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Hello my friends.
I thought this wee study on Ezekiel 38-39 would interest some of you...


THE "WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG": Understanding Ezekiel 38-39

Ezekiel chapters 36 & 37 have already come true. These are the famous chapters that foretell:

* The rebirth of the State of Israel in the end times (both chapters)
* The return of the Jews to the Holy Land after centuries in exile (36:10-11, 36:24, 36:37-38, 37:12, 37:21)
* The rebuilding of the ancient ruins in Israel (36:36)
* The re-blossoming of desolate, desert lands to produce abundant food, fruit and foliage (36:8-9 and 36:30-35)
* The creation of an "exceedingly great army" (37:11)
Such prophecies began to be fulfilled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, accelerated in 1948 and 1967, and continue to come to pass to this day. This, of course, raises an intriguing question: If Ezekiel 36 and 37 have largely come true in our lifetime, isn't it possible that Ezekiel 38 and 39 will soon come true as well?

That said, let's examine Ezekiel 38 and 39 more carefully.

* WHO will be involved in the "War of Gog and Magog"?
* WHAT will happen as this war begins and ends?
* WHEN will these events happen?
* WHERE will these events happen?
* WHY will these events happen?

 
UNDERSTANDING "THE WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG"

WHO

In Ezekiel 38:1-6, the Hebrew prophet gives a list of obscure names that will form a united coalition.

* Gog is described as being "of the land of Magog" and as the “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.” Most Bible scholars believe Gog is not a name but a title, like Pharoah or Czar. He is a dictator who will hatch an "evil plan" (38:10).

* Magog = Leading Bible scholars say this is Russia and republics of the former Soviet Union. The first century Roman historian Josephus said the "Magogites" were the peoples whom the Greeks called "Scythians." Scythians were a fierce, blood-thirsty civilization that settled north of the Baltic Sea in what is now Russia and the European republics of the former USSR.

* Rosh = Russia

* Meshech = Some Bible scholars say this is Moscow, others believe it refers to Turkey

* Tubal = Some Bible scholars say this refers to the city/region of Tobolsk in Russia along the Tobol River; others say it refers to a section of modern-day Turkey. (Interestingly, in 1964, massive reserves of oil and gas were discovered in the Tobolsk region of Siberia and people now refer to the region as the "energy center of Russia.")

* Persia = This was the official name of Iran until 1935

* Cush = Sudan and Ethiopia

* Put = Libya, and possibly Algeria and Tunisia

* Gomer = Turkey, but also possibly Germany and Austria

* Beth-togarmah = Armenia and the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia

* "Many peoples with you" who will attack along "the mountains of Israel" = Other countries will be involved in the coalition as well, notably countries that border the mountains of Israel. This includes Lebanon, Syria and possibly Jordan.

* NOTE: Conspicuously absent from the list is Egypt and Iraq (typically referred to in Scripture as Babylon or Mesapotamia). This is noteworthy since Ezekiel was writing the prophecy in the City of Babylon, in the heart of Iraq. We would have to expect, then, that neither Egypt nor Iraq will participate. This is particularly interesting since Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 and Iraq is now so engrossed in its own internal struggles that it would be unlikely to join a coalition to destroy Israel in the next few years.

WHAT

Gog’s Plan

38:7 – Gog will build a military coalition and “be prepared" to strike
38:8 – Gog will deploy the coalition against Israel
39:9 – Gog will use overwhelming force against Israel; he and his coalition will “come like a storm....like a cloud covering the land”

God’s Plan

38:2 – The Lord God will bring judgment upon the enemies of Israel, beginning with Gog, the dictator of Russia
38:20 – The Lord will trigger a massive earthquake in which “all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence”
38:21 – The Lord will turn Gog’s forces against one another
38:22 – The Lord will subject Gog’s coalition forces to:
* pestilence
* blood
* torrential rains
* hailstones
* fire from heaven
39:6 – The Lord will “ send fire upon Magog” itself and others
39:9 – Israel will capture her enemies weapons and burn them for 7 years
39:12 – It will taken 7 full months to bury all the bodies of Israel's slain enemies
39:17-20 – Birds and beast will feast on the bodies of Israel's slain enemies

WHEN

38:8 – Israel will be a country again and Jews will be regathered to the Holy Land
38:11, 14 – “My people Israel are living securely” before the "War of Gog and Magog"
38:12-13 – Israel will have economic prosperity
38:16 – “It will come about in the last days” (before the return of Christ)

** NOTE: The Scriptures are not clear as to whether this war will happen before or after the Rapture of the Church.

WHY

39:21 – “I shall set My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment”
39:22 – “the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God”
39:29 – “I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel”

These events will not only be a judgment of Israel's enemies in keeping with Genesis 12:1-3, in which God says those who bless Israel He will bless, and those who curse Israel He will curse. The events will also be the beginning of a great spiritual awakening. God will literally and metaphorically shake people out of spiritual apathy and lethargy to realize there is a God in heaven. He will also shake people who are following false religions and turn them to Himself. Moreover, He will shake those who are followers of Christ but not serious about their faith. It should be noted that ours is the first generation in human history in which all the nations on earth will be able to watch the "War of Gog and Magog" unfold because of the emergence of television and satellite technology.


** Note: All verses are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Thursday, May 05, 2005
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE CHIEF SUGGESTS ISRAEL MORE SECURE THAN AT ANY TIME IN MODERN HISTORY
An article in Haaretz this morning quotes Israel's Director of Military Intelligence Major General Aharon Ze'evi making two key points: 1) Israel does not currently face an existential nuclear threat; and 2) Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is slowly but surely reining in Islamic militants. In other words, Israel is -- for the time being at least -- more secure than at any other point in its modern history.

Excerpts:

* "There is currently no existential nuclear threat on Israel, but there are several Muslim states, at the forefront Iran, which are trying to achieve nuclear capability," Ze'evi told Israel Radio. "We will have to learn to live with such a threat should it appear. This is a substantial and complex menace due to Israel's geography and size."

* The intelligence chief said that despite recent claims that the Palestinian Authority was not doing enough to fight terrorists and abide by commitments reached at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in February, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas does mean to rein in militants. "As far as I know, the Palestinians have completed gathering the weapons of wanted militants in Jericho," he said." Abbas intends to solve the problem of the wanted militants in order to bring about the transfer of security control over more West Bank towns," he told Israel Radio.

* Ze'evi rebuffed media reports that Abbas has done nothing so far to abide by his commitments and make reforms in the PA. "Abbas has reached certain important achievements since Ariel Sharon's visit to Washington last month. He has completed reforms and started fighting Qassam fire and terrorists. The heads of the Palestinian security services were replaced only last month, and they should be given some time to change things. The security chiefs in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip "have started working with Israel to coordinate the disengagement."

* Ze'evi warned, however, that the he recent period of relative calm was a temporary one which could change in the near future depending on the political situation.


Bronzesnake

Thank you Bronzesnake for your post and breaking it down so we could see it.

In Christ,
Grammyluv

My pleasure, and thank you :D

John

I was asked to post something on this when I remembered that Brother John already had done so. With all that we are seeing in the news daily it is a good idea to perhaps take another look at this in order to answer a few questions.

I guess I did see this, as evidenced in my reply but I don't remember it.  It is pretty comprehensive though!  I would love to your maps at some point, when you can.  I think it would be interesting to see the layout.
Thanks PR for finding this tread again.

Something of interest that I just found out about Tubal. Tbilisi, which is the capital of present day Georgia, is identified by Josephus and many other early historians as being the area of Tubal. Tbilisi actually means the "land of Tubal".

Another thing of interest is that Pakistan has the largest concentration of ancient cities whose names begin with the letters Gog.

Here are some of the maps that I promised grammyluv. For a larger view of these maps right click on them and then click View Image.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/randers/Ezekiel38-39.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/randers/europe-2.jpg)

and the last one is of ancient Persia

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/randers/persian.gif)

VERY interesting.  So it is safe to assume that Georgia will be swallowed in a take-over by Russia at some point.
Where can I view the info on Pakistan and the ancient cities?  Google it?  I'll try that.

Note for anyone interested:  I actually had to save the maps to my computer and then I could zoom in on them.

The Arab Countries in Prophecy

Ultimately, there will be peace between Israel and the Arab states, but it will take one of three forms:

1. by means of occupation;
2. by means of destruction; or
3. by means of conversion. It is necessary to deal with the various Arab states individually to get a clearer picture.

