Magog Revisited Chuck Missler article - Ezekiel Chapters 38
and 39 describe the occasion in which God Himself intervenes to
quell the ill-fated invasion of Israel by Magog and its allies (Persia,
Cush, Phut, Libya, Gomer, Togarmah, Meshech, and Tubal). This passage
also appears to anticipate the use of nuclear weapons. Why does
the Bible use such strange names? It has to - we keep changing the
names of things: Petrograd = St. Petersburg = Leningrad = St. Petersburg
again. (My friends in Russia remind me that “in Russia, even
the past is uncertain!”) Byzantium = Constantinople = Istanbul.
Cape Canaveral = Cape Kennedy, etc. But we don’t change the
names of our ancestors!
The Magog Invasion $9.95 download - This presentation
by Chuck Missler presents the history of Magog and the future
invasion of Israel they will attempt.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to have all the answers. As with everything there is a certain amount of growth that happens over time and this page is my journey to find those answers. Acts 17:11 speaks to what I
hope from anyone reading this page as I also attempt to strive toward the goal
of being a compitent watchman.
What is this invasion by Gog of Magog and his army?
The attack by Gog and his army on Israel is actually part of a vision
Ezekiel had starting in Ezekiel 33:21 and continuing to its conclusion at
the end of Ezekiel 39:29. This is important to point out because it’s
easy to take the chapters, as organized, as a statement of chronological
order of the prophesies.
This separate vision is defined for us by Ezekiel when he states the
following, separating the vision that includes Ezekiel 38-39 from that of
Ezekiel 40 by 13 years.
Ezekiel 33:21 And it came to pass
in the twelfth year of our captivity…
Ezekiel 40:1 In the twenty-fifth
year of our captivity…
So what we can tie chronologically together are the passages from Ezekiel
33:21 leading up to chapters 38 and 39. These two chapters at the end of
this vision speak of an attack on Israel from the North in the “latter
years.” God will pull Gog and his bands to attack along with Persia,
Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, the house of Togarmah of the North quarters, and
all his bands: and many people with him. This attack will be utterly thwarted
and the armies destroyed. For 7 months after, the bodies will be buried
and for 7 years after, Israel will be burning the weapons from the failed
attack.
What does the scripture say?
Before diving into chapters 38 and 39, it’s important to look at
the context of this vision, which started several chapters earlier in Ezekiel
33:21. I won’t put all the scriptures here, but the ones that are
relevant to the point I’ll be making as to when the Gog Magog attack
takes place. I encourage you to
read through the whole vision yourself.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 For thus saith
the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek
them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep,
and will deliver them out of all places where
they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark
day. And I will bring them out from the people, and
gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land,
and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all
the inhabited places of the country.
This mention of “in the cloudy and dark day” seems to be
pointing to a singular time. Looking at the use of these terms elsewhere
in scripture there seems to be a pattern. “In the cloudy” is
H6051 is defined as cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass and is used as that basic
term in places like Genesis 9:13-16, referring to the post-flood bow (token
of a covenant) in the cloud. However in most places it is associated with
the presence of God.
“And dark” is
H6205 and is defined as darkness of clouds, thick clouds and the majority
of the occurrences are similar to above, associated with the presence of
God. The two that really stood out are below.
Joel 2:1-2 Blow ye the trumpet
in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants
of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD
cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess,
a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the
morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there
hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even
to the years of many generations.
Zephaniah 1:14-18 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near,
and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the
mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day
is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness
and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and
thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm
against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring
distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they
have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as
dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their
gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath;
but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for
he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
The fact that the words used for "cloudy and dark day" overwhelmingly
are used to refer to the presence of the Lord with Joel and Zephaniah expressly
using "dark day" to describe the
Day of the Lord, this gathering of the people at the beginning of Ezekiel’s
vision would be taking place after the day of the Lord, which starts with
the
catching
away of the
bride of Christ followed by the sudden destruction of
God’s wrath. It is after that time is complete that Yeshua reigns
on earth for 1,000 years.
