The Purpose Of The Ezekiel 38
What is the purpose of this invasion? The passage gives both the human and the divine purposes for the invasion.
The invaders will have four main goals: the land, money, total destruction of Israel, and power. First, the invading forces will desire to acquire more territory . Any military invasion of this magnitude and scope always includes land.
Then theres money. The invaders will come to plunder Israel and amass wealth . One might wonder, What wealth does Israel have? No one knows for sure what this will entail, but discoveries of vast gas reserves off the coast of Israel could be part of the equation as oil becomes more scarce in the future, triggering energy wars. Make no mistake greed will be a key motive behind the Gog invasion.
The third is racism. The invading horde will come to destroy the people of Israel and wipe them off the face of the earth . This is in keeping with the hatred we see for the Jewish people in Israels neighbors today.
Fourth is power. These nations will use this attack to challenge the Antichrist, who will be Israels ally as a result of the peace treaty . Their attack on Israel will also be an attack against the Western confederacy, attempting to draw it into an open confrontation.
Similarities In Ezekiel And Revelation
The apostle John, who wrote Revelation, had Ezekiels description of Gods judgments on Gog and his armies in mind when he described the final destruction of Satan and his armies. Notice the similarities with Revelation 20:
- Both armies are vast and cover the earth .
- Both go out to destroy Gods people
- Both are destroyed by fire and brimstone .
- Both are destroyed at a time of final judgment in the latter days .
Revelation 20:8 clearly identifies Gog and Magog as the nations which are in the four corners of the earthin other words, everyone who follows Satan and war against God and His people in the latter days, at the end of time.
Ancient And Medieval Views
Josephus refers to Magog son of Japheth as progenitor of Scythians, or peoples north of the Black Sea. According to him, the Greeks called Scythia Magogia. An alternate identification derived from an examination of the order in which tribal names are listed in Ezekiel 38, “would place Magog between Cappadocia and Media.” According to Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried Magog refers to the Mongols. He cites an Arab writer who refers to the Great Wall of China with the name ‘Magog’.
Jordanes‘ Getica mentions Magog as ancestor of the Goths, as does the Historia Brittonum, but Isidore of Seville asserts that this identification was popular “because of the similarity of the last syllable” . Johannes Magnus stated that Magog migrated to Scandinavia 88 years after the flood, and that his five sons were Suenno , Gethar , Ubbo , Thor, and German. Magnus’s accounts became accepted at the Swedish court for a long time, and even caused the dynastic numerals of the Swedish monarchs to be renumbered accordingly. Queen Christina of Sweden reckoned herself as number 249 in a list of kings going back to Magog. Magnus also influenced several later historians such as Daniel Juslenius , who derived the roots of the Finns from Magog.
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Putin Calls Out Bible Prophecy For War On Ukraine
Signs of the Last Days® MinistryDecember 8, 2021General
Putin, the Prince of Rus over the people of Russia, has called out Gog of Magog prophetic history in his justification for war on Ukraine.
Putin wrote an article titled The historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians which he published on the Kremlin website which experts are saying is his final ultimatum to Ukraine and his justification for war.
In the essay he says that Ukraine is a part of the historical lands of Russia and that they are to be reunited as one as the heirs of the ancient Prince of Rus which is called out in the Ezekiel chapter 38 Gog of Magog prophecy.
The Ezekiel Biblical prophecy describes all the countries that will come to be under the dominion of the Last Days Prince of Rus also called Gog of Magog.
And the descendants of Gomer, originally located in the territory north of the black sea which is today Ukraine, will be one of those under his control.
And now Putin is threatening war to bring the Ezekiel 38 prophecy alliance together as a major on-ramp for end-time prophecy fulfillment.
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Where Is The Wall Built By Dhul Qarnayn
Some people have entertained the misunderstanding that the wall attributed here to DhulQarnain refers to the famous Great Wall of China, whereas this wall was built between basit aliDerbent and Daryal, two cities of Daghestan in the Caucasus, the land that lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian.
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Bible Verses About Gog And Magog
I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand.You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field.You will fall on the open field for it is I who have spoken, declares the Lord God.read more.And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety and they will know that I am the Lord.My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.Behold, it is coming and it shall be done, declares the Lord God. That is the day of which I have spoken.Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both shields and bucklers, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them.
When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
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The battle of Gog and Magog described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is perhaps one of the most debated events in biblical prophecy. Some approach these chapters as non-literal, having only an idealist or figurative meaning, without any historical reality. This provides no possibility of a future fulfillment of the details contained in the passage, which leaves the reader to find a meaning relevant to present circumstances without any significant controls to govern that meaning.
Others approach these chapters as having a historical fulfillment, being an invasion of some kind, but differ on its participants, location, and timing. One group considers this invasion as already fulfilled in an ancient battle during the Old Testament era, one option being the events in Esther 9. Usually, this is an attempt to avoid a future fulfillment involving Israel as a nation. Neither an idealist/figurative view nor a past fulfillment view do justice to the details of the passage, which means its fulfillment is yet future, but when, where, and with whom?
1. Just prior to the Rapture of the church and onset of the seven-year Tribulation2. Between the Rapture and the Tribulation3. Around the middle of the Tribulation4. Just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ5. Between the Second Coming and the commencement of the Millennium6. At the end of the Millennium
Each of these views has some support from the biblical data, which is why the debate continues.
