Analysis of biblical eschatology reveals that there are three wars that will soon take place in the Middle East. Each conflict is progressive and becomes larger in scope, until the entire world and every nation participate in the final global war.
THE NEXT ARAB-ISRAELI WAR
The first war involves Israel against her surrounding Arab neighbors and it will probably begin in the year 2015 or shortly afterwards. Because of terrorism and insurgency, the fighting will linger on for a few years. The words of Psalm 83, Obadiah 1:15-21, and Isaiah 17:1 indicates that these Muslim nations will be defeated with weapons of mass destruction. This war will display God’s judgment against militant Islam directly surrounding Israel, which is referred to as the house of Esau in several places. This war will result in a ring of destruction to the south, to the north, and to the east of Israel. The nations defeated are: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Major areas of land will become partially impassible because of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons utilization. Because the ground of these regions will become partially poisoned, nothing living will remain and grow in certain areas of the Middle East. Portions of the Middle East regions surrounding Israel will be on fire like Kuwait was during the 1991 Gulf War. Following the war, many Arab people will immigrate to the U.S. and Europe, while many within the Jewish community will immigrate to Israel because of increasing anti-Semitism against Jews worldwide.
THE GOG AND MAGOG WAR
The second major war involves Israel against a coalition of nations led by Russia. This second war is often called the war of Gog and Magog and this conflict will probably occur sometime between 2018 and 2038. The conclusion of the first war will facilitate the formation of a coalition of Muslim nations led by Russia to attack Israel again some years later. Russia will be under the leadership of disciplined and charismatic leader, but he will be decisively defeated by earthquakes, hail stones, and confusion on the mountains of Israel. In Ezekiel chapters 38-39, the prophet describes this second conflict in complete detail. This prophecy was written 2,600 years ago. Ezekiel lists a confederacy of nations, which include Turkey, Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, parts of Eastern Europe, and other unnamed nations. However, something strange appears immediately when we read the list of attacking nations. The prophet fails to mention the countries directly bordering Israel. These countries are Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The reason these nations are not mentioned is that they were all destroyed in the first war.
THE ARMAGEDDON WAR
The third war involves a coalition force representing every nation against Israel. This final war is called Armageddon. This war will probably begin in the year 2042 before ending in the year 2045. This war can be found primarily
SUMMARY OF THE FUTURE WARS
The dates assigned to these wars are pure speculation because no man or woman knows the exact day of Messiah Yeshua’s return (Matthew 24: 36). However, this author believes that the dates are good indicators for where we are on God’s prophetic calendar. If a biblical generation equals 100 years, then Messiah Yeshua should return to Earth sometime before or during the year 2048 because Israel was reborn during the year 1948. While Messiah could delay his coming beyond 2048, this author believes that Messiah will return either before or during that year. Bear in mind, while there are numerous signs for Messiah’s return at the Battle of Armageddon, there are no prophetic signs for Messiah return for the Church because the rapture can occur at any moment during today or tomorrow. Therefore, we should all embrace Messiah Yeshua today to escape from the terrible wars coming in the future.