Ezekiel 35:1-6 Moreover the word
of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against mount
Seir, and prophesy against it, And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out
mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. I will lay
thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that
I am the LORD. Because thou hast had a perpetual
hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force
of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that
their iniquity had an end: Therefore, as I live, saith
the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue
thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
Natural Israel’s iniquity will have an end during the millennial
reign after a time of calamity. This would seem to place this vision of
judgement for shedding the blood of Israel after the
70th week of Daniel.
Ezekiel 36:8-12 But ye, O mountains
of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit
to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I
am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:
And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all
of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:
And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase
and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will
do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I
am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my
people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their
inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth
bereave them of men.
Ezekiel 37:22-28 And I will make
them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king
shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither
shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall
they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable
things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out
of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse
them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And
David my servant shall be king over
them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk
in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And
they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant,
wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their
children, and their children’s children for ever:
and my servant David shall be their prince
for ever. Moreover I will make a
covenant of peace with them; it shall be an
everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them,
and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary
in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle
also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be
my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify
Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst
of them for evermore.
You can see from the passages above that the language would seem to be
very clear about what time this is happening in. There is a lot of forevers
mentioned in relation to Israel and things that will only happen once the
millennium starts. At one point I held to the belief that chapters 36 and
37 could be speaking to the rebirth of fertility in the land of Israel and
the regathing of Israel that’s been happening since the beginning
of the 1900’s.
However upon further examination, many of these same elements of the
land recovering and regathering of the people to Israel will also be happening
after the
70th week of Daniel is completed and
God’s wrath has just been poured out on the earth. The land will
truly be desolate after the judgments of God, much of which is focused on
Jerusalem and the seat of the
antichrist.
And after the
time of great tribulation, there will still be Jews throughout the world
and not just protected in the wilderness. Revelation 12:13-17 It is also
only after this time when Christ will be ruling with a rod of Iron from
Jerusalem, in the midst of His people Israel for 1,000 years.
With that in mind, let’s continue on to the final two chapters
in the vision, the attack of the Gog coalition.
Ezekiel 38:1-23 And the word of
the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against
Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince
of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And
say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O
Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and
Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into
thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses
and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great
company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them
with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the
house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his
bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared,
and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled
unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt
be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land
that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people,
against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it
is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend
and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land,
thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord
GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things
come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt
say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to
them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all
of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate
places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered
out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in
the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish,
with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come
to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry
away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great
spoil? Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely,
shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out
of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of
them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou
shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land;
it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against
my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in
thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he
of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel,
which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against
them? And it shall come to pass at the same
time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord
GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy
and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there
shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of
the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and
all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that
are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the
mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and
every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against
him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD:
every man’s sword shall be against his
brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood;
and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people
that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire,
and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify
myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall
know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 39:1-29 Therefore, thou
son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And
I will turn thee back, and leave but
the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from
the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine
arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt
fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the
people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of
every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou
shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord
GOD. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell
carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the
LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people
Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more:
and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD,
the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith
the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell
in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn
the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows,
and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them
with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out
of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall
burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled
them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD. And it shall
come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of
graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea:
and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall
they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley
of Hamongog. And seven months
shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse
the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury
them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified,
saith the Lord GOD. And they shall sever out men of continual employment,
passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain
upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months
shall they search. And the passengers that pass through the land, when
any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till
the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. And also the name
of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land. And,
thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered
fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come;
gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice
for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye
may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty,
and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs,
and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall
eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice
which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table
with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war,
saith the Lord God. And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all
the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand
that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know
that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. And
the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity
for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid
I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so
fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according
to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from
them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again
the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel,
and will be jealous for my holy name; After that they have
borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed
against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them
afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered
them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in
the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the Lord their
God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but
I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them
any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them:
for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the
Lord God.