A. Lebanon

Peace between Israel and Lebanon will come by means of occupation. In Ezekiel 47:13 - Ezekiel 48:29 we are given the boundaries of the nation of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom. The tracing of the northern boundary shows that Israel will encompass all of modern-day Lebanon.

B. Jordan

It is Edom (southern Jordan) in particular that the prophets were concerned about. Several passages reveal that peace will come between Israel and southern Jordan by means of total destruction. Some of those passages are Ezekiel 35:6-9, Jeremiah 49:7-13 and 19-20, and Obadiah 5-9 and 17-21. The fact that Israel will help bring about the final destruction of Edom (and, thus, the total annihilation of all descendants of Esau) is portrayed in Ezekiel 25:12-14. Moab (modern central Jordan) will also suffer destruction, but it will not be total. A remnant of Moab will return according to Jeremiah 48:47. As for Ammon (present-day northern Jordan), it will become a possession of Israel but its destruction will not be total. That is depicted in Jeremiah 49:1-6.

C. Egypt

Peace will come between Israel and Egypt initially by means of destruction and later by means of conversion, as comprehensively covered in Isaiah 19:1-22. Verses 1-10 reveal that because of her sins, Egypt will be characterized by civil war, desolation, and famine. The prophet states in verses 11-15 that Egypt will suffer because she has been led astray by her leaders. Under the dictatorship of Farouk, Nassar, and Sadat the nation went to war against Israel four times, resulting in heavy human and economic losses. Understandably, Egypt has developed a fear of Israel as prophesied in verses 16-17. This has come to pass only since 1948 and especially since the Six Day War . Prophetically, today is still the period described in Isaiah 19:16-17. Eventually, there will be total and lasting peace between Israel and Egypt, which in turn will give way to Egypt’s conversion in Isaiah 19:18-22.

D. Northern Iraq and Eastern Syria

Iraq and portions of modern Syria are two other implacable Arab enemies of modern Israel. However, peace will come between Israel and these two Arab countries by means of conversion according to Isaiah 19:23-25. Verse 23 describes an economic unit that will encompass Egypt, Israel and Assyria. Assyria will become a blessing in the earth and will receive a blessing from God. The three former enemies will now have a spiritual unity as well as an economic and political one. God declares: Egypt [will be] my people, ... Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

E. Saudi Arabia

Peace will come between Israel and Saudi Arabia by means of destruction according to Jeremiah 49:28-33. The passage describes the total devastation of Saudi Arabia by war until the inhabitants are scattered and dispersed all over the world. As for the land itself, Jeremiah 49:33 states: And Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation for ever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein. Saudi Arabia’s desolation will last for all of the one thousand years of the Messianic Kingdom.

F. Persia or Iran

Iran is a Persian state rather than Arab, but it shares the same religion with the Moslem Arabs, Islam. Peace will come between Israel and Iran by means of destruction according to Jeremiah 49:34-39. However, the destruction of Iran will be partial, and the dispersion will be temporary. Eventually the inhabitants will return and resettle Iran. The future of Iran is similar to that of Egypt, but the length of time they will be in dispersion is not revealed. There will be a Nation of Elam---Persia or Iran, in the Kingdom.

G. Southern Iraq

Southern Iraq is destined to be a desolate spot throughout the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 50:39-40). Not only is this area to be a desolate waste throughout the Kingdom, Revelation 19:3 says that it will also be a place of continual burning and smoke through the Millennium. The animal inhabitants mentioned in Isaiah 13:20-22 and Jeremiah 51:39-40 cannot live in a place of continual burning. Therefore, they cannot be literal animals as we know them. What they actually are is explained by Revelation 18:1-2: After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird. This picture of continual burning and smoke will be a place of confinement for many demons during the Kingdom Period. It is clear from Revelation 9 and other passages that demons have animal-like features, and this is what the animals of the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages actually represent.

DW!  Thank you for making that so clear!  That is the information I have been after!  Thank you, Thank you!   ;D

Brothers and Sisters,

This is a great and interesting thread. Sadly, I think we will receive CLOSE and more personal information about these issues soon. It will be sad for the lost - NOT for Christians. When things start getting into high gear, Christians will simply know we are closer to going HOME WITH CHRIST! This is what we joyously await. In the meantime, we have work to do, and the best thing we can do is YIELD OURSELVES TOTALLY FOR GOD'S USE!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Amen


Something else that I would like to add in regards to the two articles above. We need to keep in mind that, as the articles have mentioned, that Iran was once called Persia. However in earlier times Persia consisted of different borders. It was a land that had much more territory so when Persia is mentioned in Biblical prophecy it could very well mean many more nations are involved than it seems. This is the same with many of the other nations mentioned.

