Day 2—Feast of Tabernacles 2017

How God is Going to Bring Conversion to the Nations

Beginning with Israel the nations will soon come to know God

Fred R. Coulter—October 6, 2017

- Video | - PDF | Audio | [Up] | Special NOTE: Video will match transcript here.

Greetings, brethren! Welcome! Of course, the Feast of Tabernacles is one of the great prophetic things, especially as we have seen in the major prophets and, in particularly, Isaiah. We'll be spending a lot of time in Isaiah. As we get through things we'll be able to understand more of:

• what God is doing
• how He's doing it
• the way it's going to take place

Of course, Christ returns and the saints come back to the earth, Satan is bound, and we begin reigning and ruling with Jesus Christ. As we're going to see, the first thing that God does is He gathers all of Israel back to their lands. That's going to be a tremendous and wonderful thing that's going to take place.

Let's begin; let's put a good deal of Scripture together so that we get an idea of the setting:

• how the Millennium is going to begin
• what it is with Israel
• what it will be with the Gentiles
• how long will it take for the earth to be subdued under the Government of God and the Kingdom of God

All of those are important and vital questions. Let's see how God looks at it, and see right at the beginning of the Millennium, right at the start of their exodus back home out of captivity and back to their own lands, that it will hardly be believable.

[Special NOTE: Video matches transcript from here forward.]

Isaiah 49:13: "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth, and break out into singing, O mountains; for the LORD has comforted His people, and will have compassion upon His afflicted." It will be almost unbelievable! Especially for the Jews, that this is really, really God!

Verse 14: "But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, and my LORD has forgotten me.'" Not so! God's answer back is that God has a plan for all of Israel, for His Church, for those who have died, etc. It all comes as laid out on the Holy Days.

So, God gives His answer, v 15: "'Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet, I will not forget you. Behold, I have carved you upon the palms of My hands; your walls are forever before Me. Your children shall make haste; those destroying you and ruining you shall go out from you. Lift up your eyes all around and see; they all gather and come to you. As I live,' says the LORD, 'You shall surely wear them as an ornament, and bind them on as a bride; for your wastes and your desolate places, and your land has been destroyed, shall even now be too narrow to dwell there, and they who swallowed you up shall be far away. The children of your bereavement shall say again in your ears, "The place is too strait for me: give a place to me that I may dwell"'" (vs 13-20). Here again, coming out and resettling the earth.

Verse 22: "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I will lift up My hand to the Gentiles…'" We can see the spiritual fulfillment of this with the Church, with the Gospel.

"'…and have set up My banner to the people; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders'" (v 22). This is a blending back into the Gentile people bringing the children of Israel back to their land.

Verse 23: "'And kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They shall bow to you, with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am the LORD; for they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.'"

As we go through these things, there's a fulfillment to the Church and a fulfillment to Israel.

Verse 24: "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? But thus says the LORD, 'Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the fierce ones shall be rescued…'"

• saved from oppression
• saved from the invader
• saved from Satan the devil

"…for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. And I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am your Savior and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob" (vs 24-25).

This is what's going to happen first; bring all Israel back and get them settled. We're going to see that it may be as long as seven years.

Isaiah 43:1: "But now, thus says the LORD Who created you, O Jacob, and He Who formed you, O Israel; 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame kindle on you, for I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. Since you are precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore, I will give men for you, and people for your life'" (vs 1-4). That sounds like there are conflicts coming!

Verse 5: "Fear not; for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the East, and gather you from the West. I will say to the North, 'Give up'; and to the South, 'Do not keep back'; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth" (vs 5-6).

Sometimes, because God gives us free moral agency and doesn't reach down and just control us like a robot or puppet and make us do what He wants us to do, we have to choose. But even in the most difficult things, God has a special place for all the 12 tribes of Israel.

Verse 7: "Even everyone who is called by My name… [this can apply to the Church as well as to Israel] …for I have created him for My glory… [to the Church and to Israel] …I have formed him; yea, I have made him."

For the Church, Christ be formed in you; for the Israel, all the physical descendants of Israel. Stop and think for a minute: Why did God give every individual a separate genetic code? What else is on that genetic code that men don't know? I'll let you think about that!

Verse 8: "Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears. Let all the nations be brought together, and let the people be gathered; who among them can declare this and show us the former things?…. [no, they can't; they don't know] …Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, 'It is Truth'" (vs 8-9)—what God is doing!