One other thing I would like to note is that in Ezekiel 39:11 Israel
will be burying the bodies in the valley of Hamongog, the valley of the
passengers on the east of the sea. Mount Seir is a mountain range in Edom
extending from the Southeast of the Dead Sea to the Elanitic Gulf. In Ezekiel
35 it says God will fill his mountains (mount Seir) with slain men in thy
hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are
slain with the sword. If these are related then the valley of Hamongog will
be in the area of the mountains to the Southeast of the Dead Sea.
The only other places Gog and Magog are mentioned in scripture are names
in geneaologies for which these areas are identified (Genesis 10:2 | 1 Chronicles
1:5 | 1 Chronicles 5:4), the above passages and Revelation 20 in relation
to the final gathering that attacks Israel, whom God destroys.
Revelation 20:7-10 And when the
thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog,
to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as
the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and
fire came down from God out of heaven,
and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and
ever.
Here we see after the millennium is over, Satan is released from the
bottomless pit and deceives the nations in the four corners of the earth,
specifying Gog and Magog. Furthermore, they are destroyed in the same manner.
In Ezekiel it’s “an overflowing rain,
and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” In Revelation it’s “fire
came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” One is
more descriptive than the other, but taken in light of the placement of
the visions in Ezekiel at the end of the millennium, it seems to fit very
well. I will get into a comparison of the different views a little further
along.
Who are the players?
Looking at the above passages in light of a post-millennial view of the
Gog Magog attack, The identities are less important than they were when
I held to a pre-70th week view since we know very little of what
the political climate will be aside from Christ ruling the world. As the
Messiah He is the primary character in the Gog and Magog story as He is
the one that will defeat this ill-fated final rebellion.
What is important to note in this view is that clearly a large portion
of the population is only feigning submission to Christ because they have
no other choice as He has been ruling with a rod of iron. Given the scriptures
that speak of the Messiah’s “rod of iron” rule during
the millennium it’s not hard to see that when the Dragon is loosed
at the end of the 1,000 years he will be able to amass a large army of those
who didn’t rebel before only because they had no power or influence
to.
Psalm 2:7-12 I will declare the
decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I
begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them
in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore,
O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with
fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and
ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed
are all they that put their trust in him.
Revelation 2:26-29 And he that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power
over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron;
as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as
I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Revelation 12:5 And she brought
forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of
iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Revelation 19:11-16 And I saw
heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make
war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns;
and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he
was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The
Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his
mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on
his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD
OF LORDS.
These are the four passages that speak of a rod of iron and they’re
all defining Yeshua with the rod of iron and with it smiting the nations.
The last verse is Christ’s return in glory to defeat the beast and
false prophet just before He begins His rule. For those who love God, His
ways aren’t a burden, but those in contention with God will be kept
in line during His rule and clearly many won’t appreciate that, “the
number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” Revelation 20:7-10
Gog the King
There is one other place where Gog is mentioned, but only in the Greek
Septuagint. This view is laid out by Chuck Missler in
The Magog Invasion briefing pack published by Koinonia House. A short
clip of that can be viewed
here.
I bring it up because it’s not in any English translations I’m
aware of and it brings another potentially interesting connection to the
view of the end times.
Amos 7:1 The Lord hath shown me,
and, Behold, a swarm of locusts were coming, and behold, one of the
young devastating locusts was Gog the King.
Chuck makes the point that when you see locusts that have a king you
know they’re not natural locusts but an idiom for demons because of
Proverbs 30:27. Looking at the idea of locusts, there’s another place
in scripture that this would seem to point to, another prophecy in Revelation
tied to the 5th trumpet judgment. Here are the locusts from the bottomless
pit who torment but don’t kill those on the earth with scorpion-like
stings who have a king over them named Abaddon/Apollyon.
Revelation 9:1-12 And the fifth
angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and
to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless
pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great
furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke
of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the
earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth
have power. And it was commanded them that they should not
hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree;
but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they
should be tormented five months:
and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh
a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it;
and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes
of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their
heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the
faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth
were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates
of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of
many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions,
and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men
five months. And they had a king over
them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew
tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
So it would seem that there is a possibility that all these are related
across a large span of time, further tying the identity of Gog to a spirit
outside time.
