they will be forgotten (except by Jesus Christ). These are the faceless names and bodies who were forced to follow the bully dictator leaders. So, how many are dead? Although I provided a mathematically estimated number of dead casualties using God’s divine mathematics, the Holy Spirit through God’s prophetic word indicates an additional way of understanding and thinking about the carnage. So many countless number of dead bodies remain, that it literally takes Israel (and all of her people) seven (7) months to bury the dead! (Ezekiel 39:12). That is a clean-up and burial of biblical proportions! Towards the end in this clean-up process, Israel will literally be forced to hire or employ fulltime people to search out for and bury remaining bodies, bones or carcasses. (Ezekiel 39:14). For safety reasons and ‘cleansing of the land’ (fear of disease spreading from dead, rotting bodies), Israel will require anyone travelling through this valley or region to be accompanied by one of these burial experts. Upon finding an unburied body or carcass, it will be marked and noted to be buried at its location. This area of region outside of Israel will have the far reaching, evil smelling, stink of death and decay from the rotting carcasses. Living down-wind from a sewage treatment plant might be a fair analogy. But on a much, much larger scale. An entire valley or region east of the Mediterranean Sea will be designated as the vast cemetery for this million dead. (Ezekiel 39:11, 39:14-16). This valley or region will be given a name, Hamongog.  A small city named Hamonah will be built in this valley to bring memory to the short battle and a decisive victory against overwhelming odds, and to give glory to God for his protection of Israel. They will also remember God’s covenant with Israel and his promises and what he has done for them.

OK! Wow, is that the end of the story or the prophecy!? No, it is not. Uh, how can that be? Israel won with God’s supernatural help, the bad guys left limping from the neighborhood, the dead are buried and a city was even built to commemorate God’s providence over Israel. Even the scavenger animals and vultures literally had a ‘field day’ of eating and can’t eat anymore. All that is left are carcasses of decimated bodies.  What could possibly be next? What is there left to do? The story and prophecy should be over! God has something else to add to his prophecy. What about all the weapons and missiles and artillery shells left behind and laying all over the entire region? Ezekiel 39:3, “And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.” (These weapons and munitions are literally left laying all over the region on the desert floor and mountain slopes). Historically, severely defeated armies just leave their weapons laying behind and head home. What happens to these? Who is supposed to clean these up? What should be done with these weapons? What can be done with these weapons?  … Burn them. Yes, use them in place of firewood or fuel. Ezekiel 39:9-10, “And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years. So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.” Don’t cut down any trees for firewood, use the liquid fuel in rocket tanks for fuel. Literally. In the middle of the desert, fuel is a very precious commodity (just like clean drinking water). There is no BP, Shell, Amoco, etc., nearby to get gasoline.

There is no propane tank dispensary nearby to fill your tank for a BBQ, or is there? What about the fuel used by rockets as propellant. What about the fuel used by missiles for propellant. What about a very small, measured dose of explosive from an artillery round or mortar round? What about the wood stock in a rifle as pictured? I hear snickers (not the candy bar), guffaws and I can see eyes rolling. Laugh, go ahead and laugh. Ezekiel 39:9 indicates that so much munition is left behind and the fuel contained therein, that it takes the Israeli’s seven (7) years to burn off what is left behind from the munitions and weaponry! Seven (7) years, not seven (7) months. It took seven (7) months to bury the dead, but takes seven (7) years to burn up what is left of the armaments. I can hear the ‘ya-butt’s’, there are lots of ‘em. My KJV Bible says nothing about this! Oh really? Spears = missiles, arrows = rockets, bucklers = side-arms munition (bullets). I didn’t know that! Now you do. God’s prophetic word has so much truth and meaning hidden within it.  The story is done now? Right? No…..

What does all this mean? Why so many dead? What to make of all this? What is the moral of the story? Why the winner and so many losers and dead? All excellent questions for discerning minds!