The nations are going to have to be convinced that it is the Truth; v 10: "'You are My witnesses,' says the LORD… [to the Church; to Israel] …'and My servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me no God was formed, nor shall there be after Me…. [to physical Israel concerning idols] …I, even I, am the LORD; and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shown, when there was no strange god among you; therefore, you are My witnesses,' says the LORD, 'that I am God' (vs 10-12).

This is quite a thing coming to the whole world! The whole world doesn't know God the Father. That will have to be revealed to them, just like it was revealed to the Church and will be revealed to Israel. With the beginning of the Millennium, we are going to begin to put the history of the past behind us:

• to learn the lessons of humanity
• what we need to do
• how we need to live
• what Satan the devil has done

Here's what God says going forward:

Verse 18: "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall sprout; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field shall honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people that I formed for Myself… [for the Church and for Israel] …they shall declare My praise" (vs 18-21).

This is going to be quite a thing in bringing back Israel. God has all the promises to fulfill to them first. That's why they're going to be the leading nation on earth, and the Church is the spiritual Israel, and then together we are all going to bring the world to God—with the power of God and the Spirit of God—the way God wants it done! God is going to intervene to make it known.

We need to ask when we get to some of these verses: How is God going to do that?

Isaiah 2:1: "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass, in the last days the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains… [all the governments, all the nations] …and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it" (vs 1-2).

Everything is going to be coming from Jerusalem, because that's where Christ is going to be. That's going to be really something, what God is going to do there, and what a great thing that is.

Let's see what the tabernacle will be like in Jerusalem. Remember that in Zech 14, when Christ puts His feet on the Mount of Olives in that day, the Mount of Olives is going split in two from the East to the West, and there will be a very great valley.

Isaiah 4:2: "In that day shall the Branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious… [describing Christ and His work] …and the fruit of the earth excellent and comely for those who are the survivors of Israel…. [the Church and the nations] …And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called Holy… [that's to the Church] …even everyone who is written unto life in Jerusalem" (vs 2-3). You have to tie in the Church with that.

Verse 4: "When the LORD shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its midst by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the LORD will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day…" (vs 4-5).

It's going to be a great tabernacle with a great cloud, with the pillar of smoke "…and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a canopy" (v 5)—a great canopy! There is not going to be a physical temple built out of stone. It is going to be what God has made, what He has created. It will be special!

Verse 6: "And there shall be a tabernacle for shade by day from the heat, and for refuge, and for shelter from storm and rain." A perfect place right over Jerusalem.

This is where all nations will come; they shall flow into Jerusalem and back out again. That's going to be the center of the whole earth. When you look at it geographically, it's right there.

Isaiah 2:3: "And many people shall go and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

Not all nations will do that, so a little later we're going to see how God is going to bring all nations into complete submission to His government, because:

• David will sit on the throne to Israel
• Christ will sit on the throne to the world

It's going to be something! Think about that!

Verse 4: "And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

That's quite a thing when you really understand it, when you realize how much effort of all of mankind down through history has been devoted to war, to weapons, to killing, to destruction, all inspired by Satan the devil. It's going to be very difficult for some of these people scattered around to actually believe that this is really God and not aliens from outer space.

Before we get to how God is going to bring all those nations into subjection, and that they will come to know the Lord, let's see what He does with Israel first. Go through Isaiah, and it's very interesting if you do a study there, because there are so many verses that are for:

• the Church and Israel
• the Church alone
• Israel alone
• the world
• the different nations

Isaiah 14:1: "For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land; and the stranger shall be joined with them, and they shall cling to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids…." (vs 1-2). That's going to be something!

"…And they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors…. [turn it all upside down] …And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear, and from the hard bondage, which was imposed on you. You shall take up this song against the king of Babylon…" (vs 2-4)—Satan the devil and the Beast Power!

"…and say, 'How the oppressor has ceased! How his fury has ceased!…. [that's going to be a wonderful song] …The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers who struck people in wrath, with unceasing blows, ruling the nations in anger, with an unrelenting persecution. All the earth is at rest and is quiet…'" (vs 4-7).

This shows that God is going to have to do something very dramatic! When it says that He 'rebukes nations far off,' what will it take? Right there! Look at that! That's going to be something, indeed!