The locust king Gog in the time of Amos in the Old Testament
The angel of the bottomless pit Abaddon/Apollyon during the wrath
of God
The Gog and Magog at the end of the Millennium when the dragon is
loosed and gathers the armies of Gog.
The Nations
As Chuck Missler has pointed out, the names of our countries, their boundaries,
and cities change over time. The one thing that doesn’t change is our ancestor’s
names. These groups of people are defined based on the names of locations
from ancestry and these are the names of some of the sons of Japheth and
Ham, Noah’s sons. They are identified later as the Scythians. In addition,
the
great wall of China was referred to as the “rampart of Gog and Magog”
by Marco Polo.
Genesis 10:1-3 Now these are the
generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them
were sons born after the flood. The sons of
Japheth; Gomer, and Magog,
and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech,
and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and
Togarmah.
Genesis 10:6 And
the sons of Ham; Cush(Ethiopia), and Mizraim, and Phut(Libya), and Canaan.
While this group may be attacking from the North, the coalition is from
all four corners of the middle east.
When just looking at what is in the scripture to define the events, there’s
really only 3 chapters in the Old and New Testaments that mention any details
of the event. Based on what I read from that I feel pretty confident that
this prophesied event will happen toward the end of the 1,000 year reign
of Christ. As such, trying to define modern political identities to the
prophecy is not really relevant. I will also include these various theories
below on the timing with pros and cons for each as I come across them.
There are several battles where God intervenes on Israel’s behalf.
Gog/Magog - God destroys the armies
in the mountains of Israel with fire and brimstone from heaven
Armageddon - Christ destroys the
gathered armies with the Word of His mouth
End of Millennium - Christ destroys
the armies Satan gathered from the four corners of the earth
There are really only four events in the end times that most people place
the Gog Magog attack. Those who separate the Gog Magog attack from Armageddon
or the end of the millennium typically place it in two general time frames,
which is where the four main views come from.
For those looking to the first three views, there are all kinds of theories
as to who exactly these players are in modern political terms. I would highly
recommend reading
chapter 12 of Chris White’s book, but some of the more common
theories you’ll hear when studying the prophecies from Ezekiel 38 &
39 are in this overview.
Hashemite Kingdom Theory: The
Islamic Nations will come against Israel either by an Iraqi-led,
Jordanian led, or Turkish led coalition. The enemy from the
north refers to the areas of Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. These Islamic
nations make up the lands occupied by Magog, Gomer, Togarmah, Meshech
and Tubal.
Caucus Theory: Gog
and Magog are the Arab nations in an alliance with the Muslim republics
of the former Soviet Union. This theory leaves out most of
Russia, and includes only the southern part.
All Europe theory: Gog
and Magog are the sons of Japeth thus the originators of the European
races. Gog and Magog therefore indicates all of Europe. This
is not a widely held theory and I could find little support for
it.
Russian Theory: The
Hebrew word ‘rosh’ in verse 3 is identified with Russia, ‘Tubal’
with Tiblisi or Tobolsk and ‘Meshech’ with Moscow, therefore Gog
and Magog refers to Russia. This is one of the most commonly held
views and is based on a different interpretation of the Hebrew word
Rosh (used as a noun rather than adjective), similarities in the
pronunciation of words, and the Greek translation of Rosh referring
to a tribe of people found in what is now Russia.
Indo-European Theory:
Gog and Magog include the nations descending from Japheth:
Russia, the Caucasus (Turkey), Iraq, and the Islamic republics of
Central Asia. The coalition is an alliance of Arab nations, Muslim
republics, Georgia, southern Russia and the Black sea area.
These are some of the theories you will find if you do any research
into the prophecies of Ezekiel 38. You may also find interpretations
that are a combination of these, and in fact, I tend to find more evidence
for a version of the Indo-European and Caucacus Theory.
Before looking at the participants of this invasion in more detail,
it’s important to understand that the war described in Ezekiel
38 is not the same as the war that will come at the end of the tribulation
when Jesus returns to defeat the Antichrist and establish his millennial
kingdom. How do we know this? The war at the end of the tribulation,
known as Armageddon, is a world war. Revelation tells us that
this battle will involve all nations. The war described in Ezekiel
includes specific nations that invade Israel. Also, Armageddon
is at the climax of the tribulation, while the war described in Ezekiel
comes well before then.
