The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Jones Interview: War With Iran

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In December 2009 I was interviewed by Bill Salus, author of the popular Psalm 83-themed book Isralestine, host of the radio program “Prophecy Update,” and evangelist on the end times website Prophecy Depot. Bill and I spent much of the interview discussing the Rapture, Middle East politics and my “left behind” video “Jesus Came. What’s Next?”

Bill Salus

Bill has been kind enough to allow The Christ in Prophecy Journal to reproduce the “Caught Up in the Pre-Trib Rapture” interview in transcript form, edited into an article series. To listen to the original radio program in mp3 format, I invite you to visit Prophecy Depot or KWBB.

In this segment, Bill and I will be discussing why there’s a better chance of a Psalm 83-type war happening before the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog-Magog Battle between Iran and Israel.

Case for Psalm 83 Happening Next

Bill Salus: A lot of people have sort of an “Ezekiel 38-39 fervor” going on right now, and rightfully so.

Nathan Jones: Like you’ve been saying in Isralestine, though, the nations that comprise Ezekiel 38-39 do not border Israel. If we look at the modern names of the nations listed in Ezekiel 38-39, we easily see this absence. The players are Rosh, which is Russia, the ancient Scythian people. Turkey is listed, as well as Armenia. Turkey just signed a pact with Armenia recently. Lybia is on the list, as well as the Sudan and all these lesser nation. Persia is now called Iran.

All of the Ezekiel 38-39 nations form an outer ring around Israel. One day they will plan on getting together to attack Israel, prompted by God Himself. Ezekiel 38-39 says God will put hooks in the leader of this coalition — a leader who will be designated “Gog” — and drag them down to their destruction.

But, we look around the nations surrounding Israel like Egypt, Lebanon and Syria and Jordan, and we’ve got to wonder why they are sitting the Gog-Magog invasion out? Hezbollah has 40,000 rockets now pointed south from Lebanon at Israel. So, these are definitely countries that hate Israel with a passion and who everyday are yelling they want to destroy Israel, and yet they are sitting out the Ezekiel 38-39 invasion.

So, yes, you are right. I think we definitely have going on a very great expectation in seeing Ezekiel 38-39 happen soon, but I really believe you came across something with your Psalm 83 theory, because those nations will certainly not want to sit out the destruction of Israel.

Bill Salus: And those surrounding nations are coincidentally all listed in Psalm 83. We are talking about the nations of Lebanon where Hezbollah is, Syria, Jordan, the Palestinians of course, Hamas in the old Philistine area of Gaza, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Those nations are the inner ring who closely border the nation of Israel today.

I agree that it is certainly worth exploring and thinking about why they aren’t listed in the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog-Magog invasion. Is it because Israel deals with them prior in the Psalm 83 episode. Of course, that is the central theme of Israelistine.

Speculation on Explosive Events

Bill Salus: Dare we talk about how close some explosive events in the Middle East could be? Unlike my mentor Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum who likes to have a “wait and see attitude” and not speculate, occasionally I go out on the fringe and speculate just a little bit. So, I am going to do that a little bit.

What I am trying to do here is to give people encouragement. In other words, we need to be courageous if the events we are talking about happen while we are still around to talk about them. These wars will have an adverse effect on all of humanity because the Middle East is the primary oil wealthy region of the world.

Nathan Jones: Too true. Iran has already threatened to close down the Strait of Hormuz where 40 percent of our oil travels through. So, it’s not like this is something far out in the Middle East that no one in the West has to worry about. A big Middle Eastern war will affect the entire world.

Going on to the Gog-Magog Battle of Ezekiel 38-39, there will be some tremendous fallout from that. The world finally acknowledges God. There won’t be an atheist left after Ezekiel 38-39! God is going to destroy those invading armies miraculously. We are talking about hail and fire and the armies turning on each other. Along with the supernatural destruction of the invading armies in the “mountains of Israel, Ezekiel 39:6 says there will also be fire falling on the invading nations’ homelands, those nations that feel they are in safety. Whatever Ezekiel 38-39 results in, it results will also be felt worldwide.

I don’t believe Christians will witness the battle of Ezekiel 38-39. It is more related to the Tribulation because the nations of the Earth end up acknowledging God. That revelation is a very Tribulation type of event.

But, I think we could be here to witness a Psalm 83 War. Israel right now really has no friends. They are surrounded by hostile enemies. We have Iran which nobody is doing anything serious about, and certainly the United States isn’t. The European Union is trying to divide up Jerusalem. Israel has to do something now about the Iranian nuclear threat. One of Israel’s generals came out recently and said that the next war Israel has to face will be an all-country war because the enemy missiles now can finally hit any part of Israel. Fortunately, the Israeli Defense Forces are very smart and they know how to fight. I think they will have to do something about their surrounding neighbors. Maybe a Psalm 83 war will be enough to push Iran and these other outer ring nations to back up a little while and catch their breath before they make an Ezekiel 38-39 coalition and attack.

Bill Salus: Right. The Walls Street Journal came out I think it was in October or November of ’09 and reported that should Israel plan a strike on Iran, Iran will follow through with their threat to shut down the Strait of Hormuz causing the price of oil to go up to possibly $300 a barrel. Presently oil is closing in around $70-$80 a barrel.

War with Iran will have a dramatic effect.

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

16 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • i know we are commanded not to be anxious, but what concerns me is when psalm 83 breaks out will gas rise to 9.00 a gallon? or when isreal defeats them will gas prices drop? how concerned should we be? any thoughts?

