Is there a battle before Ezekiel 38?

The Bible is not specific to all that is going to be happening in the “end times.” We are told only what we need to know. In that context, the Bible presents general themes versus micro-detail. We do know, as Jesus said, that You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom—Jesus Christ, Matthew 24:6-7a. And, very quietly but very ominously, Jesus warns that Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold—Jesus Christ, Matthew 24:12. Combine that with the fact that the “restrainer,” the Holy Spirit, will be removed from the world along with all true believers, man is going to be left alone to be man—to the full extent of all that that means. I would suspect that there will be many battles of incredibly intense viciousness such as the world has never seen that could well take place before the Ezekiel 38 battle (a battle for which we have no clear timetable). For a man such as the antichrist, who will appear as an agent of peace, it will be a perfect stage upon which to appear.