Ezekiel 38:1-7 gives 10 names as participants in the invasion of
Israel that will follow the re-gathering of the Jews to their homeland.
First mentioned, is the land of Magog. The most common identity for
Magog is in Central Asia. The Jewish historian Josephus said, “Magog
founded the Magogians, called Scythians
by the Greeks. Scythians were a nomadic tribe who inhabited
the ancient territory from Central Asia across the southern part of
ancient Russia.” Today this area is inhabited by the former
Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan,
Tajikistan, and possibly northern parts of Afghanistan. All
of these nations that make up the land of Magog have one thing in common
- Islam. Militant Islam has been on the rise in these countries
since the fall of the Soviet Union, when Islam no longer had to be practiced
secretly. Radical Islamic groups such as the Islamic Renaissance
Party, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islam
are working to reunite central Asian nations and ultimately the entire
Muslim world. It is from this part of the world that a leader
will arise to bring together a great coalition of nations to invade
Israel.
Probably the most debated verse is Ezekiel 38:3. There are
two main views on the identity of the Nations God is referring to in
this verse. I’ll list both here, and let the reader decide
which sounds most reasonable.
Rosh as Russia
Some versions of the Bible translate the Hebrew word ‘rosh’
in verse 3 as a noun referring to a place in Russia. The least credible
support for this view is that Rosh sounds like the modern-day name Russia
and Meshech sounds like Moscow. In this translation they treat rosh
as a proper name. The Greek translation translates Rosh as the
proper name Ros. Because the ancient Sarmations were known as the
Ras, Rashu, and Rus and inhabited Rasapu which is now Southern Russia,
some feel this verse points to Russia as the prince of Rosh. Another
support sited for this view is that verse 6 and 15 say the invasion
will come from remote parts of the north, and Russia is more remote.
Rosh as chief
Other versions of the Bible translate ‘rosh’ as an adjective.
The argument here is that in the Massoretic text the words ‘chief
prince’ carry the accents Tiphha and Zaqeph-gadol. The Tiphha
appears under the resh of the Hebrew word ‘rosh’; the Zaqeph-gadol
appears on top of the sin of the Hebrew word ‘nish’. The
Tiphha to the right, underneath the initial consonant of the world ‘rosh’,
or chief, is prepositive and does not mark the tone syllable. The world ‘nish’
or prince has the accent Zaqeph-gadol which is disjunctive and indicates
a pause. So, verse three would read:
“Behold, I am against thee, o Gog, the
prince, {pause} chief of Meshech and
Tubal”
Rather than:
“Behold, I am against thee, o Gog, prince
of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.”
Here ‘rosh’ is translated head or chief as it is
423 other times in the Old Testament. In short, if you believe ‘rosh’
should be translated as a proper noun you may find the interpretation
that Russia will be a part of this coalition more reasonable. If
you believe ‘rosh’ should be an adjective here, you need
only concern yourself with who Meshech and Tubal are. I tend to
have a problem with the “it sounds like Russia” theory,
and find the translation of rosh as an adjective more believable, but
to each his own.
Meshech and Tubal in verses 2 and 6, were the names of the 6th and
5th sons of Japheth, the son of Noah (Genesis 10:2). Ezekiel 27:13
also mentions Meshech and Tubal as trading partners with Tyre (Modern
Lebanon). It’s likely that Meshech and Tubal refer to the
ancient Moshi/Mushki and Tubalu/Tibareni who dwelled in the area around,
primarily south of, the Black and Caspian Sea in Ezekiel’s day. Today
these nations would be in the modern country of Turkey, parts of Southern
Russia and Northern Iran. All areas with a Muslim majority.
