I was reading Ezekiel 38 because I believe that this battle has been projected to start the 70th weeks of Daniel. I am particularly interested in Russia’s role in Ezekiel 38. But, what confuses me is in two places it says that Israel will be in peace when the armies of Ezekiel 38 swoop down on it. How can that ever happen until the Anti-Christ signs a treaty that supposedly will restrain ISIS and radical groups now attacking Israel? Is the peace referred to in Ezekiel 38 really peace as we think of it?
What solved this seemingly impossible problem for me was a close look at the prophecies of Psalm 83/Isaiah 17. I noticed that Ezekiel 38 does not mention any of Israel’s “next door” neighbors when logic tells us they should be first in the line of attack. In contrast, Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 mention only Israel’s close neighbors and doesn’t include any of the parties from the Ezekiel 38 line up. These prophecies speak of two different events.
If Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 precedes Ezekiel 38 and ends in victory for Israel, they could enjoy a short period of peace that would fulfill the prophecy of Ezekiel 38:11 which says they’ll be a peaceful and unsuspecting people when the Ezekiel 38 attack begins. I haven’t found any other way to reconcile these issues.