(This article contains the complete unchanged theme originally written circa 2007. The recently updated article adds the destruction of Egypt to the scenario and associates it with the same war when Damascus will be destroyed.)
I have long been interested in Bible prophecy, and in the light of current events, what kind of scenario might play out. I believe the Bible teaches that true believers in Jesus Christ will be “Raptured” out of this world before the 7-year Tribulation. After the Tribulation, will be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth to rule and reign from Jerusalem during the 1000-year Millennium. The following possible scenario covers now to right after the Rapture. Not too many years ago, a scenario this detailed could have only been a wild guess, but with the events more imminent, details seem to be coming into focus.
Every day war against Israel seems more likely, as Syria and Iran are massively arming Hizbullah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and causing as much trouble as they can in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). There is evidence that Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were transferred to Syria before the Iraq war. ((http://www.debka.com (article seems no longer available) )) Israel has warned that if they are attacked with WMD’s, they will exercise the “Sampson Option” ((Remarks by Hal Lindsey on one of his TV programs.)), that is, they will not be defeated without fighting back with everything they have.
We know Israel will not be destroyed and thrown out of their land as the Arabs have sworn to do: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, . . .” Isaiah 11:11 ((All quotes are from the American Standard Version.)), “And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith Jehovah thy God.” Amos 9:14-15.
In a coming war, in order not to be annihilated, Israel would in desperation need to destroy Damascus with atomic weapons: “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer (Should be translated “The cities thereof”) are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” Isaiah 17:1-2. So only animals, which do not understand the dangers of radioactivity, will re-populate the area.
There will also be severe damage to Israel: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the standing grain, . . . Yet there shall be left therein gleanings, . . .” Isaiah 17:4. So, there will be left just a few small areas in Israel not seriously damaged. A likely explanation is that this damage would be from the many missiles now in the hands of the surrounding Arabs. Another damage would no doubt be world opinion against Israel for “overreacting”.
As a result of such a massive defeat, the Arabs would just give up in despair for a time, as would any conquered foe.. This explains how all the Israelis could then live in peace and safety for a time. Can anyone say all the Israelis live securely now? Clearly not, so something must change for Ezekiel 38-39 to be fulfilled, and this scenario explains how it could happen quickly.
Ezekiel 38:8, speaking of Russia (the King of the North): “After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples, and they shall dwell securely, all of them.” Israelis dwelling securely is reiterated in 38:11 and 38:14. I believe that there are some clear clues in Ezekiel 38-39 that this attack by the King of the North will take place immediately after the Rapture and before the Tribulation “officially” starts. So if the Rapture is soon, I wondered for a long time how it could possibly happen that the Israelis could “dwell securely, all of them”.
Later after the destruction of Damascus, the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ would take place, destabilizing the world situation all over again. Imagine the turmoil in the United States where all the Christians suddenly disappear, and in particular many in high places. On the other hand, I doubt that Russia has many Christians in high places, so their authority structure would not be disrupted. I can then imagine the leaders in the Kremlin watching CNN or equivalent trying to understand what happened, quickly saying to each other “now is our chance to destroy the #$%^ Israelis who destroyed Damascus, and destroy the *&^#@ Americans in Iraq who invaded our sphere of influence.” I would expect the order to mobilize and attack would go out within hours.
An important side issue is that it appears that Iran will not be attacked by the United States or Israel, or at least will sustain slight damage as Iran (Persia) is a major player as an ally of the Russians in Ezekiel 38:5: “Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet;” Very importantly, note also that Syria is not mentioned as one of the invaders because, by this scenario, it will have been destroyed as a military power.
After the attack, Ezekiel 38:13 says: “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?” So the West will initially only protest diplomatically. But in Ezekiel 39:6 we read: “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.” I take “them that dwell carelessly in the isles” to be the United States ((An opinion of the late Zola Levitt, expressed on his TV program, circa 1990.)), and according to the sequence, the United States would be first to launch missiles against Russia, and then the Russians would retaliate in kind.
A resulting limited nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia would then destroy the United States as a world power, leaving the European Union as the only world power to lead during the Tribulation, as so clearly prophesied by the Bible. This nuclear exchange would so terrify the peoples of the world that they would eagerly surrender their national sovereignties to the emerging one-world government in an attempt to prevent any more war. Quickly following would come the horrors of the Tribulation.
Many have searched to find the United States in Bible Prophecy, and have found scant evidence. How could the most powerful nation approaching the End Times not play a major role in the Tribulation? Well, this would appear to be the answer: The US would be destroyed as a world power beforehand. By the scenario here, it would be immediately after the Rapture and before the Tribulation starts.
Addendum 2011: Hal Lindsey has pointed out that the Israelis are believed to have neutron bombs. These are atomic weapons which destroy all living things within a radius of a few miles and after a few hours the radiation vanishes and the areas are safe to inhabit again, and also they do not destroy material things such as buildings and machinery. Hal suggests that in this upcoming war the Arab armies will be destroyed with neutron bombs, and I think this probably will be exactly correct.
Addendum June, 2012: “therefore, behold, I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from the tower of Seveneh even unto the border of Ethiopia. No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.” Ezekiel 29:10-11. This has never happened, so it must be future. The tower of Seveneh is located at the Aswan High Dam, so the desolation will be from the dam downward. Experts have stated that this dam is so massive that conventional weapons would not be able to breach it. The most effective way to destroy it would be to detonate one or more atomic bombs in the water at the bottom just behind the dam. Since the lake is deep, covers 2030 square miles, and is 340 miles long, this would create a gigantic flood which would destroy virtually all the inhabited parts of Egypt, and it would be 40 years before the radioactive contamination would disipate to a safe level. Could this happen in the same war when Damascus is destroyed by atomic weapons, that the Egyptians join in attacking Israel, and that the only option Israel would have to defeat Egpyt would be to breach the dam with atomic weapons? I think it is highly likely. Note that along with Syria, Egypt is not mentioned either in Ezekiel 38:5 (referenced above), in this scenario both destroyed as military powers. (Many of the ideas and facts about Egypt are from Prophecy in the News.)
All this is generally very bad news. But, there can be good news for you personally: “And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.