I am not done reading the book, but I do have a couple of comments. First, let me preface with a quick synopsis of how I understand (and interpret) Ezekiel 38-39...
In the days of Ezekiel, Magog was a powerful gentile country, and Gog was their king. Therefore, the Battle of Gog and Magog does not necessarily point to ACTUAL names of people or places. They are symbolic. This is commonly seen in the scriptures. A classic example would the be the title "Elias". There is another battle of Gog and Magog, spoken of by John in Revelations that takes place AFTER the Millennium. But the great battle of Gog and Magog against Israel that Rosenberg speaks of in his book is a PRE-Millenial battle. This battle is spoken of in Doctrine & Covenants 45:68-69--"And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not tae his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety. And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another." Zion in this case is America. It is interesting to think of what sort of war could possibly involve the entire world, save America. But I think this "fleeing" into Zion / America is seen even today.
Okay, so those are just some quick thoughts on the great battle prophesied by Ezekiel. The major hole I find in Rosenberg's arguments is one HUGE assumption he makes. He ASSUMES that Gog will be a dictator out of Russia / Magog. Considering current world events and some of the decisions Putin has made recently, this is an easy assumption to make. But we really don't know at this time WHO that dictator is going to be. Admitting that would basically ruin the central predictions of Rosenberg's book, so he is not to blame. But it is important to understand that these are his THEORIES of possible future headlines. Historically, Russia has been plagued by bad government. As a people and a country, they are wonderful. The people there are kind, intelligent, and have a strong belief in Christ. But through the years, the leadership has been extremely selfish and imperialistic. I can't say much about Putin except that what he has done lately is very scary. He is EXTREMELY well-liked in Russia. His entire political campaign has centered on the youth of Russia and he has gone to great lengths to identify with that demographic. However, while I may not agree with some of his decisions, I do not believe he is a dictator on the rise. Nor do I believe that Russia will be the great Magog spoken of by Ezekiel.
Before I end, I'd like to add my own personal THEORETICAL future headline...
"China extends stronghold, shifts focus to Israel"
...Revelations 9:16 speaks of the army of Gog and Magog, specifically when they march upon Israel. John actually numbers this army of "horsemen"-- 200,000,000! China canNOT be ignored in relation to the prophesies of Ezekiel. They have had the same imperialist and socialist history as Russia, and what's more, they have the manpower to assemble such an army against Israel. I believe it is equally likely that the great dictator Gog will come out of China as he will Russia.
Looking forward to others' thoughts as well as to "The World is Flat". I've heard great things, but I still haven't read it.
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2 comments:
Was Nick always this smart? Seriously man, that was some great insight and I loved reading it. I'm going to try and finish the book tonight and I'll post more.
I'm glad Nick did a little research into this book. I've put a limit to the amount of scriptures I read since I don't understand half of them. Just kidding. It's at least good to get another idea what the Bible is saying.
I like the theory on China. They've kept to themselves for far too long. They are creepy.
It's easy to write a book like this in a way. People have thought the end of the world was coming since Christ was first on the earth. The apostles thought it would happen in their life time and that was almost 2000 years ago. People are always going to interpret current events as the signs of the Bible. I personally think God is going to do away with subtlety when it comes to the second coming of Christ. I think the events surrounding the Rapture are going to be undeniable. I don't think there will be any room for interpretation. It will be that obvious and sudden. Like a "thief in the night."
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