Verse 6 adds Gomer and Beth-Togarmah to the coalition. “Gomer”
was the first son of Japheth. The Gomerites were the ancient Cimmerians,
expelled in 700 BC from the southern steppes of Russia into what is
today Turkey. “Togarmah” is the 3rd son of Gomer and
beth at the beginning of the name is the Hebrew word for ‘house’
or ‘place of’. In Ezekiel’s time there was a
city in Cappodocia (Modern Turkey) known as Tegarma, Tagarma, Til-garimmu,
and Takarama.
The possibility that four of the names mentioned in Ezekiel are now
in Turkey makes a pretty strong argument for Turkey being a part of
the invasion of Israel. Current circumstances in that country also
lend this view some credibility. Since the break-up of the Soviet
Union, Turkey has been gaining inroads into Central Asia (Magog). It
is also linked to Central Asia both ethnically and linguistically, and
has a growing number of political parties that support opposition to
Israel, establishment of a Turkish Islamic Republic, and the worldwide
rule of Islam.
Verse 5 brings three more names into the mix. God tells us that “Persia,
Cush and Put will be with them.”
Persia is a pretty easy one. In 539 BC the Persians conquered the
city of Babylon. You only need look at a map of the ancient Persian
Empire to see that it was centered in the nation known today as Iran. In
fact Iran was called Persia until 1935 when it was changed to Iran and
then to the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution.
It’s no secret that Iran is an archenemy of Israel and the West,
and a supporter of the Palestinians. They are actively working to get
other Arab countries to change camps in their cooperation with the U.S.
and Israel.
The ancient kingdom of Cush in Ezekiel’s time was the land
just south of Egypt on the Nile River. Today this land is occupied by
Sudan. Sudan is home to the National Islamic Front, is ruled by
an Islamic military dictatorship, a strong supporter of Iraq, home to
Osama bin Laden from 1991-1996, and harbors countless Islamic terrorist
groups. Sudan would easily fit into the coalition as it is already close
allies with Iran, trading military supplies for docking rights on the
Red Sea shipping routes.
Ancient Put was the land just west of Egypt, or what is today Libya.
Libya is another sponsor of terrorism, and openly refuses to recognize
Israel’s right to even exist. When the coalition against Israel
is formed, Libya won’t have to be asked twice to join.
Verse 6 adds “and many people with you.” The nations
listed specifically are all somewhat distant from Israel. By adding “and
many people with you,” God may have been indicating that those
nations and peoples in closer proximity to Israel will join the Jihad.
Other nations that might join the alliance are Iraq, Syria, Jordon,
and Egypt. All of them are Islamic nations, and all of them would not
hesitate to support the destruction of Israel were the opportunity to
join such a vast coalition presented to them.
Ancient Name
Modern Nation
Explanation
Rosh
Russia or Chief
Ancient Samaratians
known as Rashu, Rasapu, Ros and Rus. OR
Translated as the adjective Chief.
Magog
Central Asia and
Russia
Ancient Scythians
- Islamic southern republics of the former Soviet Union with
a population of 60 million Muslims. This territory could include
modern afghanistan and Southern Russia North of the Black Sea.
Meshech
Turkey
Ancient Muschki and
Musku in Cilicia and Cappadocia.
Tubal
Turkey (also southern
Russia and Iran)
Ancient Tubalu in
Cappadocia
Persia
Iran
Name changed from
Persia to Iran in 1935.
Ethiopia (Cush)
Sudan
Ancient Cush, south
of Egypt.
Put
Libya
Ancient Put, west
of Egypt.
Gomer
Turkey
Ancient Cimmerians
- from the seventh century to first century BC in central/western
Anatolia.
Beth-togarmah
Turkey
Til-garimmu - between
ancient Carchemish and Haran (southern Turkey)
Many peoples with
you
Other Islamic Nations
Possibly Iraq, Syria,
Jordanand Egypt
False Gog Magog and the Antichrist
Before getting into the four main views, I feel it’s important
to bring up a possible deception that could make either of the first two
views appear to be correct in light of the deception of the
man
of sin. One theory about the identity of the antichrist, is that
he will claim to be the long-awaited Messiah that the Jews are looking for.