Let's see the theme of serving Israel first; Isaiah 30:18: And, therefore, will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you. And, therefore, He will be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you, for the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. For, O people, who dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, you shall weep no more; He will be very gracious to you at the voice of your cry. When He hears it, He will answer you. And though the LORD gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction… [that is before they were brought out of their captivity] … yet, your teachers shall not be removed into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers" (vs 18-20).

That's us! We will be teaching and showing them God's ways! Isn't that something? Still free moral agency; everybody has to choose! The heart will be less carnal than they are today, and more readily to worship God and serve God, and the children that come into the world will be taught the way of God from the beginning, actually before the beginning of their lives. Their mothers will be taught how to take care of the children that are within their bodies so that when they're born everything will be according

• to the Word of God
• to the blessing of God
• to the glory of God
• to the beauty of God

That's going to be something!

Verse 21: "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the Way…'"—the way of God. That's ties right in with the New Testament. Jesus Christ said, 'I'm the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' This is going to come to all Israel and then come to all the world.

"'…walk in it,' when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left" (v 21). Teaching is going to be entirely different. What will that produce? That ought to produce something really fantastic! Really great! Notice how many times that God is talking about:

• redeeming Israel
• what He's going to do for them
• what He's going to do to them
• how it will be done
• intermixed with the Church
• intermixed with correcting the Gentile nations

Isaiah 41:1: "Listen to Me in silence, O isles; let the people renew their strength; let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment. Who raised up the righteous one from the east…" (vs 1-2). Talking about Cyrus the Great, that is true, but then this blends into Christ as we will see. Cyrus was the one who gave the word for the children of Israel to come out of Babylon. Jesus Christ is the One Who is going to give the word that all the children of Israel be brought out of greater Babylon the Great. So, it fits into both.

"…at whose steps victory attends? Who gives the nations before him, and made him to rule over kings? His sword makes them as the dust, His bow as windblown stubble. He pursued them; he passed on safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet" (vs 2-3).

Verse 4 is all of the plan of God. We understand the basic outline of it because of the Holy Days, that's true! Absolutely true! But how great will the plan of God really, really be?

Verse 4: "'Who has planned and done it, calling forth the generations from the beginning? "I, THE LORD, AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST; I AM HE."' The isles saw and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, and drew near, and came. They helped everyone his neighbor, and said to his brother, 'Be of good courage.'" (vs 4-6). Then it talks about the idolaters and will be eliminated.

Verse 8: "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, My friend; whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from its uttermost parts. And I said to you, 'You are My servant; I have chosen you, and have not cast you away…. [forever] …[#1]Do not fear; for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness'" (vs 8-10).

This is going to be a great, wonderful thing that God is going to do with Israel, and we will be the ones doing it with Him, and for Him. Just think what a great and fantastic blessing that is going to be.

Verse 11: "'Behold, all those who were angered against you shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing. And those who strive against you shall perish. You shall seek them, and shall not find them; men warring against you shall be as nothing, and as a thing of naught, for I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, [#2]'Do not fear; I will help you.' [#3]Do not fear, you worm Jacob and men of Israel; I will help you,' says the LORD and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (vs 11-14).

That's quite a thing! Look at all these Scriptures that are going to be fulfilled. Not one word will fall short! Think about all the participation that we will have and how we will do it. The way to:

• bring peace and happiness to the whole world
• bring those out of captivity that are in captivity
• help all of them who are in desperate condition
• heal them
• restore limbs
• bring them back

Oh, what a thing that is going to be! Isa. 12 is quite a wonderful chapter. Isn't it something the way that God has laid it all out. He spells

• doom and gloom
• death and destruction

then He gives

• hope and revival
• salvation and redemption

That's quite a thing, beginning with Israel! Then we can project forward to the Last Great Day, and all of Israel that never had an opportunity for salvation will be raised. So, we need to look at the plan of God as greater, more fantastic and more wonderful than we have thought. When we do this will help us not to get caught up in the problems and difficulties of this world and how bad it's been out there in some places, and to realize that we will be the ones to help Christ end all of Satan's rule, destruction and wretchedness that he has brought upon the world!

Here again it's talking about Israel; Isaiah 12:1: "And in that day you shall say, 'I will give thanks to You O LORD; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You do comfort me.'" What is that going to be like?

Have you ever had a terrible, terrible trial and finally it's over and finally it's gone, and finally you have some peace and quiet? Don't you feel great? This is what it's going to be for the children of Israel! Here's what they're going to say:

Verse 2: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD God is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation." I don't think we have ever—especially in this age—understood the real joy of true happiness, and the real relief of coming out from underneath oppression, slavery and grinding your nose into sin.

