Greg Laurie: Israel, Magog, and the Rapture

Are today’s global events setting the stage for Bible prophecy? Pastor Greg Laurie explains how the war in Ukraine, Russia’s aggression, worldwide plagues, and growing government control may connect to what Scripture says about the last days.

In Matthew 24, Jesus warned of “wars and rumors of wars,” pestilence, and the rise of false leaders. The Bible also foretells a coming world ruler—the Antichrist—who will deceive many before revealing his true nature.

Ezekiel 38 speaks of Magog rising up against Israel, and many scholars identify Magog as modern-day Russia. With Israel reborn as a nation in 1948 and tensions in Eastern Europe escalating, are we witnessing signs that point to the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ?

Pastor Greg reminds us not to panic, but to look up—because our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28). God is in control, prophecy is unfolding, and the hope of every believer is secure in Jesus Christ.

All right, let’s turn in our Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 37.
The title of my message is: Israel, Magog, and the Rapture.

When I first became a Christian, I noticed there was a lot of talk about the return of Jesus Christ. I became a believer back in 1970, and the top-selling book of the entire decade—the ’70s—was The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, which spoke in depth about the signs of the times. You’d see bumper stickers with slogans like “Maranatha” (which means “the Lord is coming”), “Jesus Is Coming,” “In case of rapture this car will be unmanned,” or “Get right or get left.” There was a sense of expectancy that we could be the generation to see the Lord’s return.

Well, that was 35 years ago, and I’ve gone through quite a few “Jesus is coming” bumper stickers. Was my hope misplaced? Were we wrong? Did we misread the signs of the times? Not at all. God is not late, and the Lord will return at the appointed hour that has already been determined in the councils of eternity.

There may be a reason why Jesus did not come when we were hoping He would in 1970. I can illustrate this easily. How many of you have come to believe in Jesus Christ since 1970? (Hands go up.) I rest my case. That’s a lot of you—more, in fact, than those who didn’t raise their hands.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God is waiting for that last person to believe, and when that person believes in Jesus—we’re out of here! Can you imagine if you knew who that person was? You might be tempted to apply a little pressure: “What is wrong with you? Get saved already!”

It’s all in the Lord’s hands, but I do believe somewhere on this planet there is a man or woman the Lord is waiting for. When they put their faith in Jesus Christ, we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air in what we call the Rapture of the Church.

Why do I believe this? Because all around us are the signs of the times. Last time, we looked at one of the super-signs of the last days: the regathering of the nation of Israel to their homeland. This was against all odds and had no precedent in human history—that a nation scattered to the four corners of the earth would be regathered.

David Jeremiah writes in What in the World Is Going On?: “Never had a decimated ancient people managed to retain their individual identity through almost 20 centuries and re-establish their nation in their original homeland. This event was specifically prophesied and happened exactly as foretold. It was clearly a miraculous act of God.” It’s a super-sign, and Jesus said the generation that sees this happen “will not pass away till all these things are fulfilled.”

So once the Jewish people returned to their homeland, you might say the prophetic clock started to tick—May 14, 1948: a very important date in Bible prophecy. But the Bible not only said the Lord would gather the Jews back to their homeland; it said Jerusalem would be theirs and would become a source of conflict in the end times.

On May 14, 1948, Israel did not possess Jerusalem. That did not happen until the 1967 war, when Israeli forces captured the Old City and reunified all of Jerusalem. For the first time in many centuries, the city was under Jewish control—Bible prophecy fulfilled to a T.

That’s where the rub comes in. Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, with many leaders insisting that Jerusalem and the entire West Bank are rightly Palestinian territory and must be given back as a condition of peace. But God gave Israel—and the city of Jerusalem—to the Jewish people. He made that promise. It belongs to them, and they’re not going to give it up—nor should they. This is where the conflict comes from.

It’s hard for some to understand the determination of the Jewish people to hold Jerusalem, but they have come through horrors that are unthinkable. Take a trip through Yad Vashem in Jerusalem or the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and you’ll better understand their determination to possess their land and their capital, Jerusalem.

The Bible “went out on a limb,” so to speak, with these predictions. Scripture is the one book that dares to predict the future—not once, but hundreds of times. Many prophecies have already been fulfilled; some are being fulfilled; and some are yet to be fulfilled. For God, predicting the future is not a stretch. God lives in the eternal realm. Tomorrow is like yesterday to Him. So when He says, “This will happen,” it’s not a risk—it’s a certainty.

Let’s take out our checklist of events:

• Israel will be scattered to the four corners of the earth—did that happen? Yes. 

• Israel will be regathered—yes. 

• Regathered to the same land—yes. 

• Israel will regain the city of Jerusalem—yes. 

• Israel will be isolated from the nations—happening now. 

• Israel will be attacked by a nation to her north, bent on her destruction—has not happened yet, but it’s in process.

• Jerusalem will be the center of world conflict—not Rome, Paris, London, or New York—Jerusalem. 

Luke 21:20 says, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.” Zechariah 12:2–3 says God will make Jerusalem “a cup of trembling” and “a burdensome stone” for the whole world. John Walvoord, a respected prophecy scholar, wrote that Jerusalem will be the center of world events in the end time. That’s exactly what we see.