• God declares this as a notable event in the long history of men’s anger and hatred towards his chosen people, Israel.
• God’s glory shines of himself. He does not share his glory with the United States, or with any other ally of Israel who might have come to her aid. God alone is Israel’s ally. There is no question that God protects Israel, none of her allies are on the scene.
• God’s focus on this event is not specifically about the Gog/Magog alliance, or the United Sates, or even the Christian Church (Bride of Christ). It is exclusively about God and his covenants with Israel. The United States (or what is left of it), is but of an extremely small footnote … receiving the briefest of mention. The Christian Church (Bride of Christ) is not even mentioned, referenced or hinted at. This possibly suggests that the rapture has already taken place prior to the Gog/Magog battle.
• God is no longer “hiding his face from them (Israel) any longer.” He is turning his attention back to Israel and making himself known to them.
• God is working to manifest his presence among the house of Israel.
• God is working to protect Israel, who lives in un-walled cities, from her enemies and from those who would spoil her or take spoil from her.
• Through God’s actions and wrath against Gog/Magog, He is also making himself known once again to the world. The evil leaders, nations and peoples that came against Israel will also know of and recognize God’s glory and manifestations with Israel. There will be no doubt among the heathen of who is protecting Israel.
• Israel will be shameful of itself for having questioned or doubted God. Israel will once again be reminded that God can allow Israel to be captured, but he can also bring them out of captivity. In ancient times and in antiquity, God had to keep reminding Israel who He was and of his covenants with them. Once again, in today’s period, God introduces himself to this newest and latest generation of Israel.
• The destruction and death of the Gog/Magog alliance forces is just and right because of their evil intentions and actions.
• God also indicates that the event that just played out, will play out one final time again, at the very end of the coming one thousand year reign of his Son, Jesus Christ. Satan tries again and fails, this time permanently.

An analysis of God’s Divine Mathematics in the Gog/Magog Prophecy

Two (2), God’s solid confirmation of a matter or subject:

• Ezekiel Chapter 38: Formation and destruction of the Gog/Magog alliance. Glory of God. Protection of Israel.
• Ezekiel Chapter 39: The cleanup of Gog/Magog’s destruction. Cleansing of the land. God makes himself known.
• Ravenous birds & beasts of the field: Eat Gog/Magog’s forces’ dead carcasses.
• Hamongon & Hamonah. Regional land cemetery/burial ground of the dead Gog/Magog forces. Memorial city of the battle, description of God’s glory and his intervention, remembrance of God’s covenants with Israel.

Three (3), God’s emphasis and intensity:

• Three bully countries (Russia, Turkey, Iran).
• Three bully kings (Putin, Erdogan, Hamenei).
• Gog/Magog alliance of nine (3×3). Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, Persia, Cush, Libya, Phut and Gomer.

Four (4), God’s allness or foursquareness of balance or symmetry:

• Overflowing rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone. God’s wrath brought upon the Gog/Magog alliance is fully balanced. Nothing is left out. He brings all four sledgehammers out of his tool box of wrath.

Six (6), the number of evil man:

• Shields, bucklers, bows, arrows, handstaves, spears. The number of six, evil weapons used by evil man. (Armour, side arms, ammunition, rocket launchers, rockets, artillery, mortar rounds, swords, knives, missiles).
• One Sixth = 1/6. God leaves one part of evil Gog/Magog forces alive and destroys five parts. Five plus one equals six. The evil number of man.

Seven (7), God’s divine completion of his plan or purpose. Perfection:

• Seven months to bury the dead Gog/Magog alliance and cleanse the land.
• Seven years used to destroy Gog/Magog’s weapons as fuel.

Ten (10), God’s completeness of things on earth or heaven:

• 1,000,000 killed Gog/Magog forces. 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10. Ten is used six (6) times (evil number of man). This equals the full or complete number of evil men in the Gog/Magog alliance that are killed.

(Ezekiel 38). KJV

… “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, 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 of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 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 into 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 it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 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. Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them 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, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of 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 my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, 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. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

(Ezekiel 39). KJV

… “Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 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: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 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. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.  And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land. And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God. And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.”