For the first time in the context of 21st century political realities, France has taken a step forward as a de facto leader of European military intervention. An obscure bit of prophecy in Ezekiel 38:6 identifies a nation known as “Gomer”—an ancient reference to “The eldest son of Japheth, and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah (Ge 10:2,3) whose descendants formed the principal branch of the population of South-eastern Europe… [whose] descendants are still found in the Gaels and Cymry. Thus the whole Celtic race may be regarded as descended from Gomer” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary, “Gomer”). In his chapter on Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning “Armageddon”, my grandfather concluded that “Gomer” could be interpreted, on the basis of anthropological evidence, as “Gaul” or France, and the nations following France’s leadership could, then, be intended by Ezekiel’s phrase, “all his hordes” (read more). If he was right about Gomer being an ancient reference identifying, in the prophets far distant prediction, the people of France, then the present war in Libya, and its French origins, could be the first time “Gomer and all his hordes” has emerged on the world stage in modern times.
Reuter’s journalist, Paul Taylor submitted this insightful piece, published in Canada’s National Post April 2, 2011:
It is a war Barack Obama didn’t want, David Cameron didn’t need, Angela Merkel couldn’t cope with and Silvio Berlusconi dreaded.
Only Nicolas Sarkozy saw the popular revolt that began in Libya on Feb. 15 as an opportunity for political and diplomatic redemption. Whether the French President’s energetic leadership of an international coalition to protect the Libyan people from Muammar Gaddafi will be enough to revive his sagging domestic fortunes in next year’s election is highly uncertain. But by pushing for military strikes he hopes might repair France’s reputation in the Arab world, Mr. Sarkozy helped shape what type of war it would be.
The road to Western military intervention in Libya was paved with mutual suspicion, fears of another quagmire in a Muslim country and doubts about the largely unknown ragtag opposition with which the West has thrown in its lot.
That will make it harder to hold together an uneasy coalition of Americans, Europeans and Arabs the longer Col. Gaddafi holds out. Almost two weeks into the air campaign, Western policymakers fret about the risk of a stray bomb hitting a hospital or an orphanage, or of the conflict sliding into a prolonged stalemate.
There is no doubt the outcome in Tripoli will have a bearing on the fate of the popular movement for change across the Arab world. But because this war was born in Paris it will also have consequences for Europe.
"It’s high time that Europeans stopped exporting their own responsibilities to Washington," said Nick Witney, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "If the West fails in Libya, it will be primarily a European failure." [read more]
If by “Gomer”, Ezekiel was talking about France, then I think we can expect more from France in coming years, in terms of giving leadership to military intervention… eventually intervention in Israel. This time “Gomer and all its hordes” is at war with Libya’s government under the leadership of NATO—with a Canadian general in command. Some day in the future, “Gomer and all its hordes” will follow not NATO but Russia in a military campaign destined for a much worse outcome than even the worst quagmire can produce in Libya (c.f. Ezekiel 38-39).