A Glance into the Future
The prophet Ezekiel spent most of his ministry prophesying about the fall of Jerusalem. In the last chapter he suddenly moved far into the future and gave us prophecy concerning the gathering of the nation of Israel which is contemporary to our day but in Ezekiel chapter 38 he moves even into our future. How far into the future is the big question. Ezekiel describes a war that must have staggered his mind. Such a war was impossible in his day but is highly probable in ours. He names the participants of the war with names which he probably was familiar with but has changed in our day. Our task is to determine who and when with the when being the most important question.
Some Biblical scholars see Ezekiel 38 as not an actual battle or war but a description of the fight of good against evil. Ezekiel was literal about the fall of Jerusalem, literal about the gathering again of Israel, why move into myth about the coming war. No! Ezekiel is specific about the people, the battle, and about the results – this is really going to happen!
Others, who accept that this is a real prophesied event, place it at the end of the millennium, the end of the tribulation, or at the second coming of Christ. Why not accept where it falls within the cannon of scripture, after the gathering of Israel and before the millennium – the next event in the prophetic calendar?
Ezekiel 38:1 - 9 (NKJV) 1Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, £the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5Persia, £Ethiopia, and £Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you. 7“Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”
Who?
Gog, of the land of Magog, £the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal
Names of places change. The city of Petrograd became St. Petersburg, then Leningrad and now it’s St Petersburg again. The city of Byzantum was named Constantinople now it is called Istanbul. I remember Cape Canaveral which became Cape Kennedy and now it is Cape Canaveral again. My great grandfather was born in Hunting Quarters North Carolina, now Atlantic North Carolina. Names of places change but we do not change the names of our ancestors. So we have to ask the question, “does the name Magog appear in the scriptures?” and the answer is – yes!
Genesis 10:1 - 32 (NKJV) 1Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. 2The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. 6The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). 13Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim). 15Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations. 21And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. 22The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. 25To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. 32These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.
So Magog was one of the sons of Japheth and his descendants were often referred to by their Greek name, the Scythians. Hesiad, the father of Greek didactic poetry and close in time to Ezekiel, identified Magog with the Scythians of Southern Russia. The Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius identified Magog as the founder of the Magogians who were called by the Greeks, Scythians. Philo identified Magog with southern Russia. Herodotus, known as the father of history, wrote about the war between the Greeks and the Persians whom he identified as Scythian. Herodotus describes them as living in the territory north of the Black Sea, In the 7th century the Scythians swept across the Caucasus mountains and the name “Caucasus” was derived from Gog-hasan” or God’s Fort.”
One reason Herodotus gave so much detail about the Scythians was that he wanted to describe the people who defeated the Persian king, Darius (recorded in the book of Daniel) and the war strategy called “Defense in Depth.” “Defense in Depth” allows the enemy to take territory but makes the keeping of it so expensive that it wears down the enemy until they defeat themselves. Darius reached the Volga but had to acknowledge defeat and retreat from Scythia in shame. The Scythinan descendants used the same tactic against Napoleon allowing him to enter Russia in 1812. Field Marshal Kutuzov sacrificed Moscow itself but cut off supplies and Napoleon’s army was reduced from 453,000 to less than 10,000 and defeated by the Russian winter. Hitler suffered a similar defeat from the same Scythian strategy, allowing a quick advance deep into Russian interior only to have the “Wehrmact” swallowed up.
