Read Online Israel at War: Inside the Nuclear Showdown With Iran by Joel C. Rosenberg - Free Book Online

Russian-Iranian coalition will seek to attack, destroy, and take over Israel after Israel has been prophetically reborn as a nation, the Jews have begun to return to the Holy Land after centuries of exile, and the Jews—with God’s help—have started to rebuild the ancient ruins and make the deserts bloom (see Ezekiel 36 and 37).
The Russian forces (and possibly others) will attack Israel from the north, suggesting they will come through Lebanon and Syria, though neither country is mentioned in the text (Ezekiel 38:15, 39:2).
Egypt is not mentioned as part of the coalition against Israel.
Iraq is not mentioned as part of the coalition against Israel either.
Before the attack can happen, Israel must be “living securely” in the land (Ezekiel 38:8, 11).
Before the attack, Israel must experience a significant degree of financial prosperity that will seem to other nations to be one of the reasons for the coalition to attack Israel (Ezekiel 38:12-13).
The text indicates that not a single nation will come to Israel’s defense when this Russian-Iranian coalition surrounds them and prepares to attack.
We would have to conclude then that either the U.S. has imploded and is no longer able to defend Israel or that its leaders have made a political decision to ignore, abandon, or side against Israel.
Just when all hope appears to be lost and Israel looks like it will be destroyed, the text indicates that the God of Israel will supernaturally intervene to judge these enemies of Israel. A massive earthquake will occur that will shatter the enemy forces. Terrible diseases will be unleashed among the enemy forces. The enemies will turn on one another and attack one another. Fire will rain down from heaven on Israel’s enemies, consuming them (Ezekiel 38:18-23).
The text also indicates that fire will fall from heaven on some of the enemies’ home countries, suggesting their governments and military may be nearly or completely destroyed or shattered during this event (Ezekiel 39:1-6).
The Bible indicates that God will not only physically save his people—Israel—but will spiritually save them as well. “Therefore thus says the Lord G OD , ‘Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. . . . I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel’” (Ezekiel 39:25, 29).
    Could these prophecies be set into motion by an Israeli first strike against Iran such as the one currently being contemplated by Netanyahu? No, not immediately—at least not under current circumstances.
    First, in Ezekiel 38–39, Iran is not the lead aggressor; Russia is. Currently, we see a Russian-Iranian political and military alliance emerging for the first time since Ezekiel wrote the prophecy more than twenty-five hundred years ago, and Vladimir Putin is emerging as a dictator in Russia. But as of this writing, neither Putin nor any other leader from Russia is taking the lead in mobilizing a military force against the Jewish State.
    Second, in Ezekiel 38–39, Iran is part of a broad coalition of nations that takes the military offensive against Israel. That’s not the case in the current environment. Iran’s only allies in this present showdown with Israel are the Hezbollah terrorist forces in Lebanon, the Hamas terrorist forces in Gaza, and the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad (which is currently imploding).
    Third, in Ezekiel 38–39, there is no indication that Israel launches a preemptive strike against Iran or against any of the coalition members. Indeed, there is no indication that Israel uses its military at all in the War of Gog and Magog. To the contrary, the God of Israel supernaturally intervenes to save Israel and defeat her enemies. This seems to preclude an Israeli first strike in the immediate context of the prophecy.
    That said, there are several ways the current crisis could potentially set the stage