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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2014 14:21:51 GMT
I found this article on a website not yet vetted by RF and found it interesting. I think this is plausible except for the fact that the AC will need technology to keep control.
Opinion: Is there Biblical basis for an EMP attack?
Clue #1 - The war of Gog and Magog appears to be a surprise attack:
Ezekiel 38:11 “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates.”
With spy satellites and 21st century technology, Ezekiel paints a picture that Israel does not see an attack coming.
Clue #2 - There are no nations willing or able to provide help:
Ezekiel 38:13 calls for Britain (lions) and America/colonies (young lions), along with Saudi Arabia (Sheba/Dedan) to be bystanders – asking, “Have you come to take plunder?”
For some reason, Great Britain, America, and the Saudis are powerless, possibly indicating cyber attacks or EMP.
Clue #3 - The sheer size of the invasion force indicates technical failure:
Ezekiel 38:15-16 “Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”
prophecytracker.org/2014/05/emp-attack-on-power-grid-could-kill-9-in-10/
Fair use for discussion and information purposes only
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Post by Benjamin on May 14, 2014 1:50:20 GMT
I'd agree with that - though it's not even just the size of the force, but the nature of it.
The Biblical picture constantly talks about horses and swords etc. - and these have often been suggested as tanks and weaponry - but why would we make that conclusion?
I think it's quite possible that - either via something like EMP, or simply through the events of the early Tribulation - the world power grid is shattered.
This is why the events of Psalm 83 look and feel very much like nuclear or chemical weaponry, but by the time you reach the battle of Ezekiel 38, the armies are holding "large and small shields" and "brandishing their swords". It's quite possible that something significant occurs in between the two, or as part of the Ezekiel 38 battle, that renders much of the advancing horde's technology useless, while still allowing Israel to live in peace, in "a land of unwalled villages" (i.e. the weapon is disruptive, but not destructive).
I know much has been said about the timing of Ezekiel 38, and I wouldn't be dogmatic about it (after all, we won't be here - and each view has its pros and cons), but I'd place it either prior to, or immediately after the commencement of the Tribulation, purely and simply because it occurs to Israel's revival in Christ (Ez. 39:29), and involves Israel's regathering, also (which I believe is an event that has already begun generally, but will occur specifically and completely during the Tribulation).
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2014 23:30:33 GMT
Then how do you explain the use of technology that the AC will need? Do you think they could get the whole world grids back up for use? That is the only part that I am having a hard time with.
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Post by Benjamin on May 15, 2014 0:47:16 GMT
I guess that depends on whether the EMP (if that is indeed what occurs) is regional, or greater than that.
They could certainly get the power grid back, and how long that would take would depend on the grid itself, how aged it is, how complex it is, whether or not it was shielded from electromagnetic interference in the first place, and so on...
I think it's important to keep in mind that the Tribulation will be incredibly destructive anyway. We're talking about 1/3 of all life dying, 2/3 of every man, woman and child in Israel, seas turning to blood, fire raining from the sky, and so on. I think it's quite possible that the Antichrist and the Beast system will depend perhaps less on technology than we currently realise, and maybe far more on supernatural means. That's not to suggest that there won't be technology involved (I think there clearly will be), but whatever is in view in Revelation may not match up as neatly with the current world system as we think.
I don't think Antichrist shows up as a warrior when the Tribulation commences - he comes in peace. We know that much - but while others would argue that he's the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6, I don't believe that he is. I believe that's an angelic being, sent by Jesus Christ Himself in judgement upon the earth (I've justified this elsewhere, so I'll just briefly state that the same riders in Revelation 6 are also in Zechariah, where Antichrist is not featured and the riders are clearly defined as spirits). This would mean that during the first 3.5 years, and prior to the violation of the temple (speaking of which, how would this come as a surprise to anyone if Antichrist were the rider of the white horse?), Antichrist would have plenty of time to act to 'save the world' - or at least, restore some of its functionality, after an EMP attack or something similar.
Remember what happened when the tower of Babel was being built? God said that if the people worked together as they did, nothing would be impossible for them. For that reason, He confused their language, so that their vain attempts to reach God would not succeed.
We're talking about a return to Babel here - a time where the whole world is united under the banner of Antichrist. We look now at the mess that the world is in - people don't cooperate, they fight, they war, they scheme... under Antichrist, the world will be truly united for the first time since Babel - though under the wrong banner! Very little will stand in the way of the people of the world achieving whatever they seek in his name - God excepted, of course! Rebuilding a power grid, or establishing a new worldwide technology, would be a piece of cake if every national intelligence agency or power corporation worked together.
Scary thought, isn't it.
By the time the first half of the Tribulation ends, I think Antichrist will have established himself not only as a man of peace, but as a firm leader, and one who has sought to restore the damage done to the earth despite incredible odds - establishing his own universal force (technological, military, and governmental) to unite all people and draw them together to work as one body (does that sound familiar? Satan loves to counterfeit!). What he will accomplish in this short time frame will be utterly unparallelled (think of how little time it took Hitler to unify Germany, and multiply that by an exponential factor!). By the time he desecrates the temple and reveals himself as a man of war, the world will be too far gone, and far too enamoured with this man, to break free. Only Israel will see him for who he is, and will flee to the desert in response (Revelation 12). It is not until then that Israel will cry out for her God.
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