Modern Russian history dates from the rise of Yuri Andorpov in November 1982. As part of the KGB Andorpov knew that the Soviet Union was losing the Cold War and was dangerously close to economic collapse. Andorpov knew that the only thing he had to trade with the west was space so that is what he gave – the “Defense in depth” strategy. Gorbachev, and Yelsin continued the tactic giving up everything from Poland to Afghanistan. Today the United States is expending its wealth and power to hold onto its positions in Afghanistan and Iraq and Russia has aligned itself with Turkey, Iran and Syria. Turkey is now Russia’s largest trading partner with a volume of over $10 billion in trade per year. Russia has written off 75% of Syria Soviet debt and is selling SS-26 and SS-18 missiles to Syria with a capacity to carry 1,000 pound warhead to most targets inside of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:5 (NKJV) 5Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
The name for Persia was changed to Iran in 1935 and then to the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. It is now in the process of developing nuclear capabilities. Ahmadinejod the dictator of Iran has promised to “throw Israel into the sea.” Ethiopia is the nation of Cush and is present Sudan. Put is modern Libia and possible Algeria and Tunisia,
Ezekiel 38:6 (NKJV) 6Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.
Gomer was the first son of Japheth and the name for the ancient Cimmerians who were 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 his name in Hebrew means “place of.” In Ezekiel’s time the city of Tegarma, Til-garimmu is the city of Cappodocia is modern Turkey. Turkey is now on the verge of becoming a Turkish Islamic Republic.
When?
In the latter years after Israel has been brought back into the land.
Ezekiel 38:7 - 9 (NKJV) 7“Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”
October 2, 2007 Vladimir Putin made himself Premier of Russia declaring full and perpetual power over the nation. The word “Gog” may be a title rather than a name, such as czar or Premier!
September 27. 2007 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran stated the Mahdi (Twelfth Imam) is due to return at any time.
Who is Missing?
Egypt and Iraq are missing from the prophecy. Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 and Iraq is embroiled in its own war of survival and both are unlikely to join a coalition against Israel. According to the prophecy Russia will build a military coalition and prepare a strike against Israel. The premier of Russia will use overwhelming force against Israel – could this be referring to nuclear force? This coalition will “come like a storm…like a cloud covering the land.”
Ezekiel 38:10-13 (NKJV)
10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of un-walled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’
Israel is now back into her land, she is a nation of great prosperity. In hearing the world news it is hard to remember that the nation of Israel is about the size of the United States’ state of New Jersey and yet Israel has the government, army, and economy of a nation. While it is true that Israel is not “peaceful” because of terrorist the nation is not at war with any other nation at this time. Ezekiel prophecies that the countries of “Sheba, Dan and the merchants of Tarshish, with their young lions, will protest, but not act on behalf of Israel. We may ask, who are these nations and the “young lions?”
Sheba and Dedan were grandsons of Abraham by his third wife, Keturah, and not the children of Ishmael, they were the founders of what is today know as Saudi Arabia. The Saudi’s, while Moslems, have been affiliated with the United States and not with those against Israel.
The merchants of Tarshish with their young lions. In Ezekiel’s day, Tarshish was the farthest region of the known world Tarshish was the “Land of Tin” which in the modern world is the name for Britain. The sign of Great Britain, England, is the Lion. The young lions would therefore be the United States, Canada, and Australia. In all the wars fought in modern history these nations have been allies and still are.
Why do the young lions only protest? It well could be because of opposition to the United States involvement in the War on Iraq. The political structure has changed emboldening Russia and Iran with their allies so that they do not believe there will be any consequences to their attack on Israel!
Ezekiel 38:14-17(NKJV)
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come 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. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?
We are looking at a book, the Bible, which was translated into English in 1611 and therefore used words in translation that applied to its time. The word translated “horses” can refer to a bird( Jer 8: 7) or a chariot rider (Ex 14:9). It literally means “a leaper.” Today if we were translating the word it could be translated, “Calvary.”
The Israeli tank is called Merkeva or battle chariot. The word chereb or sword is a term for any destroying instrument. The word khayts in Ezek 39:3 can be translated, piercer, thunderbolt or missile and the word qeh-sheth is a bow or launcher. We could translate Ezekiel as saying tanks will cover the land and your launchers will fall out of your left and your missiles out of your right. God states that he will bring them against Israel and God will do something so spectacular that men will know that is was God who did it.