Now let’s read our text, Ezekiel 37:1–6 (NLT):

“The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere and completely dried out. Then He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones become living people again?’
I replied, ‘O Sovereign Lord, You alone know the answer to that.’
Then He said to me, ‘Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, “Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”’”

I’ve preached to some “dead” audiences before—but nothing like this. God tells Ezekiel, “Preach to the bones.” Why? Because God says they will live. But what does it mean? God gives the interpretation in Ezekiel 37:11–14:

“Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone.’ … I will open your graves … and bring you back to the land of Israel. … I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live … Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

So we see the regathered nation of Israel in her land. After Ezekiel 37 comes Ezekiel 38, which speaks of a large, powerful nation to the north of the newly established Jewish homeland, along with allies, invading Israel. This has not yet happened.

Ezekiel 38:1–6, 8–12 (summary): God addresses Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and lists allies—most notably Persia (modern Iran), Ethiopia (Sudan region), and Libya—marching with them. He emphasizes this is in the “latter years,” the “last days,” when Israel is back in the land, “dwelling securely.”

Who is Magog? Many believe Magog refers to modern Russia—north of Israel. Persia is modern Iran. Libya is, well, Libya. Ethiopia likely corresponds to the Sudan region. These are Islamic cultures—historically anti-Israel—and we’ve seen increasing military ties with Russia in recent years. The alignment Ezekiel described is plausible—indeed, increasingly visible.

Why do these nations hate Israel? Iran’s leaders have repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the map. There’s a theological component as well—an apocalyptic mindset that chaos could usher in their expected figure. But here’s what Scripture says: this invasion will occur in the last days, and God Himself will intervene, decimating the invading armies. As a result, many in Israel will recognize the Lord. There will be an outpouring of the Spirit and a revival among Jewish people coming to faith in Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah.

But that outpouring follows “the fullness of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:25). In other words, when the last non-Jewish person God is waiting for believes, the Church is caught up—the Rapture—and then God turns His primary focus back to Israel.

So when we see these things developing, we should “look up,” for our redemption draws near.

Now let’s shift to the Rapture itself. Some say, “The word ‘Rapture’ isn’t in the Bible.” The event is. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, Paul says:

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

“Caught up” translates the Latin rapturo (where we get “Rapture”) and the Greek harpazō—to seize, snatch away.

Jesus spoke of this reality in John 14:1–3: “I go to prepare a place for you … I will come again and receive you to Myself.” In Matthew 24:40–42, He said, “Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left … Watch therefore.” John wrote in 1 John 3:2 that “when He appears, we shall be like Him.” Paul adds in 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 that it happens “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.”

Imagine it: instantaneously, globally, untold numbers of believers are caught up. How many Christians are there? Only God knows. But whether it’s hundreds of millions or more, their sudden disappearance would profoundly impact economies, governments, and societies—setting the stage for a charismatic world leader with economic and military solutions (the Antichrist). We’ll consider next time why I believe the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the Church is removed.

Evil could then spread rapidly because the restraining influence—the Church—would be gone. Christians today speak up for what is right, care for the hurting, and uphold God’s standards in family and culture. If that opposing voice is removed, deception can surge.

Paul wrote to believers in Thessalonica, who were grieving loved ones already in heaven. He says (1 Thessalonians 4:13–15), “I don’t want you to be ignorant … concerning those who have fallen asleep … For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” The Bible often uses “sleep” for believers who have died—not because it denies death, but because for the Christian, death is like sleep in that it is temporary and followed by awakening. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

When you’ve lost someone you love, this becomes deeply personal. You think about them; you wonder what they’re doing. One day—suddenly—you’ll see them again, face to face, and more importantly, you’ll see Jesus. That’s the Rapture.

Let heaven fill your thoughts. Think about eternity. Think about the Rapture. It could happen at any time.

Four truths about the Rapture:

1. The Rapture means no death for that generation (1 Corinthians 15:51). It is possible we could be that generation. Be ready.

2. The Rapture is instantaneous—“in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). A thousandth of a second. You can’t measure it.

3. The Rapture is a transformation. We receive new, resurrection bodies (Philippians 3:20–21). Age melts away; disability disappears; sorrow is replaced by joy.

4. The Rapture is a rescue operation. “Jesus … delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The Church is removed before the outpouring of judgment in the Tribulation.

Some confuse the Rapture with the Second Coming. They are related but distinct:

• Rapture: Christ comes for His Church; we meet Him in the air; it occurs before the Tribulation; it is comparatively sudden/stealth.

• Second Coming: Christ returns with His Church; He sets foot on the earth; it occurs after the Tribulation; it is public, visible, and judicial.

So how should we live? Walk with God. Enoch is our example (Genesis 5:24): “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” In a sense, Enoch had a “solo rapture.” Walking implies consistency and daily discipline—not sprinting and burning out. Keep walking. Be regular. Be faithful.

Colossians 2:6: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Galatians 5:16: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Ephesians 5:2: “Walk in love.”
1 John 1:7: “If we walk in the light … the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Jesus could come this year, this month, this week—today. Even if He does not come in our lifetime, one way or another, if you are in Christ, you’re going to heaven—by death or by Rapture.

Are you ready? If Jesus were to come back today, would you be taken—or left? Do you have the confidence that your sin is forgiven and that you would go to heaven? If not, let’s settle it right now. Ask God to forgive you. Put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Be certain you are ready for the Lord’s return.

As that old bumper sticker said: Get right—or get left.

Let’s pray…