Yet another year has flown by and we are closer
than ever to the LORD’s return to take His family home to the Father. Headlines from this past year reveal that the
stage is being set and nations are aligning as foretold in the subject
prophecy. I thought it would be good to
take a fresh look at that portion of scripture in light of that fact.
This prophecy is found in chapters 38-39 of the
book of Ezekiel. The two chapters
preceding this prophecy foretold the rebirth of the nation of Israel after
having been “dead” for a long time. The
nation was compared to very dry bones that were resurrected to life—a prophecy
that was fulfilled when Israel became a nation once again on May 14, 1948. Since that time, Israel has been targeted for
destruction by the Muslim world in particular and many of the nations of the
world in general. I believe that to be
due to the effective influence exerted by Satan and his forces of evil as they
seek to thwart God’s will. It seems his
pride is such that he thinks he can actually succeed.
The prophet Zechariah declared that Jerusalem
would become a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone for all people on earth.
Zechariah 12:1–3 “The burden of the
word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the
heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man
within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the
people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that
day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden
themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth
be gathered together against it.”
In
context Zechariah’s prophecy is pointing to Armageddon, but I believe Gog’s
attack foreshadows that final battle. I
personally believe the scriptural evidence indicates that Gog’s attack will
take place either prior to or at the beginning of the 70th week of
Daniel that is commonly referred to as “the tribulation,” the last seven years
on planet earth before Jesus returns to reign as King of kings over the whole
earth on the throne of David in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel
declares his prophecy to be against Gog (a specific being) of the land of
Magog.
Ezekiel 38:2–3 “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:”
This
same being is referenced in the book of Revelation 20.
Revelation 20:7–8 “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.”
I believe that Gog is an evil spirit in Satan’s
army that uses a willing human host, one that is the dominant ruler in the land
of Magog. The prophet Daniel alluded to
evil spiritual beings that battle God’s angelic forces whose purpose is to
minister to men and accomplish God’s will on earth (Daniel 10). Paul affirmed in his letter to the Ephesians
that our main fight is against the spiritual forces of evil.
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
I do not
think we as believers often think about the spiritual realm that interacts with
our physical realm in the ongoing war of rebellion involving Satan and his
forces against God’s heavenly host.
That, however, does not negate its reality.
So to
what nation does Magog refer? Magog, Meshech
and Tubal are all identified as sons of Japheth. Hesiod, a Greek poet that was a contemporary
of Ezekiel, identified Magog with the Scythians. The historian Josephus declared that the
Greeks also identified Magog with the Scythians. The NIV Commentary states that the land areas
being referenced are “generally toward the south of the Black and Caspian Seas,
in the modern countries of Turkey, Russia and Iran.” Britannica states, “the Royal Scyths, finally
established themselves as rulers of the southern Russian and Crimean
territories. It is there that the
richest, oldest and most numerous relics of Scythian civilization have been
found.”
At the current time, it would seem that Vladimir
Putin would be Gog’s human counterpart.
Ezekiel goes on to declare that GOD is against Gog
and will use hooks to draw him into an attack against Israel in alliance with
several other nations. The prophet goes
on to describe some of the hooks as “a spoil” and “prey” or booty (from the
Hebrew), e.g., gas, oil, minerals, etc.
I believe other hooks will prove to be action intended to protect economic
and military investments made in coalition nations.
Interestingly, the first ally mentioned by Ezekiel
is Persia, or modern day Iran. The news
from the previous year in particular declares the growing strength of the bond
between Russia and Iran in light of their efforts in support of Syria’s Bashar
Assad in his fight against enemy rebels and ISIS. Iran has invested too much in Syria to let it
fall out of its sphere of influence.
Russia also has important interests in Syria. They have had a naval
base in Syria for a long time that they now plan to make permanent. It is their only naval base in the
Mediterranean. Consider this quote from www.gulfnews.com dated January 4, 2017: “In October, Russia’s Deputy Defence
Minister Nikolai Pankov spelt out how Tartus fits into the Putin government’s
global military vision, when he announced that the port would be expanded to
become a permanent base for the Russian navy.”
Others identified as part of Gog’s coalition are
Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer and Togarmah. Ethiopia is generally associated with “Black
Africa,” especially Sudan. Josephus
identifies the descendants of Put as the Libyans (including Algeria, Tunisia
and Morocco). Arnold Fruchtenbaum, a
noted Jewish scholar, believes, “the Put of Ezekiel 38-39 is not Libya, but
Somalia.” Most of my research points to
Turkey and southern Russia as the land of Gomer and Togarmah.
Isn’t it interesting
how the news headlines at the end of 2016 reported of the strengthening bond
developing between the leaders of Russia and Turkey. Following is a quote from sputniknews.com
(12/20/16): “Turkey
will not allow anyone to spoil relations with Russia, President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday at the ceremony to unveil the Eurasia
Tunnel in Istanbul.” And this quote
(12/26/16) from Putin’s year-end press conference: “…we realize the importance
of Russian-Turkish ties and will make every effort to deepen them.”
After identifying these primary allies, Ezekiel
notes that “many people” will join Gog’s coalition. I am sure this is a reference to other
nations that resent the existence of Israel.
It is interesting to note that the nations
immediately surrounding Israel (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt)
are not named as part of Gog’s coalition.
Some posit that this is because Israel defeats them in a war that
precedes Gog’s attack. Except for
Lebanon, ruled by Hezbollah, and Syria, these nations do not want to see Iran
expand its influence in the region and will choose to avoid any type of alliance
with them—even against Israel.
(to be continued…)
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