Verse 3: "And with joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation." Remember that during the Feast of Tabernacles between the seventh day and the Last Great Day, they had the pouring around the altar and Jesus said, 'He who comes to Me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'—speaking of His Holy Spirit.

That's not just for time that we have today. Think about what it's going to be. It says, "…the wells of salvation." Project that forward to New Jerusalem with the waters coming out from beneath the throne of God the Father and Jesus Christ, crystal clear from "…the wells of salvation" watering the 12 Trees of Life. That is going to be astounding!

Back to Israel coming out of captivity and being put in their land, v 4: "And in that day you shall say, 'Praise the LORD! Call upon His name; declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the LORD; for He has done gloriously; this is known in all the earth'" (vs 4-5). We will find out how that's going to be known in all the earth.

Verse 6: "Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst."

What powerful words! What a terrific section of Isaiah in only six verses! But look at the power and meaning that has been packed into that. That's something for us to really contemplate and look at it.

(go to the next track)

We have a couple of other sections to finish concerning Israel and then how God is going to bring all the other nations who had been unwilling to come to Jerusalem to learn of His Way and how He's going to make all the rest of the earth submit.

Isaiah 45:17: "But Israel shall be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation…."—to Israel and to the Church, both. Remember what was said to Abraham: your seed shall be like the sand of the sea and the stars of heaven.

• stars of heaven are those who going to be in the first resurrection
• sand of the sea is physical Israel and their salvation to begin receiving eternal life will begin for all the nations—all 12 tribes—when the Millennium begins

"…You shall not be ashamed nor disgraced even into the ages of eternity… [the Church and Israel] …for thus says the LORD the Creator of the heavens, He Himself is God, Who formed the earth and made it; He has established it. He created it not in vain, but formed it to be inhabited. 'I am the LORD, and there is no other'" (vs 17-18).

Where we come to salvation is on the physical earth. Then when the whole process of salvation is completed we have the new heavens and the new earth. As you go through and read these Scriptures you can have different applications at different times.

Verse 24: "One shall say, 'Only in the LORD do I have righteousness and strength… [no longer trusting in sell] …even to Him shall men come. And they are ashamed, all who are angry against Him.' In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory" (vs 24-25).

Isaiah 46:3: "Hearken to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who are borne by Me from the belly, who are lifted from the womb."

I want you to think about something as great as that God, with Israel, has always been involved. Then expand this out to the Millennium and expand it out to the second resurrection. All of that is right here.

Verse 4: "Even to your old age I am He; and to gray hairs I will carry you…." Today in the Church we are facing a demographic cliff, which is that many of the people in the Church have been in the Church a long time, and we're all gray-haired. God is telling us not to worry!

"…I have made you…" (v 4). Now Christ is being formed in us; the Spirit that is given to us to become spirit beings.

"…and I will bear you up; even I will carry you, and will deliver you" (v 4). Even though we die and are put into the grave. That is sleep!

Verse 5: "To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be alike?" Then He comes against the idol-makers again.

Verse 8: "Remember this, and show yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O you transgressors. Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else, I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning…" (vs 8-10).

That's also in Isa. 45 and Rev. 1; 22—'I'm the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega.' God's plan is perfect, and the parts of it that He works at any time, He's going to do.
"…and from ancient times the things, which were not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I [God] will do all My pleasure'" (v 10). Think about that! God is a God of love, of Truth, of righteousness, and He wants us all to be in His family and live forever.

Verse 11: "Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. Yea, I have spoken…" [What do we have here? The spoken Word of God!] …I will also bring it to pass…" Think about that! If you get discouraged and doubtful, read these verses. Pray about them! It's a fantastic thing that God has done and is doing, and will do.

"…I have purposed it, I will also do it" (v 11). Think about that!

• Does God want us in His kingdom? Yes!
• Will it happen? Yes!
• What is our part that we need to do?
  • love God, serve Him
  • keep His commandments
  • trust in Him
  • believe Him
  • live in His way
  • walk in His way
  • be guided by His Spirit

Remember: God the Father and Jesus Christ dwell in us! That's a fantastic and almost unbelievable thing to full contemplate how much God:

• loves us
• cares for us
• has called us
• is going to do His will

Verse 12: "Hearken to Me, you stubborn-hearted who are far from righteousness; I bring near My righteousness…." (vs 12-13). Think about that! He makes it available for us now!