Tied with the initial
seals of Revelation and the wars of the antichrist in Daniel 11:40-45
just before the
Abomination of Desolation in Daniel 12:1, he will come on the scene
and renew the Mosaic covenant, rebuilding the temple and starting the daily
sacrifice, conquering all who come against him. The Jews are looking for
a Gog Magog attack too and it’s not too difficult to imagine the response
of the Muslim world if someone were to come on the scene rebuilding the
temple and starting the daily sacrifice.
Now if the antichrist could convincingly mimic the fulfillment of prophecies,
messianic and otherwise, and utterly destroy Israel’s enemies while
confirming the Mosaic covenant -- how great a deception that could be.
However, this page is focused on what God says in His Word about this
prophecy, not how the antichrist might use it, so let’s focus again
on the Biblical prophecy as revealed to Ezekiel.
Before the 70th Week:
As stated, this view holds that the Gog Magog attack will preceed the
beginning of the 70th week of Daniel at some point. I used to
think this might be a possibility and that this would be a great catalyst
for Israel to move from a secular society to a theocratic one and spur the
building of the temple and daily sacrifice. However there are too many other
issues I will address.
Arguments For:
Ezekiel 39:8-10 is used by some to imply that Gog/Magog happens
before the 70th week since they burn the weapons for 7 years.
Israel wouldn’t be burning the weapons for 7 years if this started
at the beginning of the 70th week because in the midst of the week
Israel is taken and hidden from the dragon so it would have to take
place at least 3 1/2 years before the start of the week to fit.
There’s nothing in the scripture which says these weapons
can’t be burned during the millennium when Christ is reigning.
I used to think that this would be a good catalyst for Israel to
move from a secular nation to a theocratic one that would also spur
the rebuilding of the temple. If the Jewish Antichrist theory is correct,
this might still be used as part of a great deception.
However Biblically, this still runs into the issues below and
just because Israel starts the daily sacrifice again, doesn’t
mean they aren’t polluting God’s name. They still haven’t
accepted Yeshua as their Messiah, which is the purpose of the final
seven years determined for Israel. Indeed, they may accept one that
comes in his own name instead. John 5:43
Arguments Against:
Ezekiel 39:7 states that God’s name will not be polluted anymore.
The time following is full of profaning God. -Chris
White
Ezekiel 38:23; 39:7, 27 Nations recognize sovereignty of God after.
The time following is full of rebellion against God. -Chris
White
Ezekiel 38:11, 14; 39:26 states that Israel will be in unwalled
villages, at rest, dwelling safely, dwelling without walls, bars or
gates. This is inconsistent with current or perceived future state of
Israel up until the millennium. -Chris
White
Ezekiel 39:29 God says He will never hide His face any more from
them because He’s poured out His Spirit on the house of Israel.
Again, this cannot happen until the conclusion of 70th week.
Before the abomination of desolation/Mid-70th Week:
Arguments For:
Arguments Against:
No indication that after war, Israel will be subject to conquest.
After this time, Israel will be overrun by Antichrist and his armies.
-Chris
White
Israel to bury bodies for 7 months and 7 years of fuel from weapons.
Gods wrath is being poured out after middle as well as overrunning by
antichrist and armies. -Chris
White
Burying of bodies a triumphant event of cleansing land. Gods wrath
is being poured out after middle as well as overrunning by antichrist
and armies. -Chris
White
There’s a genuine peace, as opposed to a false peace of antichrist.
The peace is genuine and everlasting, this doesn’t fit with the
2nd half of the 70th week.
Same problems as pre-70th week view.
After the 70th week/Armageddon?:
Arguments For:
Both Armageddon and Gog and Magog have a final battle followed by
peace. -Chris
White
Both have references to birds feasting on dead bodies. -Chris
White
Arguments Against:
No peace just prior to Armageddon and Israel is still being hid
in the wilderness (Revelation 12:14), not dwelling in safety in the
mountains of Israel. -Chris
White
“In Ezekiel, Gog is buried while in Revelation the AC is cast
alive into the lake of fire. Gog and his alliance of nations comes against
the mountains of Israel while all nations come against Jerusalem at
Armageddon.” -1whowaits
“There is something a little different-Satan is released and
goes out to deceive the nations of the 4 corners of the earth and he
is successful. At Armageddon it is not only Satan but also the AC and
FP that send out demons to gather the nations, a minor difference perhaps.”
