Why Russia Will Not Attack America - Church of God - NEO

decades now, theprospect of war betweenRussia and the UnitedStates has continuallyheightened and lessened.Many who claim to beauthorities on prophecy assurepeople a war involvingRussia and the United\•States, Canada and Englandisprophesied inEzekiel 38.The United States, Britainand other democracies of northwesternEurope, they recognize,are the nations descended fromthe so-called lost Ten Tribes.Therefore, they conclude, theprophecy of Ezekiel 38 foretellsa military invasion of the NorthAmerican continent from theeen to ldthat Bibleprot's tune yoSoviet Union. Others claim itforetells an imminent Soviet invasionof the Middle East. Butthis is not what the prophecy says.What Ezekiel 38 does foretell istruly astounding. Let's understandit. But first, let's remember thatthe peoples of both the U.S. andthe U.S.S.R. are cautious. The Sovietpeople are patient, and the English-speakingnations in a crisis"fly into a calm" rather than acthastily. And now ...Time Sequence of ProphecyEzekiel's message is for our day aprophetic warning for America andBritain, now!To understand the time, theplace and all the facts of theprophecy of Ezekiel 38, we need tobegin at the first chapter ofEzekiel's prophecy and read thebook clear through.2When we do this, we find a timesequence flowing through thebook.Let us skim through it verybriefly.Notice, in the very first verse,Ezekiel was among the Jewish captiveswho had been taken from Judahto the river Chebar. It was inthe fifth year of the captivity ofKing Jehoiachin that this prophecybegan coming to Ezekiel throughvIsIOns.• •It is a prophecy. Ezekiel was beingshown things far into the future.Notice, the prophecy was inspiredand written after Judah'scaptivity began about 130 yearsafter the House of Israel had beentaken captive to Assyria. The advanceguard of the House of Israelalready had begun to arrive in theBritish Isles before Ezekiel's visionand writing.Yet, Ezekiel is a prophet to theHouse of Israel. (Not to be confusedwith the modern Jewish nationof Israel. These Jewish peopleare actually descendants of ancientJudah.) His prophecy applies tothe far future not to the captivityof ancient Israel, which had occurredmore than 130 years beforehe wrote.Notice Ezekiel's message, aprophecy for the future, is primarilyfor the House of Israel (Ezek.2: 3; 3: 1, 4-7).In chapter 3, verse 17, Ezekiel isset a watchman to warn the Houseof Israel.