"…It shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not be delayed; and I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory" (v 13)—to the Church, to the nation.

Remember that Paul wrote that even He couldn't understand it. So, all Israel shall be saved!

• How is He going to save the rest of the world?

Because He's going to!

• What about those nations that don't submit?
• What about those nations that don't come up to Jerusalem?
• What is He going to do?

God has a special plan for them, and they will, after that, understand that He is God!

Many times in the Bible there is the first fulfillment and the second fulfillment, and in some cases, even the third fulfillment.

When Christ and all the saints come back to the earth, where are all the armies going to be? From the nations of the North—Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, China, Korea, India, Vietnam, Pakistan and Iran—and from the kings of the East we know that there will be armies totally 200-million (Rev.). All of these nations have never known God. These nations were deceived by Satan and the false prophet and the beast with the demons going out to convince them to come and fight at Armageddon.

You can't get into Armageddon all of those armies. So, there will still be armies that are left that will be afraid to come and invade Israel, at the first part of the Millennium.

• What are they going to do?
• How is God going to deal with them?
• The answer is in Ezek. 38 and 39!

• the first fulfillment of this has to be Genghis Khan, and coming clear up to the gates of Europe
• the second fulfillment has to be the armies when Christ returns
• the third fulfillment will be after the Millennium has begun

We will see that in Ezek. 38-39; so consider these two chapters in that way.

Ezekiel 38:1: "And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief ruler of Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him. And say, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief ruler of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed most gorgeously, a great assembly with buckler and shield, all of them swordsmen; Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north, and all his bands; and many people with you'" (vs 1-6).

Those are all those nations that I mentioned there. So, if you have a map or globe, go look at it. It won't be the remnant army that comes against Christ and the saints when they return to the earth.

Verse 7: "Be prepared; yea, prepare for yourself, you and all your assembly that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days you will be summoned. In the latter years… [that applies to Rev. 8 & 9] …you shall come into the land restored from war…" (vs 7-8). This also applies to the third fulfillment. That is the Holy Land, Israel.

"…gathered out of many people, on the mountains of Israel, which have always been waste. (But she has been brought out of the nations, and they shall dwell securely, all of them.)" (v 8). This is right after the beginning of the Millennium. How far into the Millennium? Don't know! But we know that it's going to happen.

Verse 9: "'And you shall go up, coming like a storm. You shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your bands, and many people with you.' Thus says the Lord GOD, 'And it shall be in that day that things shall come into your heart, and you shall devise an evil plan'" (vs 9-10).

Remember when the children of Israel left Egypt and came down by the Red Sea? The Egyptians sent to Pharaoh, and all of his counselors said, 'What have we done? We have let them go!'

God told Moses and the children of Israel that He let this happen so that He would be glorified in their destruction! So, here again, we have the same thing. We have these leaders of these nations thinking that the aliens have invaded and taken over this part of the earth, and now that there's no more war, 'let's send spies out to see what this looks like, and maybe we can get rid of all the aliens. Don't you think that would be a good thing to do?'

Verse 10: "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'And it shall be in that day that things shall come into your heart, and you shall devise an evil plan. And you shall say, "I will go up to the land of unwalled villages…."'" (vs 10-11). That's certainly not Israel today, but it will be when Christ returns and establishes Israel. They won't need any walls. They won't need any fortification.

"…I will go to those that are at rest… [the Millennium] …who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and there are no bars nor gates to them… [what a tempting thing] (he's going to come): …in order to take a spoil, and to steal a prize; to turn your hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land" (vs 11-12).

This shows that it's going to be a number of years. Could it be as many as seven years? Very possibly! We don't know. (speculation)

Verse 13: "Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, and all her villages, shall say to you, 'Have you come to take a spoil? Have you gathered your company to steal a prize, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?'" A repeat of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, only now a repeat of Gog and Magog and all the nations of the East.

Remember, none of these nations have ever submitted to anything from Israel of the past ages, nor even to the Christianity of this world. They've always been under Satan and his demons. Now Satan and his demons are bound. Now they're going to come, and look what God is going to do to them; the same of total destruction that He did to Pharaoh.

Verse 14: "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord GOD, 'In that day when My people of Israel dwell securely, shall you not know it? And you shall come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many people with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. And you shall come up on My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days… [spilling over into the Millennium] …and I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I shall be sanctified in you, O Gog, before their eyes'" (vs 14-16).

