Ezekiel 38 & 39: The Magog Invasion

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.

So what we can tie chronologically together are the passages leading up to chapters 38 and 39. I once held a different view of these chapters, but after some thoughts introduced by Chris White and further study myself, I’ve come to a different conclusion that fits better with scripture and solves some issues I had before.

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.

You can see from the passages above that the language is 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 70^th 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.

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.

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-70^th week view since we know very little of what the political climate will be aside from Christ ruling the world. What is important to note in this view is that if this is after the millennium, clearly a large portion of the population is only feigning submission to Christ because they have no other choice.

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.

While this group may be attacking from the North, the coalition is from all four corners of the middle east.

For those looking to the current political climate, there are all kinds of theories as to who exactly these players are in modern terms. Some of the more common theories you’ll hear when studying the prophecies from Ezekiel 38. Excerpt from Contender Ministries

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. (Given Russia’s obvious involvement in giving arms and technology to Iran and Syria, I believe they will be a big player in the attack if not actively involved in it.)
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

When Could It Happen?

There are really only four events in the end times that most people place the Gog Magog attack. There are several battles where God intervenes on Israel’s behalf.

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.

Before the 70th Week:

As stated, this view holds that the Gog Magog attack will preceed the beginning of the 70^th 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.

False Gog Magog and the Antichrist

However, this theory is not completely without merit. Not to the reality of what God is showing Ezekiel, but 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 the Jews are looking for. Tied with the initial seals of Revelation, he will come on the scene and renew the Mosaic covenant, starting the daily sacrifice and 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 and 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.

Ezekiel 38 & 39: The Magog Invasion

What is this invasion by Gog of Magog and his army?

What does the scripture say?

Who are the players?

Rosh as Russia

Rosh as chief

When Could It Happen?

Before the 70th Week:

False Gog Magog and the Antichrist

Arguments For:

Arguments Against:

Before the abomination of desolation/Mid-70th Week:

Arguments For:

Arguments Against:

After the 70th week/Armageddon?:

Arguments For:

Arguments Against:

At the end of millennium:

Arguments For:

Arguments Against:

Links:

Gog/Magog in the News: