COPYRIGHT WARING

365 Prophecies: Prophecy 59

The nations of the world will oppose the Messiah as He sets into motion the events of the last days that will eventuate His rule over the entire earth.

Old Testament Prediction:

Psalms 2:1-2 “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:”

New Testament Fulfillment:

Acts 4:25-28 “who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’ For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.”

Application:

When Peter and John stood before the high priest Caiaphas and his family, testifying to Jesus’ promise of resurrection from the dead, these leaders of Israel asked where their authority came from.

Acts 4: 6-7 …Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power or by what name have you done this?

Peter replied that it was by Jesus of Nazareth whom they had crucified and whom God had raised from the dead, that they spoke these things. The leaders conferred together what should be done. They determined to warn Peter and John and the others from the church to not speak any more of Jesus and they would be released.

When the people of the church heard the boldness of the disciples and the message which was declared about Jesus, they began to rejoice and then spoke the following words from Psalms 2:1-5, which are a fulfillment of this 59th prophecy.

Acts 4:24-26 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: (Quoting from Psalm 2:1-5) ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ ”

By their declaration, these believers confirmed that the prophecy of Psalms 2:1-5, which is speaking clearly of the Messiah, is fulfilled by Jesus.

In the Book of Revelation Chapter 2, Jesus quotes from the Old Testament Book of Psalms Chapter 2. When the Messiah arrives on the earth during the last days, He will rule the nations by force.

Psalms 2:9 “You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Revelation 2:26-29 Jesus Speaking: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

This is a vivd depiction of how we can verify from the New Testament, all of the prophecies of the Old Testament, which are presented in this book. In many cases, we would not know that these predictions were about the Messiah unless we had seen their fulfillment described in the text of the New Testament scriptures.

Why the Messiah will rule by force

Since the Messiah’s rulership will be based on righteousness and justice, why would anyone want to rebel against a leader who is good and fair? Those who survive the Great Tribulation will be mortals, people just like you and I. They will have survived the wrath of the antichrist and have refused to take his mark (Rev. 16:2, 20:4). It appears from the context of this verse from Revelation 2:26-29, that these individuals have also yet to bow their knee to Jesus Christ in submission to Him as their Lord and Savior. As many unsaved enter the one thousand year reign of Christ, they will be required to submit to His authority. No one living on the earth during this time will have the right to countermand Jesus absolute authority as He will rule with complete righteousness and justice. Much like a soldier in the Army must submit to his superior officer’s commands, those who will populate the earth during the one thousand-year kingdom will follow the orders of the Commander and Chief, Jesus Christ.

At the end of the one thousand year reign of Jesus, the Book of Revelation describes a brief time when satan, who has been kept in chains during Jesus rule as the Messiah, will be loosed. As the devil is allowed to return to earth, he will gather a rebellious group of individuals made up of those who have lived through the one thousand-year reign of Christ in secret rebellion of their heart. This final insurgence against the Lord’s authority will gather themselves together with satan for one final battle called the Battle of Gog and Magog.

Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

Revelation 20:7-8 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

This battle at the end of the thousand year reign of Jesus is different from the Battle of Armageddon, which is described in Revelation Chapters 16 and 19. The battle depicted in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is also different from both Gog and Magog and Armageddon.

The Battle of Armageddon: After the seven-year Tribulation, when Jesus returns to earth with His church, the beast who is also called the antichrist, will be gathered with the armies of the world to fight Jesus and seek to kill Him as He returns to the earth.

Revelation 16:16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Revelation 19:11, 14-15, 19 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. … 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. …19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

The Battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39: Takes place either just before or just after the Rapture and the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation. This will happen when Israel is dwelling in safety due to a new seven-year peace plan orchestrated by the antichrist at the beginning of the Tribulation.

Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.

The Battle of Gog and Magog: Occurs at the end of the one thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth, as satan is released from prison and he goes out to deceive the nations.

Revelation 20:7-8 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

1. The Battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39 occurs either just before or just after the Rapture, when a seven-year peace plan is signed by Israel and the surrounding nations.
2. The Battle of Armageddon takes place seven years later, just after Jesus returns to earth.
3. The Battle of Gog and Magog happens after the one thousand-year reign of Jesus.

There has been some confusion over the battle of Armageddon and the battle described in Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39.

Armageddon and the Battle of Ezekiel 38 are different:

• In Ezekiel 38: Russia invades from the north.
• At Armageddon: the nations come from every direction.[1]
• In Ezekiel 38: Russia invades to take Israel’s wealth.
• At Armageddon: The invasion is to destroy Jesus and His saints.[2]
• In Ezekiel 38: Gog leads the Russian invasion.
• At Armageddon: The antichrist leads the Battle.[3]

Jesus will fulfill this 59th Old Testament Prophecy at His return to the earth with His church, at the end of the seven-year Tribulation period.

NOTES:
[1] Revelation 19:17-19, Daniel 11:44
[2] Revelation 19:19
[3] Ibid.