Sound The Trumpet : Signs of the Times

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“Signs of the Times”
by Art Sadlier
November 1st, 2012

In Ezekiel 38-39 we have the prophecy of the early tribulation attack on Israel by Russia and a great alliance of Mideast Muslim nations. In Ezekiel 38:5-6 the nations of this alliance are named and are easily identifiable in the world today. The prophecy states that Russia (Magog) and her leader (Gog) will lead this alliance and that God will put a hook in her jaw to draw her down into Israel. The Lord’s purpose is to bring judgment on Russia and her Muslim allies who are committed to wiping Israel off the map.

We are told in this chapter that Russia will come to “take a spoil” and to “take a prey” both of these phrases are repeated twice in the chapter. For many years Bible students wondered what this spoil could possibly be. It seemed for years that Israel as a barren land had little to attract Russia to come and take a spoil. In the last few years things have greatly changed.

It is now reported that Israel is sitting 250 billion barrels of oil plus large deposits of natural gas. This reserve rivals or outstrips the reserves of Saudi Arabia. Russia has expressed great interest in the development of these reserves, so far Israel has refused.

If America were to descend into serious decline, there would be little to prevent the war of Ezekiel 39-39 from taking place. It seems that this war takes place after world-wide disarmament which is suggested in the peace treaty of Antichrist.

The stage is being set for the war of Ezekiel 38-39.

Another sign of the times is the threat of food shortages. In revelation chapter six we read about famine in the tribulation period. In this chapter we have the account of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

The first horseman comes upon the scene riding on the white horse which represents Antichrist conquering the world by a peace initiative which involves great deception. This is the precursor of the great disaster that follows in the chapter.

The second horseman comes upon the scene riding on a red horse which speaks of the bloodshed of war. Paul foretold this in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” This seems to speak of the war of Ezekiel 38-39 and perhaps involves other wars that will soon follow the false peace of Antichrist.

The third horseman comes upon the scene riding on a black horse which speaks of Famine. Revelation 6:5-6 speaks of a terrible world-wide famine that will sweep multitudes into the grave. “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Barley is the lowest quality of food, a penny is a day’s wage and three measures are not enough to feed a family for a day.

We are being warned of a looming world-wide food crisis in 2013. Global grain reserves hit critically low levels, extreme weather means climate 'is no longer reliable', and rising food prices threaten disaster and unrest. World grain reserves are so dangerously low that severe weather in the United States or other food-exporting countries could trigger a major hunger crisis next year, the United Nations has warned.

The stage seems to be set for the famines of Revelation six. We take no delight in such a report, but like the weatherman, when he sees a dangerous storm approaching, he must sound the warning.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13