The Lord opened my heart to Him when the Soviet Union collapsed in December, 1991. The Cold War ended just after I had read a couple books on Bible prophecy that my father-in-law had given me. As an ex-cold warrior who spent 9 years training to defend against the Soviets, their demise made no worldly sense to me. But the Bible explained very clearly why this had to happen: to facilitate all nations uniting under the Antichrist just prior to the return of Jesus Christ (Revelation 13:3-8).
People were ecstatic over "peace breaking out all over the world" and proclaimed it time to "cash in our peace dividends." This struck a discord with me since the Soviet nukes still existed and were in the hands of an increasingly desperate people. The Bible said that this too would happen prior to the Lord's return: "For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape" (1 Thess 5:3). I realized that if the Bible could help me see how world events fit into God's plan, then I should heed what it had to say about my personal need for Jesus in my life.
Another peace-and-safety-birth-pang occurred on October 2, 1999 when the U.S. successfully tested an anti-ballistic missile (ABM). This proves that the U.S. has the technology to protect our population from incoming nuclear weapons delivered by intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The publicized purpose of any U.S. ABM deployment is to protect against "rogue" states like North Korea, Iran, and Iraq. However, it really doesn't matter to what degree the U.S. deploys ABMs, even if it never does. The potential of ABMs to erode Russia's nuclear leverage against the U.S. is enough to spur them on to take advantage of their nuclear threat while it still is one. Ezekiel 38-39 prophesies of an end-times event when Magog invades Israel. Bible scholars can give well researched reasons why Magog is Russia but anyone can see that Moscow is the only capitol to the "far North" of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 28:15).
A study of Bible prophecy reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ will remove all His followers from earth in an event called the rapture. This is followed by a 7-year period called the 70th Week of Daniel when the Antichrist comes to power and the world experiences the wrath of God. The 70th Week culminates in the battle of Armageddon which the Lord ends when He returns to establish His promised Kingdom on earth.
The Bible does not specify the exact timing of the Magog invasion of Israel so it could happen either just before or during the 70th Week. If it happens before, the rapture may occur in conjunction with it.
The rapture will be a spectacular event when believers in Christ will suddenly disappear from the face of the earth (1 Thess 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). God will provide a "strong delusion" (2 Thessalonians 2:11) so that those who have not received Jesus will have a convenient rationalization to dismiss it. It is likely that UFO activity will be cited to explain the rapture but it is also possible that if it coincided with nuclear war, vanishing people would be camouflaged. Who will miss a few million people that disappear when millions have been vaporized by nuclear weapons and even more are caught up in the resulting chaos?
The Magog attack on Israel may be that masking event because Ezekiel 38-39 appears to describe a nuclear exchange. Ezekiel 39:6 says that God "will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands." God could supernaturally bring fire down from heaven as He did on Sodom & Gomorrah but it is more likely that He will do it in such a way that its supernatural aspects are not obvious to unbelievers. What better way for men to rationalize that God's wrath is not involved than to allow man to use his own weapons?
Many passages of Scripture may be explained by the use of nuclear weapons. The nature and need for the 7-month clean-up described in Ezekiel 39 is a good example. Isaiah 41:14-16, Jeremiah 51:62, and Zechariah 14:12 all seem to describe the effects of nuclear weapons. The progressive effects of the wrath of God during the 70th Week where half of all people on earth die (Revelation 6:7 & 9:15) is consistent with nuclear war.
If the fire on Magog is from nuclear weapons, those who think they are safe in the "coastlands" also suffer the same fate. The coastlands can not be Israel because those destroyed in Israel are from the Magog alliance, it is not the country of Magog (why mention this twice), so it must be other parties such as those who might be blamed for attacking the Magog army and their homeland. I believe the leading candidate for the coastlands is the U.S. where most of our population lives.
Most people will dismiss the scenario speculation in this article as too fantastic to be believed. Only those few who truly seek a relationship with God will see His plan in it. If you sense that world events have to be heading toward some sort of conclusion, the Holy Spirit is working on you to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior before it is too late.
Don't repress your impulse to open your heart to Jesus, God is patient with us but the day will come when His invitation is withdrawn (Proverbs 29:1). If you realize your sins eternally separate you from God (Romans 6:23) and want to be saved from this, pray for God to give you the faith to trust in Jesus today. Pray in the name of Jesus (John 14:13) who made it possible for us to go before the throne of God by paying the price for every repentant sinner (1 Timothy 2:5). All that is needed for you to be saved has already been done by Jesus on the cross, all you have to do is accept His free gift by trusting in Jesus (John 3:16).