Since January 2011, the evening news has carried stories of conflict in the Middle East.  First there was news about the popular uprising in Tunisia to unseat the government.  Then there was news about Egypt and the popular uprising there which unseated Hosni Mubarak who had been in power for nearly 40 years.

Since then, there had been news about street protests in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.  Just this week, conflicts in these nations have escalated in violence.  We see more and more people hurt in the conflict in these countries.

As though dominoes lined up, the next country to experience a popular uprising is Libya.  Ordinary people, discontented with Maummar Ghaddafi’s leadership stormed a government building in Benghazi and took it over.  This was repeated many times over in coastal towns of northeaster Libya.  Maummar Ghaddafi responded, crushing the rebellion with armed military might.  The civilian uprising has become a full scale civil war.  The rebel forces are demanding the ouster of Maummar Ghaddaffi.  They want him tried for crimes committed under his dictatorship.

In an unprecedented move, the rebels of Libya asked helped of the international community and the Arab League responded by sponsoring a resolution filed with the UN Security Council, seeking the implementation of a no-fly zone order.  Yesterday morning the UN Security Council voted 10-0 to issuing a no-fly zone order against Maummar Ghaddaffi. The resolution also empowered the United Nations to organize a force that will enforce the resolution by taking “all means necessary” short of invasion to make sure that the rebels of Libya are not overwhelmed by Maummar Ghaddaffi’s military might.

Immediately after the passing of the UN Resolution, world leaders gave Maummar Ghaddaffi an ultimatum to order a cease-fire or there will be surgical air strikes against Libyan targets to disable the Libyan Armed Forces from further attacking the rebel forces.

Who is Maummar Ghaddaffi?  Who’s afraid of Maummar Ghaddaffi?  Why should we even care?

As Filipinos, we should care because thousands of Filipinos work in Libya.  The conflict there has resulted in loss of jobs for these OFWs and most of them have been repatriated.  The dollar remittances from these OFWs in Libya are fuel to our economy.

Libya is an oil-rich African nation.  It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, just opposite Europe.  The Oil and Gas Journal (1990) of the US Department of Energy and the Energy Information Administration estimates that after Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran and Abu Dhabi, Libya is 6th Muslim country with the biggest oil resources in the world.  Conflict in Libya will affect fuel prices in the world market.  If the conflict in Libya escalates, as it has, and this conflict takes place at around the same time as the conflict in Yemen and Bahrain, the price of oil may sky-rocket. From experience, we know that if the price of oil and gas goes up, the prices of basic commodities also go up.

Why does it seem like people are afraid of Maummar Ghaddaffi?  Well, he is a bully.  In the 1970s, he sponsored hijackers to attack American airplanes and kill innocent civilians.  Maummar Ghaddaffi’s international nickname is “Mad Dog” (in Tagalog, “Asong Ulol”) which means that the man attacks others in his path with or without reason.

The first time I heard of Maummar Ghaddafi was when I was a school girl during the Martial Law years.  Our school, Christian Academy of Manila was along Nagtahan Street, just a few blocks from Malacanang.  Ghaddaffi visited the Philippines. Whenever there was a visiting dignitary, the Palace felt compelled to shower the dignitary with a warm welcome.  We were ordered to make flags of the dignitary’s nation, line up under the hot sun and wait for the dignitary’s limousine to pass.

The second time I heard of Maummar Ghaddaffi was when my father’s friend and classmate from FEU Institute of Law, Napis Bidin came home after the EDSA People Power Revolution.  He apparently left the country through Zamboanga to escape the conflict in Mindanao.  He left along with Nur Misuari and they have fled to the haven that was Libya.  Then, in 1986, they had come back to ensure that the agreement between the Muslim rebels and then President Marcos called the Tripoli Agreement be put into effect.  The Tripoli Agreement called for the establishment of autonomous Muslim regions in Mindanao.  For this reason, the 1987 Constitution has provisions providing the establishment of the ARMM.

To Bible-believing Christians Libya is significant because Ezekiel chapters 38-39 mentions Libya particularly. It is known as the War of Ezekiel 38-39.  Libya will join the forces of Gog, Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Ethiopia, Gomer and Togarmah and lay seige to Jerusalem.

When will this war happen?  The War of Ezekiel 38-39 comes after Ezekiel 37 the chapter that prophesies Israel becoming a nation again.  We know that Israel became a nation once more on May 15, 1948.  But Ezekiel 38-39 also states that the war will come upon Israel unexpectedly, when Israel has been guaranteed peace by all its Arab/Moslem neighbors and by the government of Europe.

From Daniel 9:27, we know that the Antichrist will make a covenant of peace with Jerusalem, guaranteeing Israel’s safety.  It is this peace and safety that will be shattered by the War of Ezekiel 38-39.  The Antichrist will then assert his leadership and muster the forces to quell the joint forces of all those nations.

But God himself will intervene and protect Jerusalem.  For this reason, the anger of the Antichrist will be directed toward Israel and the persecution of the Jews will result. The persecution will culminate in the Antichrist marshaling armies from the whole world to march against Jerusalem.  This war is knows as Armaggedon.  This is the time that Jesus himself will come down to earth.

Please do not confuse the Rapture (when Jesus comes and bodily appears in the clouds to snatch away those who believe in him) and the second coming of Christ (during the War of Armaggedon when his feet will actually touch the earth, the top of Mt. Olives).

The conflict now in Libya, the conflict now in Bahrain and Yemen are all preparatory to the great conflict that will result in the War of Ezekiel. It is like a game of chess where a grandmaster puts his pieces in key positions in preparation of an all-out- war of annihilation.  The War of Ezekiel will happen at or around the middle of the Seven Years’ Tribulation.  Bible Believing Christians will no longer be around to see this War of Ezekiel because we will be raptured even before the beginning of the Seven Years’ Tribulation. The sequence of events will be: first the Rapture, then the Tribulation period of seven years. The Seven Years’ Tribulation is generally spoken of in 3/12 year periods.  The first 3/12 years will be a time of relative peace and relative prosperity, a short respite from the world-wide chaos brought on by the Rapture.  In between the first and second 3 1/2 year periods, the War of Ezekiel will take place. During the second half of the Tribulation Period, the Antichrist will shed his peace-loving persona and manifest himself to be a ferocious and violent dictator.  His anger will culminate in the War of Armaggedon. After the War of Armaggedon comes the Millenial Reign of Jesus Christ and then the Great White Throne Judgment.

The War of Ezekiel should not be a cause for concern to Bible-believing Christians. It is a sign that indeed, the Rapture is imminent if the nations who will play a large part in the War of Ezekiel (which will take place during the Tribulation) are already being aligned.  We are commanded to watch and to pray.  And this is the purpose of this article: to highlight the nations, the key players in the coming conflict.  We need to prepare to meet our God.

To those who read this article and do not share the same Biblical views, it may seem foolish, ludicrous and down-right absurd.  I might agree with you, except that during Noah’s time, when Noah began preaching that the flood was coming, it seemed foolish, ludicrous and absurd as well. Jesus Christ specifically stated that when He comes, life will be just like the days of Noah before the flood.

Feel free to ignore and dismiss what I have said. I cannot force you to believe what I say, but I do have the freedom to speak out those things I believe in.  I take seriously the command for us to be watchmen, warning people of the coming danger.  Whether you believe it or not makes no difference to me, only that you have been informed and you have been warned.  By warning you, I have done my job.