This is how God is going to bring all of the other nations into the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God, and then begin bringing them salvation. That will be after Israel is in the land for some time, perhaps as many as seven years.

Verse 17: "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days, by the hand of My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,' says the Lord GOD, 'My hot anger will be aroused. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken, "Surely in that day there shall be a great quaking in the land of Israel"'" (vs 17-19).

This is going to be an earth-shattering thing that's going to take place with this. Then after this, when we get done with Ezek 39, you are going to see that God says over and over again, 'You shall know the Lord your God! The nations shall know the Lord God!' They will know! They're not going to come willingly. God is going to bring this upon them.

Verse 20: "'"So that the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men on the face of the earth, shall quake 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 upon all My mountains,' says the Lord GOD. 'Each man's sword shall be against his brother'" (vs 20-21).

Just like God has always done. The enemy comes and God makes them fight against each other and kills them. Just as in the days of Hezekiah, 180,000-army was slain at night by an angel. The general got up in the morning and it was totally quiet. He opened his tent door and looked out and they're all dead! So, he snuck back to Assyria. Israel went out and took all the spoils.

Verse 22: "And I will judge him with pestilence and with blood. And I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone."

They forgot what happened with the seven last plagues. So, whatever time it is, they're looking at that and saying, 'Look there are no armies, there are no planes, they don't even have walls.' So, God is going to bring them in. Look at the weapons that God uses: those weapons you find throughout the whole Bible: hail, fire and brimstone!

Verse 23: "Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself. And I will have Myself known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD."

That's going to be a powerful thing! That's not going to happen in this age. Yes, there will be a type of it, with the Battle Armageddon. But once Christ returns, Israel is re-gathered, brought into the Holy Land:

• set up everything the way that God wants
• all the blessings of God
• the prosperity of God
• the abundance of God
• gold and silver flowing to them

Ezek. 39 is quite a thing. This is going to be the 'coup de grace' to put all the nations in the world under Jesus Christ as King of the earth. You will see how all of this fits in. Even though it says 'in the latter years' that stretches into the beginning of the Millennium, because all of those nations who fought against Christ haven't yet submitted themselves to God.

That's why it says in Isa 2 and Micah 4, that He's going to have to rebuke nations 'afar off.' But what He's going to do is bring them in and let them come with their evil and think that they can attack the children of Israel who are at peace and living there and have no fortification, no walls, no planes, no armies, no guns, nothing that is apparent. But they have the Almighty God to battle for them! Here's how it's going to happen and this will end up being the beginning of the conversion of all those nations; these are the Bible names of them, but it's:

• Russia
• Mongolia
• Siberia
• North Korea
• Kazakhstan
• Uzbekistan
• Pakistan
• India
• Iran

Apparently some from the Isles, maybe that will include Japan; we don't know. None of those nations have ever, ever had very much concerning Christianity. A little bit with Ukraine and Russia, but that was a Babylonian 'Christianity': Russian Orthodox.

Ezekiel 39:1: "Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about, and lead you on. And I will bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and I will bring you against the mountains of Israel" (vs 1-2). Nothing could be clearer than that!

Verse 3: "And I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your bands, and the people with you. I will give you for food to the birds of prey of every kind, and to the beasts of the field" (vs 3-4). Again, that's how God cleans up the mess!

Verse 5: "You shall fall upon the face of the open field, for I have spoken it,' says the Lord GOD." When God says that He's going to do something, He's going to do it!

Verse 6: "And I will send a fire on Magog, and on those who dwell in the isles. And they shall know that I am the LORD. And I will make My Holy name known in the midst of My people Israel. And I will not let them profane My Holy name any more. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel" (vs 6-7). Again, the nations shall know!

Verse 8: "'Behold, it is coming, and it shall be done,' says the Lord GOD. 'This is the day of which I have spoken. And the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go out and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the javelins, and the spears. And they shall burn them with fire seven years" vs 8-9). That's a fantastic army! Think of that; that has never happened in prophecy before.

Verse 10: "'So that they shall take no wood out of the field, nor cut down any out of the forests; for they shall make fires of the weapons. And they shall plunder those who plundered them, and rob those who robbed them,' says the Lord GOD. 'And it will be in that day that I will give to Gog a burial place there in Israel—the valley of those who pass by, east of the sea. And it shall block off those who pass by. And there they shall bury Gog and all his multitude. And they shall call it, The Valley of the Multitude of Gog'" (vs 1-11).