This is all so fasinating to me.  I have always been interested in prophecy and have read a great many books over the years although I'm still confused and maybe that just because I want to know the particulars which none of us do until that time.  It is interesting to watch all the players taking positions though.

Last night I was on my deck looking up at the sky at sunset.  There was a beautiful arrangement in the clouds and a kind of "swirly" hole.  I kept expecting Jesus to come right down out of there!   ;D

Glory to God!

Brother,

I think that you just spoke volumes. I firmly believe that looking at ancient empires and all they consisted of is a must when studying Bible Prophecy. There are some excellent map sets that are available for e-Sword that show various times in history. We can see pretty quickly that there weren't many that ruled the entire world - AND those that did are still with us today. The Roman Empire is obviously one of the keys - both in ancient times and in the future.

By the way, most of the best map sets for e-Sword are still free. It's really nice to have maps of various ages to visually understand the locations being talked about in various portions of Scripture. There are even great comparisons of various entities throughout history, and looking at the old maps helps to put everything in perspective. One I've enjoyed many times depicts the journeys of the Apostle Paul in his ministry. It's very interesting to visually see where the churches were in Paul's Epistles. This is just a small example of why I recommend really good maps designed for Bible Study.

Sister Yvette, have you heard of e-Sword or use it. If not, please holler at me.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Yep.  I downloaded it shortly after I first got here and saw a post where you had mentioned it!!

Hello Grammyluv,

e-Sword does become addicting for people who love to do Bible Studies. It actually makes a large library available and interactive with the user on one page. It's also fairly easy to learn how to use. One can easily switch back and forth from the Bible, commentaries, dictionaries, ancient language helps, maps, personal notes, topic files, study notes, and a built-in editor to make more notes. It's also great to prepare sermons, lessons, or easy references to Studies you have completed. There are literally thousands of great resources available for e-Sword. If you want or need something special for e-Sword, just holler.

Love In Christ,
Tom

I actually use my study Bible the most.  I have it opened up on the coffee table and do my bible studies there.  Then I have the Way in another room that is handy so whenever I sit down for a minute I pick up one or the other and just start reading.  However I pulled up eSword last night at the mention of maps and I couldn't find them on there???  Where do I go on there for em'?

I downloaded it but what kind of things do you have.  Are there additions to it, you mean?

Hello Grammyluv,

YES - there are thousands of great and FREE add-ons for e-Sword.

The first stop should be the Author's Site:

http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Rick Meyers Site - The Author of e-Sword

Just click the area tab for what you want to download. Just this one site has a huge selection of FREE add-ons that are excellent. It will take considerable time just to read the catalog of what's available from the main site for download.

Another of my favorite sites is by a missionary with a huge e-Sword library:

http://www.davidcox.com.mx/e-swordmodules/topicsA.htm
David Cox

Both have links to other good sites with FREE add-ons, but here's one more that I like a lot:

http://www.craigwhite.net/craignew/e-Sword-library.asp
Craig White

Sister, my e-Sword directories take up several gigs on my computer. I've been collecting files for e-Sword for years, and I've made many of my own for my own use. I'll just estimate that I have close to 10 outstanding and FREE map packages for e-Sword. Maps open from the top of the menu with a separate graphics icon. You should see the graphics icon command probably second from the right at the top of your e-Sword menu. Another potentially huge area is "Step Files". Step Files are also opened with a separate graphics icon at the top of your e-Sword menu - probably the one on the far right.

Sister, the beginning download should have examples for all areas, including some map files, step files, topic files, commentaries, and dictionaries. What you get in that first relatively small download of about 18 meg only represents a tiny sample of what's available FREE for e-Sword. If you want to look at more, just holler. As examples, I have links devoted to single areas (i.e. ancient languages). The main point is that one can download what they want and make e-Sword one of the best and most complete Bible Study packages in existence, and you don't have to spend a penny doing it.

Love In Christ,
Tom