  • Hartdawg, just my opinion here: I suspect that gas prices will go sky high; HOWEVER, perhaps it will cause us to become more dependent on our own resources. Recently, there have been large oil deposits found in parts of Texas, off the Gulf of Mexico, in Pennsylvania, and in other areas of the U.S. I've also read about new discoveries that show we are not running out of oil–we just need to utilize what we have.

    In addition, I've read of several companies harvesting all kinds of plants (from mesquite trees to a plant in S. America) to replace oil. If it becomes more difficult to acquire oil, my suspicion is we will do what we've always done–use our ingenuity and creativity to find viable solutions.

    I'm sorry, but I just don't see us sitting around sulking and whining about this. Personally, I hope it inspires people to think outside the box and find new kinds of fuel!

    Necessity is the mother of invention!

  • Hello Laura
    I have been looking out for opportunity to 'talk' to you. I don't think I have disagreed with you once all the time I have been reading this blog. I was wondering if my ramblings had scared you off – couldn't blame you, I scare myself at times. Glad you are back.
    E.I.

  • laura, with all due respect, i wish you were right but frankly, our useless government will likely do nothing cause itll inconvenience a moose or kill a fish or heaven forbid KILL A TREE! I hope i`m wrong. better yet, i hope the church is outta here then.

  • Dawg,

    I think my mind is in the same place as yours. I know I shouldn't worry but I do. I know I should be patient but I'm not. I know I should be hopeful but I…wait…I AM hopeful because I think we WILL be checking out of this situation soon. That's what the Rapture give us above all – hope.

    If I was a mid or post tribber I'd have NO hope.

    As far as fear of what is coming in the Middle East – I'm more worried about what is coming in the Eastern United States. Between trillion dollar deficits, unemployment, bail outs, government takeovers and especially terrorist symapthetic policies, I think the U.S. is mostly in danger from within.

  • Hi E.I.,

    I'm honored that you wanted to "talk" to me. Don't worry, you haven't scared me off. I've been keeping up with the discussions every day, but ya'll post such thoughtful comments that you often leave me with nary a word to type!

    And E.I. "ramblings"? Please! Your thoughts are well thought out and very sensible! But if you must, "ramble away"!

    Hartdawg and Billy, you may be right, but I wasn't thinking of the government coming up with good ideas. I was thinking more of business-minded people who will capitalize on a golden opportunity. Of course, that's not to say that the government won't squelch their solutions, but historically we have had a way of getting around the obstacles–even big government.

    I, too, am looking forward to the rapture. Perhaps too much–since I really should be looking for a job these days rather than reading articles and listening to online sermons! Sigh!

  • Nathan and all
    Please excuse my change of topic.

    I have assumed the British Empire collapsed because of her treatment of Israel. That may be true, but it is so much more than that. My mum, hubby and I have been breaking our hearts this morning with horror, grief and shame. Children, only a little older than me, were taken by the Roman Catholic church; aided and abetted by the British government, and shipped en masse to Australia. This was for the ‘whites only’ policy, cradle snatching from unmarried mothers, to provide white stock to populate the British colonies.

    The shameful stories of the barbaric way those children were treated I just cannot relate here. Now as elderly men and women, some survivors have returned to their 'homeland' and have won the fight to tell the rest of us Brits their appalling stories. They are ‘grateful’ (that chokes me) that Gordon Brown has publicly apologised for what we did to them. ‘Vengeance is mine’ saith The Lord, ‘I will repay’
    E.I.

  • Billy, that does look like the Obamassiah's campaign logo a lot. I guess he's just wanting to remind us that he's going to protect and save mankind.

    EI, it's sickening what people will do. It's funny (not haha funny) what we do. We fought together to take down Hitler and his methods and then we go and do the same things to others.

  • Son of Thunder

    As far as I am aware, these little children were taken partly under the pretense of saving them from Hitlers bombs; while the children from married couples were sent away from the big cities into the relative safety of the countryside.

    The unbelievable thing about this is they were our OWN children, little Brits, who faced far worse for far longer the dangers of Hitlers bombs. They were sent into the care of RC 'fathers'and 'sisters' whom they and their devoted RC mothers trusted, (some were little orphans already seen as outcasts by their church) If you had heard those elderly people …

  • Actually, I was making reference to the "whites only" policies that plagued both our nations.

    But, I agree that it's awful that these kids were snatched and sent to Australia under the pretense of protection and were abused and treated poorly.

    I'd be ticked, too.

  • I believe the Bride of Christ will be around to witness Ezekiel 38-39.

    There is no mention in Ezekiel of the existence of the Antichrist.

    There is no mention in Ezekiel of there being a Temple standing in Jerusalem or of the daily sacrifice occurring.

    The nations of the world are acting and reacting to the prophecied events of their own accord and according to their own national will.

    It occurs in "the latter years" ('achariyth shaneh – meaning the after part division of time) but prior to Daniel's 70th Week for Daniel was told nothing of this by the angel Gabriel.

  • sean
    i`m not sure i agree. i could be wrong but look at the clues 1. Gods` attention is again focused on isreal 2. God is dealing with the nations in judgement 3 God is once again supernaturally intervening in the affairs of man.al post-rapture senerios. it IS however BEFORE the tribulation. (could be mistaken tho)

  • Sean
    I have always thought the Church may see this war, simply because of the 7 year time scale required to bury bodies and burn weaponry. Somehow it doesn't feel right that Israel will concern herself with cleansing the land throughout the Tribulation – other things to worry about?

    Son of Thunder
    'Ticked' certainly; but more ashamed than anything.
    E.I.

  • i`m not dogmatic about my position, but with the rapture being immenent it would seem the rapture would precede a major event like this. if i`m mistaken, however, i`m gonna be ready to show this prophecy to all my unsaved friends and remove any doubt whatsoever about the word of God

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