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Persia, Rosh,& the Far North · 5-Minutes of Good News

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Hello, Christians.
0:02
SPEAKER_00: This is Dallas Beecham.
0:04
SPEAKER_00: Stand by for good news.
0:08
SPEAKER_00: In Ezekiel 38, the prophet does something that still makes Bible readers lean forward.
0:14
SPEAKER_00: He names names.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: He does not simply say there will be trouble someday.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: He speaks of Gog.
0:24
SPEAKER_00: He speaks of Magog.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: He speaks of Rosh and Meshach and Tubal.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: Then he adds Persia.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: That one word still sends Bible students reaching for a map.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: Persia is not hard to recognize.
0:39
SPEAKER_00: The ancient Persian world points most clearly to modern day Iran.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: That does not mean every Iranian person is the enemy of God.
0:53
SPEAKER_00: It does not mean we should hate a nation or a people.
0:58
SPEAKER_00: But it does mean the Bible names a region that still matters today.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: Then comes the debated word Rosh.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: Some believe Rosh points to a real people or region.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: They connect it with Russia.
1:14
SPEAKER_00: Others say it means chief.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: In that reading it is not naming a modern nation at all.
1:23
SPEAKER_00: So what should a careful Christian do with that?
1:27
SPEAKER_00: We should be watchful, but not reckless.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: We should say what the text says strongly and say what is debated carefully.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: Persia points naturally to Iran.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: Rosh may point to Russia in an end of time reading, especially with the repeated language of a far north.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: But where there is debate there should also be humility.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: And still the scene is remarkable.
2:01
SPEAKER_00: A northern led coalition, Persia involved, Israel in the center of everything, right in the midst of the storm, nations moving, alliances forming, headlines that sound strategically familiar.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: To those who have read Ezekiel, these things all matter.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: But let me slow down and say this plainly.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: The main point of Ezekiel thirty eight is not Russia.
2:37
SPEAKER_00: It is not Iran.
2:40
SPEAKER_00: It is not any earthly power.
2:43
SPEAKER_00: The main point is God.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: God says the nations will know him.
2:48
SPEAKER_00: God says his holy name will be known.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: God says he will be sanctified before their eyes.
2:57
SPEAKER_00: That sounds a lot like Isaiah 46 10, where the Lord says He declares the end from the beginning.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: He is not watching history happen.
3:08
SPEAKER_00: He is ruling over it.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: And for us Christians, that should steady us.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: Genesis 12 says God made promises to Abraham.
3:20
SPEAKER_00: He said he would bless those who bless him.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: He said he would curse the one who curses him.
3:28
SPEAKER_00: That does not mean we understand every political decision.
3:32
SPEAKER_00: It does not mean we excuse every human failure.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: It means God keeps his agreement.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: It means Israel is not an accident in history.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: It means Jerusalem is not just another city on the map.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: Zechariah twelve calls Jerusalem a burdensome stone.
3:56
SPEAKER_00: Zechariah 14 says the nations will gather against it.
4:00
SPEAKER_00: But the same chapter says the Lord will go forth and fight.
4:07
SPEAKER_00: Now someone may ask, Dallas, are you saying every headline is prophecy fulfilled?
4:14
SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not.
4:16
SPEAKER_00: And we should be careful when we speak.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: Jesus told us to watch.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: He did not tell us to guess wildly.
4:26
SPEAKER_00: He told us to be to be steady and to be ready, not reckless.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: He told us in Matthew twenty four that there would be wars and rumors of wars.
4:38
SPEAKER_00: But he also said, See that you be not troubled.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: Watch carefully, pray earnestly, speak humbly, but do not be troubled as though God has lost control.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: That is the good news.
4:57
SPEAKER_00: The future does not belong to dictators, it does not belong to missiles, it does not belong to alliances, it does not belong to secret councils.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: The future belongs to the Lord God.
5:12
SPEAKER_00: Psalm two asks, Why do the heathen rage?
5:17
SPEAKER_00: Then it tells us the answer from heaven.
5:20
SPEAKER_00: The Lord sits and laughs.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: God has set his king upon his holy hill of Zion.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: Zion is Jerusalem, but it is more than Jerusalem.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: Zion is the place of God's promise, God's presence and God's king.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: When the Bible says God has set his king on Zion, it means heaven has already made its decision.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: The nations may argue, but God's king will reign.
5:53
SPEAKER_00: Revelation nineteen shows God's king returning, faithful and true, King of kings, Lord of Lords.
6:03
SPEAKER_00: He names the nations before they march.
6:07
SPEAKER_00: He measures the powers before they boast.
6:11
SPEAKER_00: He sees the plot before it is spoken, and he has already declared the victory of his son.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: So do not let prophecy make you proud.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: Do not let it make you afraid.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: Let it make you awake.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: Let it make you prayerful.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: Let it make you tender toward the lost.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: Let it make you grateful for grace, because the God who told Ezekiel what was coming is the same God who holds us today.
6:46
SPEAKER_00: The God who spoke through Daniel is the same God who hears your prayers.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: The God who will judge the nation is the same God who saves sinners through Jesus Christ.
7:00
SPEAKER_00: I hope today's message has touched your heart and causes you to have a good day.