-1whowaits
At the end of millennium:
Arguments For:
Revelation 20 is the only other place in scripture where Gog and
Magog are mentioned along with timing of when the thousand years are
expired. -Chris
White
Yahweh’s name will never be defiled again after the war is
over. Ezekiel 39:7 -Chris
White
All the passages about dwelling securely can be seen in their normal
context, as Israel would have been dwelling in peace for 1,000 years
before this rebellion breaks out. -Chris
White
There is no need to divorce Ezekiel 38-39 from the previous chapter
(chapter 37), which is part of the same prophecy and ends with a clear
reference to the millenial kingdom where Jesus is ruling over a restored
Israel. -Chris
White
The millennial phrases all throughout Ezekiel can mean what they
mean in other places, i.e., they are references to the Millennium. -Chris
White
References to weapons made of wood and horses can be seen literally,
as opposed to allusions to high tech missiles, as it can be reasonably
assumed that during the millennium people will go back to a simpler
way of life where horses and wooden weapons would be used especially
if there had been no need for weapons for 1,000 years. -Chris
White
The various promises of final restoration after the war such as
the cleansing of the land, a true peace with no more threats of any
kind can be seen as totally true, since there will be no more wars or
evil after Satan Is thrown into the lake of fire. -Chris
White
Similarities between Revelation 20 and Ezekiel -Chris
White
Both armies march against Israel
Both armies are destroyed by God Himself
Both armies are defeated before they attack
Both armies are destroyed by fire
Both armies are coalitions of many countries
Both armies are led by Gog
The armies come upon people who have been living during an unprecedented
time of peace
The war will be followed by true and everlasting knowledge of
God
Arguments Against:
The armies in Ezekiel come from the north; but in Revelation 20
the armies come from the “four corners of the earth.”
in Ezekiel 38:5-6, 13 and 39:6, nations from all the compass
points are specifically mentioned: Persia from the east, Cush (Ethiopia)
from the south, Put (Libya) and the people who dwell “carelessly
in the isles” from the west, and Gomer and Togarmah from the
north. -Chris
White
In Ezekiel, Gog is the main aggressor, a man, whereas in Revelation
20, Satan is said to be the aggressor.
There is explicit evidence that he operates in the same way
he always has after he is released: He tempts these nations to go
to war. Revelation 20:7–8 -Chris
White
In the passage in Ezekiel, bones are left to be buried, but in Revelation,
the fire God sends on the armies completely consumes them, bones and
all.
Revelation 20:9 says “And fire came down from God out of heaven
and devoured them.” In Zechariah 14:12 we see a prophecy that some
say is a picture of the destruction of Gog and his armies, is limited
to devouring flesh. -Chris
White
Ezekiel 38-39 (Gog/Magog) are followed by Chapters 40-48, which
talk about the millennium.
As mentioned at the beginning of this study, chapter 40 starts
a completely new vision that was given 13 years after that of chapters
33-39. The order in the Bible shouldn’t determine the sequence
of events of prophecy. -Chris
White
Israel would have no reason to burn the invaders’ weapons
or bury bodies in eternal kingdom.
We have no scriptures that define how long after the end of
the millennium it is before eternity in the new heavens and new
earth begin. -Chris
White
Ezekiel 38-39 says that after the war “the nations shall know
that I am the LORD” and that he will “make his name known”
in the midst of Israel. But this would have already occurred during
the millennium.
Not everyone will be saved in Millennium, Christ rules with
a rod of iron and people will submit by feigned obedience. The numbers
that come against Christ in the end are like the “sands of
the sea.” -Chris
White
“Revelation 20 also mentions Gog-Magog at the end of the millennium.
The conditions described in Ezek. (God hiding His face from Israel)
would not be consistent with Christ’s rule during the millennium.”
-1whowaits
Does this mean Israel will pollute God’s name through the millennium?
“Be not overcome
of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
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