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 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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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. There’s nothing
in the above scripture which says these weapons can’t be burned during
the millennium when Christ is reigning.
Obviously Israel wouldn’t be burning the weapons for 7 years
if this started at the beginning of the 70th week, so it would
have to take place at least 3 1/2 years before the start of the
week to fit.
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.
Ezekiel 38:23; 39:7, 27 Nations recognize sovereignty of God after. The
time following is full of rebellion against God.
Ezekiel 39:7, 22 states that God will not let them pollute His
holy name anymore and Israel also recognizes the LORD their God from
that day forward. This cannot happen until the conclusion of 70th week.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
“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:
Yahweh’s name will never be defiled again after the war is over.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Similarities between Revelation 20 and Ezekiel
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:
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.
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.
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.”
“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
“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?
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.
Iran
has a defense agreement with Syria that in case of an attack on Syria,
Iran must defend them. Russia and China are also very close with Iran, so
who knows if they have similar agreements. Debkafile
“Be not overcome
of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
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