On Heaven and Earth

Satan has a host of angels at his command. Among the ranks of his confederation of invisible agents are thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness. The Bible is clear that there are wars continually going on in the unseen world. Most of those angelic confrontations involve the dominion and control of the nations of this world. It should never be lost on the mind of any Christian or prophecy student that Satan commands a host of demonic armies that tend to dominate international affairs, and seeks to dominate the affairs of every nation. In some nations, he has virtual control, while in other nations his control is limited due to the blessed perpetual fertilization of God’s word. This is just one reason that missionary endeavors around the world are so important. Most of us can recall the iron curtain that descended across the European continent. It symbolized the fact that there are barriers to freedom that can be erected anywhere. Likewise, there is an Islamic curtain that has been erected across much of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. But there also exists barriers and buttresses in the spiritual world that work to obstruct the spirit of God’s truth, and the spreading of the seed of his Gospel. These unseen forces of evil battle daily with the holy angels of God. They also battle to manipulate the governments and leaders of nations. In fact, the day is coming when God will withdraw his restrainer and allow the agents of Satan to gather all nations into the Valley of Decision, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.)
The Prince of Gog?
The sudden appearance of "Gog" in Ezekiel’s text, without any apparent background from any other passages, has puzzled prophecy commentators for centuries. From the context, it is clearly the title of the “leader of the people of the land of Magog.” Still, it seems inconsistent with God's established style to have such a key figure emerge in the text without a linkage of some sort. There is, however, a provocative reference that has been widely overlooked in the Book of Amos. The traditional rendering of Amos 7:1 reads as follows: ("Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings." Amos 7:1
Our English Bible takes its translation from the Masoretic text, a 9th century source. However, an earlier translation of the Old Testament into Greek, known as the Septuagint, embodies a different rending of Amos 7:1: "Thus the Lord showed me, and behold a swarm of locusts were coming, and behold, one of the young devastating locusts was Gog, the King." Many eschatological writers assert that Gog is none other than the Antichrist. But the identification of Gog as the king of the locusts would have profound implications. Yet Proverbs 30:7 reveals that "the locusts have no king," implying that the "locusts" of Amos 7 are not intended to be natural locusts, but an idiom for something else. We encounter this theme when we read a similar passage in Revelation chapter nine where locusts are described as having a king, indicating that they are actually demons under the authority of Lucifer.
The passage in Amos 7:1 suggests that Gog is the king of the demon locusts, and this would put an entirely new light on the Gog scenario of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Let's remember that it is not the first time we have heard about demonic forces behind kings and kingdoms.
Consider Daniel chapter ten, where Daniel has prayed and fasted for 21 days, then an Angel appears to him. The Angel comes and tells Daniel that he had been dispatched by God 21 days earlier (when he began his prayer & fast) but was "withstood" by a demonic force that he refers to as, 'The Prince of Persia'. The prince of Persia, was the angel of darkness that represented the Persian world power, to which Israel was then subject. Daniel even goes on to say Michael (the Archangel /one of the Chief Princes) came to help him. He then gives Daniel the visions, and concluded by informing Daniel that he must continue on to contend with another “prince of the power of the air,” 'The Prince of Grecia' (Greece). The Greek empire was another world power that would rise after Persia, but it points out the reality of the fact that there are battles ensuing in the heavens over earthly events! Every nation on earth is involved in a supernatural struggle, and each nation has unseen agents from the angelic world assigned to it.
Daniel 10:10-14 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
The Prince of Persia
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
A principality is a powerful ruler, or the principal ruler of someone in absolute authority. The word may refer to human rulers, demonic spirits, angels and demons in general, or any type of ruler other than God Himself.
Daniel 10:15-21 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
So, Iran, or Persia, has been in the center of an unseen warfare from ancient times. Daniel, being highly favored of God was privileged to have God pull back the curtain of history and time and briefly expose Daniel to the wars that continue in Heaven, and that affect events on the Earth. Daniel prayed for Divine insight into the meaning of some prophecies God gave him about the future of his people Israel.
Daniel’s vision reveals the fact that there are mighty fallen angels called demons that influence earthly leaders. And under God's permission, they even control them. The true "Prince of Persia" was able to hinder God’s archangel Gabriel. It was only with the help of the archangel Michael that Gabriel was able to subdue his hindrances. Second, the archangel Michael is said to be the special guardian angel of Daniel and the Israeli people. As it is written, Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:
I realize for some of you this may sound a little spooky. But this is the Word of God and it is true. My point is this: Even though God has allowed Israel to be disciplined, their final fate always remains in His hands. God has promised that the nation of Israel will never be destroyed once they return from the worldwide dispersion that began with the Roman holocaust in AD70. And all the powers of darkness cannot change God's promise. Israel was officially reborn May 15, 1948. So even though the modern Persians think they will destroy Israel, God has another surprise in mind for them.
War on Terror Tracks a Trail to Iran and Syria
Although the US war on terror is ostensibly a global war with many allies, and in reality, it is simply an American war on terror. And that is something we’d better get used to. The United Nations is in reality nothing more than a failed humanistic effort. The United Nations that does exist is united only in its opposition to all things Israeli, which, by definition, includes all things American. If there is a single issue over which there is almost no division at the UN, it is the shared view that world peace will never be possible as long as Israel exists. When an anti-Israeli resolution comes before General Assembly, the vote is always the same: the whole world votes in favor, with the United States, Israel, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands opposed. Our ‘closest allies’ at the UN, according to the liberal left, include Germany, France and Russia. With allies like that, who needs enemies? They claim to stand united with America against the terrorists, provided the US doesn’t ask them to do anything except stand. None of them seem particularly interested in doing anything beyond that. Even Russia is going after their own terrorists, but any claims of cross-cooperation are a fantasy, except in cases where it benefits Moscow. America’s global war on terror remains America’s war, despite the very significant contributions from genuine allies like Australia, the UK, Poland and some of the former Eastern European Soviet bloc countries. Even if America survives, they are hoping that it will result in a corresponding reduction of American power and influence, ending what French President Jacques Chirac dubbed the ‘unipolar’ world of American superpower status. If al-Qaeda can successfully cripple America to the degree it is no longer the world’s only superpower, then the task of developing a counter-balance to American global influence becomes that much easier, and fits squarely with prophetic scripture that forecasts the rise of the Antichrist in the European West. As the Bible’s outline for the last days continues to develop, more and more of the Big Picture begins to come into focus. According to Scripture, in the very last days, Israel will face the assembled might of the world’s collective armies alone. (without the protective umbrella of the United States as it presently enjoys) Zechariah writes, “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Consider the historical progression towards that stage thus far, especially since the 1967 reacquisition of Jerusalem by Israel. There is no political potato hotter today than Jerusalem. Every nation that has attempted her destruction was cut to pieces. Israel won all five of her wars by utterly decimating her enemy’s war-making capability. It took years after each attempt for the Arabs to sufficiently rebuild their military capabilities so they could try again. Even with the almost unlimited military aid given the defeated Arab states by the Soviets and Europeans. Zechariah says that all that burden themselves ‘will be cut in pieces,’ allies as well as enemies. America became a target of Islamic terror more for its support of Israel than for any other reason. According to Zechariah, Israel is alone in this final confrontation, under siege by all the people of the earth, there is no mention of an ally standing beside her, apart from God. Zechariah says that; “In that day shall the Lord (not America) defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” In the Big Picture, we can already see the four spheres of global power defined by Scripture assuming their final forms; the reviving Roman Empire, the Gog-Magog alliance, the Kings of the East and the Kings of the South (Islamic Saudi Arabia & North Africa). That pretty much encompasses our erstwhile ‘allies’ in the war on terror who are sitting on the sidelines hoping for an Islamic victory over America.
Prophetic scripture makes no mention of any overarching superpowers in the world resembling the United States, but it does depict one under the authority of the Antichrist based in Europe. Most of the EU lead-states are actually plotting and scheming for the downfall of the US as a superpower, so the EU can amalgamate America under the EU umbrella, and so the EU can emerge as the West’s superpower state to compete against Russia and China for world control. Who will be its leader? The leaders of the EU are already touting the office of the EU Presidency as a replacement for the command status of the American Presidency. We can look for the Antichrist to emerge in this arena, and perhaps very soon. Is it any wonder that the socialist democrats in the American political sphere are so eager to align themselves with supposed allies in Europe, and insist upon the US submitting its Presidential powers for the defense of America to a UN sanctioned litmus test? Why would any American political leader ever concede the power and prestige of the American Presidency? Well, everything in our world today revolves around Israel. Europe is not willing to fight a World War over the security and existence of Israel. Europe and the liberal political establishment will not condone America’s traditional support for Israel, (this is what the war on terror is all about) and they are working in league to change America’s political behavior in regard to the Middle East, to make it conform to a more European worldview, a worldview that does not recognize the Divine sanctity of Israel, (appease the Muslim world) and will therefore be willing to sacrifice Israel up on the alter of Global governance and world peace.
In the midst of all these world geo-political mechanisms stands the Axis of Evil. Iran and Syria stand poised to bring the entire world to the precipice of nuclear war. The prince of Persia is assisting all the other princes of darkness in many other nations within the Luciferic conspiracy to oppose the Prince of Peace. - Darrell G. Young