Land
of Unwalled Villages
by
Jack Kelley
After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm, you will be like a cloud covering the land. This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages, I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people – all of them living without gates and bars." (Ezekiel 38:8-11)
Many students of prophecy, myself included, see the battle of Ezekiel 38 – 39 as the next event on God's prophetic calendar. In the scenario Ezekiel foretold nearly 2500 years ago, a coalition of Moslem countries, armed and led by the Russian government will attack Israel and be utterly defeated due to God's direct intervention. It is this battle that God uses to re-introduce Himself to Israel as their protector, and that culminates in His call to all His people world wide to return to their ancient homeland (Ezek 39:28-29).
All agree that this battle has not yet taken place. Following WW 2 the Jewish people returned to the land for the first time in centuries and only then were conditions such that Ezekiel's prophecy could be fulfilled. On a day still future Israel will officially recognize their relationship with God and move to reinstate their covenant (old, not new) with Him. Just prior to that, the battle of Ezekiel 38-39 will have taken place. In fact it's the outcome of the battle that stirs them to action (Ezekiel 39:22).
Their return to the Old Covenant will require a temple and they'll begin its construction assisted by the anti-christ (Dan 9:27) in what will be his first big move to establish himself as god of this world. 3½ years later he will stand in that temple and proclaim himself to be god, a declaration that begins the Great Tribulation. So this battle must be inserted into the window of time between the rebirth of the nation and the rebuilding of the Temple.
You can see why prophecy students are so interested in this battle. Every time something big happens in the Middle East I get Emails asking about it. The recent attack on America has brought a similar response, because in Ezekiel 39:6 God promises to send fire on Magog (Russia) and on those who "live in safety in the coastlands." The Hebrew for coastlands comes from a root meaning coveted or greatly desired. Of all the places in the world to live, the US is by far the most greatly desired and to many it's a distant coastland, and so some see an indirect reference to an attack on America. By the way, I don't think the destruction of the World Trade Center fulfills that prophecy. There is much worse in store for America before all this is over.
The word translated safety is used to describe Israel in Ezekiel 38:8 and the coastlands in 39:6. It really implies what might be called a false sense of security, as if there's no basis for the feeling of safety that exists in the minds of the people. One meaning of the word is careless.
That certainly described the attitude of America before September 11th but the biggest problem I have interpreting the passage is that it has rarely described the attitude of Israel. Some saw a degree of carelessness in the Rabin – Peres land for peace program of the 80s but since then Mr. Arafat has taught the Israelis to be very wary of his promises. Oddly enough the US reaction to the terrorist attacks in America could bring about the very condition of which Ezekiel spoke.
President Bush has declared that any government that in any way supports or harbors terrorism will be considered a hostile regime by the US. Immediately Arafat, who sees himself as a head of state, publicly proclaimed his support for the US led anti-terror coalition and offered all his resources to help fight terror. He began almost begging Israel for a meeting and solemnly pledged to enforce the cease-fire he had "commanded" in June. To do otherwise would have permitted the US to brand the PLO as a terrorist organization and the PA as a government that supports terror. Any subsequent actions against Israel could then bring the wrath of the US against it.
In an effort to show that the anti-terror coalition isn't just an excuse to go after Arabs, the US government has been pressuring Israel to meet with Arafat and agree to some sort of cease-fire. PM Sharon immediately reduced his pre-condition of 7 days of peace and quiet down to just 48 hours, and earlier this week a meeting between Arafat and Peres seemed likely for today. But the announcement that both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have declined to support the US led fight against terror makes an immediate cease fire in Israel seem a little less urgent, and since Arafat wouldn't deliver on even 48 hours of quiet the meeting with Peres has been put off. But Arafat still seems determined to avoid being branded a terrorist. After all he has the Nobel Peace Prize.
But getting back to the idea of Israel living in safety in a land of unwalled villages, how will that prerequisite for Ezekiel's battle be met given the current conditions? The concept of unwalled villages means the residents don't expect war. In Ezekiel's day an unwalled village was vulnerable to attack, and only a people who believed they had no enemies would consider living in such an exposed fashion. When in its 50-year history has modern Israel ever felt this way? And who would describe them this way now, or even sees them in this condition in the near future?
Remember the word for safety implies a false sense of security, so only the illusion of peace is necessary to meet the requirement. It seems to me that only if they were somehow convinced that their problem with the Palestinians was solved could they even achieve that.
Suppose the refusal of Saudi Arabia and Egypt to join the coalition makes it even more important for the US to pressure Israel to reach an accommodation with Arafat. We've already issued an ultimatum to Syria to dismantle the terrorist organizations headquartered there or face the consequences, we're still bombing Iraq on a regular basis, and the Mossad has told us they believe Iran was involved in planning the attack on US soil. Involving the so-called Arab nations of the Middle East in the fight against terror is getting more and more difficult. Creating the illusion of peace between Israel and the PLO may be America's only hope to avoid being seen as simply anti-Arab.
For Arafat's part he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, and could persuade his followers that going along would actually get them what they want more quickly. Violence simply isn't working, and the PA is on its knees. Tricking Israel into thinking they've won and making a great show of dismantling his terrorist networks as his contribution to the fight against terror could be a great way to set them up for a sneak attack down the road. The West is so naive that one could easily seeing them falling for this and actually encouraging it. And Sharon could finally make good on his promise to bring security to Israel, a nation that has grown so weary of war. And so, with the illusion of peace in Israel, the world could be distracted by the war against terror in other locations
Then one day when we least expect it, having only made a show of dismantling their terrorist networks, this Moslem coalition will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages, I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people all of them living without gates and bars." (Ezekiel 38:8-11) And they will descend upon unsuspecting Israel in a stunning surprise attack. But He Who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4), and He will execute judgment upon them with plague and bloodshed, and will pour down torrents of rain hailstones and burning sulfur. He will show His greatness and Holiness and will make Himself known in the sight of many nations, and then they will know that He is the Lord. (Ezekiel 38:22-23) Stay tuned ... you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.
SOURCE: Grace Thru Faith