Gather up all the bones and bury them, v 12: "'And the house of Israel shall bury them, to cleanse the land, seven months. And all the people of the land shall bury them, and it shall be to them a day of renown, the day that I shall be glorified,' says the Lord GOD" (vs 12-13). So, it looks like we're going to have another day of celebration. Will that be, again, on a Feast of Trumpets? Could be!

Verse 14: "And they shall employ men to continually search the land, burying those who remain on the face of the earth, to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they shall begin the search. And as those who pass through the land, pass through, if any man sees a bone, then he shall set a sign beside it until the buriers have buried it in The Valley of the Multitude of Gog" (vs 14-15).

That's going to be quite something! The greatest slaughter ever, ever, ever! They're going to know God!

Verse 16: "And also the name of the city there is Multitude. Thus they shall cleanse the land. And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Speak to the birds of every kind, and to every beast of the field, "Gather yourselves and come; gather yourselves from all around to My sacrifice that I sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, so that you may eat flesh and drink blood"'" (vs 16-17).

Just think! All of the vultures and all of the scavengers and eagles—all of the birds that clean up the rottenness—will all come. What a thing that is going to be!

Verse 18[transcriber's correction]: "You shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And you shall eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk, of My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you" (vs 18-19). That's going to be something!

Verse 20: "'And you shall be filled at My table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, all the men of war,' says the Lord GOD. 'And I will set My glory among the nations…'" (vs 20-21).

This is when all the nations will submit. This will convince them that, yes, this is God. These are not aliens from outer space, but God and the resurrected saints themselves with Him, and you can't fight against them! They're all going to know God! That's how they're going to do it.

• Don't you think that's going to be a great humbling?
• Don't you think they will bow down before all the resurrected saints who go out among these nations to teach them God's way?
• Yes, indeed!

Verse 21: "And I will set My glory among the nations and all the nations… [each and every one] …shall see My judgments which I have executed, and My hand that I have laid on them."

Also for the house of Israel; this is going to convince any gainsayers. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples and apostles at different times.

• Were there were those who didn't believe, even at the mount out in Galilee to worship after the resurrection? Yes!
• Was there 'doubting Thomas' who didn't believe, as one of the 12 apostles? Yes!

So, God is going to do this to convince all of these nations to believe, to repent and to realize now the Kingdom of God is on the earth with power, ruling and all nations will submit. Then it will be revealed to them the great plan of God.

Verse 22: So, the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward…. [absolutely no doubt] …And the nations shall know that the house of Israel was exiled for their iniquity…." (vs 22-23). Now they've all been punished for their iniquities and sins.

You can't have righteousness rule and reign until everyone understands that they have to obey and then learn to love God. Then the blessings will start flowing, but not until then.

"…Because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore, I hid My face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have done to them, and hid My face from them. Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Now, will I again bring back the captives of Jacob, and will have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for My Holy name'" (vs 23-25).

Then the nations are going to know! He is reiterating to them why He did this to Israel; v 26: "After they have borne their shame and all their sins by which they have sinned against Me, when they dwell securely in their land and no one terrified them; 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 they shall know that I am the LORD their God Who exiled them among the nations. But I have gathered them to their own land, and have not left any of them there. Nor will I hide My face from them any more, for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel," says the Lord GOD" (vs 26-29).

What a tremendous thing that is going to be! So, there's even going to be a time, which this is, that all the children of Israel are going to believe.

• they're going to choose to believe
• they're going to choose to love God

Likewise the nations, because it says, the nations shall know that I am the LORD God."  They will come to Jerusalem and they will learn of God's ways.

We will go back and show them how to administer the Government of God in their nation. All the saints will be there as spirit beings to rule, beginning with Israel and then all the nations of the world. This is how God is going to do it when the Millennium begins!

Scriptural References:

• Isaiah 49:13-20, 22-25
• Isaiah 43:1-12, 18-21
• Isaiah 2:1-2
• Isaiah 4:2-6
• Isaiah 2:3-4
• Isaiah 14:1-7
• Isaiah 30:18-21
• Isaiah 41:1-6, 8-14
• Isaiah 12:1-6
• Isaiah 45:17-18. 24-25
• Isaiah 46:3-5, 8-13
• Ezekiel 38:1-23
• Ezekiel 39 1-29

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Zechariah 14
• Revelation 1; 22; 8; 9
• Micah 4

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 8-4-17