Which Nations Will Invade Israel?
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The Application In Revelation
Whether the precise historical application of Ezekiels prophecy can be identified for certain is irrelevant.
The point is this. A vicious enemy possessing seemingly overwhelming power would come against the Lords people. But Israel would not be vanquished. Jehovah himself would intervene and be their Savior.
In the Apocalypse, John borrows this imagery from the former prophet and applies it to what some scholars believe is a projected final assault against the truth at some point before the return of Christ. When this might occur is unknown perhaps in close proximity to the Judgment Day.
In what form it could manifest itself is also not revealed. But the outcome is certain.
It is possible that the expression the war may be analogous to the war of the great day of God the Almighty . The full fury of this conflict is depicted in Revelation 19:11-16.
A substantial case can be made for the view that this is simply an equivalent image for the Day of Judgment. On that day, God will demonstrate his decisive wrath against all his enemies.
The main truth to be gleaned from the prophecy is this. Just as Ezekiel prophesied the delivery of Gods people in ancient times, so will they be delivered again fully and finally as set forth by the imagery of Johns vision on Patmos.
As has been noted many times , victory is the primary theme of the concluding book of Scripture.
Who Are The Gog And Magog In Revelation’s End Times
We run into a sticky situation here, because this entirely depends on when the End Times take place. Some have conjectured various northern kingdoms and superpower nations today to represent the Gog and Magog we see in Revelation 20:7-8.
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth Gog and Magog and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of Gods people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them .
Centuries of scholarly division have been poured over this issue, so this article does not intend to debate with anyone about which kingdom represents Gog or Magog.
Although we do not know the exact nature of the kingdom of Gog and Magog, we do know from Revelation that armies from these kingdoms will join forces with Satan in an attempt to destroy Gods people. According to John Lees’ entry in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revelation’s mention of Gog and Magog fighting God’s people fits a larger tradition:
“In the Apocalypse of John, Gog and Magog represent all the heathen opponents of Messiah , and in this sense these names frequently recur in Jewish apocalyptic literature.”
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Who Are The Historical Gog And Magog
Reading the book of Ezekiel, one might have a hard time differentiating which visions pertained to Israels situation during the context of the book and which ones foreshadowed events to come in the End Times .
But we do have a historical Gog and Magog that differ from the counterpart we see in Revelation.
The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal prophesy against him and say: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole armyyour horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords…'” .
“Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals…‘” .
We see Gog make a brief appearance earlier in 1 Chronicles 5:4, as a descendant of a prophet named Joel:
Ezekiel 3: Who Are The Powerful Players In The Gog And Magog War
As I write this, Russia has invaded Ukraine. There are at least 137 dead both military and civilians and over 300 people injured. It appears that Putin has been planning this attack for a long time. Check out the news items here. The Gog and Magog War in Ezekiel 38 and 39 , centers on Israel. Is it next? First, well read the scripture and then see what some Bible Prophecy Preachers have to say. Lets dig in
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Gog And Magog: The Two Suppers Of God At The End Of Time
Revelation 19:17-18: And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.
The Wedding Supper of the Lamb is described in Revelation 19:9: Then the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! This is the marriage feast when Jesus, as the Bridegroom, takes His church for his Bride. It is a tremendous time of fellowship and praise.
There is a word picture here and we all have a choice. We can enjoy the supper with Jesus or we can be the supper.
Revelation chapters 20 through 22 wrap up the story with the destruction of Satan and his followers, the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, and the new Heaven and the new Earth.
Revelation 12-14: The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpents reach.
Of course, the United States has always been a friend and supporter of Israel. By Gods grace, we will stand by their side. If we ever turn against Israel we will suffer the same fate as the Antichrist and his forces.
Literal Geographical North: Harbinger Of Doom
Because it sat on the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Canaan found itself sandwiched between the homelands of ancient Near Eastern civilizations that would vie for control of the entire region: Egypt and Mesopotamia. Canaan, and therefore the people of Israel, would find itself being invaded from the north and south by foreign armies on the move. It would be occupied as a buffer zone between competing powers.
The Bible records several such incidents. But the most traumatic incursions into Canaan were always from the north:
- In 722 BC Assyria invaded from the north to conquer the 10 tribes of the northern Israelite kingdom and deported them to many corners of its empire.
- In a series of three invasions from 605 to 586 BC, Babylon moved in from the north and destroyed the southern kingdom, comprising only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin.
The trauma of these invasions became the conceptual backdrop for descriptions of the final, eschatological judgment of the disinherited nations and their divine overlords .
It is hard to overstate the trauma of the Babylonian invasion. The northern tribes, too, had met an awful fate, the outcome of which was well known to the occupants of the kingdom of Judah. But Judah was Davids tribe, and Jerusalem the home of Yahwehs temple. As such, the ground was holy and would surely never be taken by the enemyor so the kingdom of Judah thought.
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What Ezekiel Says About Gog And Magog
Chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel refer to Gog several times but mention Magog only twice. God told the prophet Ezekiel: Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold I am against you, O Gog .
The prophecy went on to say of Gog:You will come up from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days .
God also says that He will bring Gog to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed for his attacks against Gods people .
The next chapter, Ezekiel 39 continues to describe the destruction that will come to Gog and his forces when they make war and attack Israel. Verse 6 mentions Magog again: And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.