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Prophecy Destined to Come True: Plagues, Destruction, and Genocide Virtually Certain

Sunday, July 5, 2015 6:46
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By: Voice of Reason

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Admit it. If you’ve followed anything at all that is going on in the world today, or if you even remotely pay attention to what is going on domestically within the U.S., you’ve more than likely asked yourself at least once if the end of the world is really upon us? 

Virtually every generation in history has believed they were in fact living in the final days spoken of by John of Patmos in The Book of Revelation. They were all wrong, but what about us?

The video below is FANTASTIC. It links current events to ancient biblical prophecies that are coming true step by step. Have you ever asked yourself why the wealthiest, and most advanced country in the world with the highest standard of living in human history is never even mentioned in the Bible? If you’ve followed any of my economic posts, you know my thoughts on that. We are going to get catapulted back to the stone age when this financial collapse hits, and without being able to print money once the U.S. Dollar is replaced as the World Reserve Currency, I expect America to look much like Iraq does now.

The video discusses the knowledge a person will need in order to survive the coming catastrophe with simple techniques to keep you and your family protected against looters, criminals, and even the foreign invaders that are bound to come. With so much uncertainty in the world right now, a few things ARE certain: With ISIS committing mass genocide of Christians, Iran on the verge of a nuclear weapon, the threat of government patented viruses like Ebola, Putin rattling the saber of war with his Generals clamoring for a change in Russian war policy to one of pre-emptive nuclear strikes against the United States, and world’s largest, most lethal military in the hands of a narcissistic lunatic who just declared Martial Law, if these aren’t the end times, they sure are destined to be very very DARK ones.

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I don’t profess to be a Biblical scholar myself, but I have enjoyed listening to hundreds of hours over the years of Christian podcasts with some of the world’s most renown biblical scholars, and a few things point me toward the fact WE might very well be in the end times The Book of Revelation recounts. All the previous generations for the last 2000 years didn’t have a re-united Israel… however today, we do. Then when I look at the geopolitical landscape of what is happening with ISIS, Iran’s “soon to be nuclear weapon,” Russia, Syria, the collapsing United States, the Gog/Magog War discussed in Revelation seems mighty plausible as well. Check out what Tracking Bible Prohpecy.com has to say about it below:

The Gog and Magog War

Ezekiel 38-39 reveals a fascinating and detailed prophecy about a future war campaign against Israel. This war is known as the “Gog and Magog War” because the people of Magog and their leader Gog will lead the attack. Scripture clearly teaches that this particular war will be a turning point for Israel, with regard to their relationship with God.

The sobering, yet exciting aspect of this study is that for the first time since Ezekiel penned these prophecies, the countries that will gather against Israel have built an alliance in recent years. The prophetic puzzle pieces are now in place. It is just a matter of time, that is, God’s timing before these prophecies find fulfillment.

The first page of this study is a verse-by-verse study of Ezekiel 38-39. The second page is a study of the placement the “Gog and Magog War” on the prophetic timetable.

Ezekiel wrote down the ancient names of the nations as he knew them. To make sense of these names, we need to do some investigative work using Scripture and history. Many prophecy teachers have done the detective work for us already. The graphic below, shows the most widely held interpretation of the nations that will come against Israel

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Ezekiel 38:1-3

1 Now 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,

3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.”‘

Gog is the leader of the horde and prince of Meshech, and Tubal. Solid historical accounts point to Magog being Russia. This makes sense in light of Gog coming from the “far north.” Russia is the furthest country directly north of Israel. In the Hebrew, “the prince of Rosh” is literally “the chief prince”; not the prince of a place called Rosh, as some scholars suggest.

There is some disagreement among scholars on the locations of Meshech and Tubal, though most believe they represent the former southern Soviet states. Currently, the former Soviet states are still independent from Russia, since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, in 2008, Russia invaded the country of Georgia. This act of aggression by Russia, trying to take the area of South Ossetia from Georgia, may hint that Russia desires to rebuild the Soviet Union again. Indeed, Ezekiel’s prophecy shows us that Russia will govern over these former Soviet states at the time of the war. In other words, before this prophecy takes place, Russia will either re-conquer these territories, or they will submit to Russian rule again.

We will go into much more detail on Gog later, but for now it is important to know that Gog is not the name of a person, rather it is a title for a leader. Gog appears as supernatural being elsewhere in Scripture, yet he is also killed and buried (Ezekiel 39:11). I take this to mean that Gog will be a human leader, likely controlled by a demonic spirit, or a fallen angel.

Note that Gog is the “chief prince,” and not a king. This may suggest that Gog is not the supreme leader of Russia at the time of the invasion. In other words, the human leader being led by the demonic spirit could be the Prime Minister of Russia at the time of the war. This is because the Prime Minister is the office below the President, who is the second in command, or “chief prince.” On the other hand, the title of “chief prince” could instead be related to a rank within the angelic realm under Satan, such as the “prince of Persia,” who fought against the heavenly “chief prince,” the archangel Michael (Daniel 10).

Ezekiel 38:4

4 I 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.

Putting hooks, or a bit into the jaw of an animal is a way of making the animal, such as a horse, move in the direction the rider desires:

James 3:3 – Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.

If the horse resists, the hooks in the jaw can become painful, motivating the horse to follow the rider’s lead. Similarly, someone who hooks a sea creature in the jaw is able to control it:

Job 41:1-2 – Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Ezekiel 29:3-4 – Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’ But I will put hooks in your jaws, And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.”

This means that Gog will reluctantly be persuaded to lead this conflict by God Himself. In other words, circumstances will be such that Gog will have no choice but to follow God’s will. For example, Russia may get pulled into the war to retaliate for an offense done by Israel to one of their allies. I will expand on this theory later.

In light of modern warfare, it is interesting that Ezekiel tells us that there will be horses involved in the war. Surely Ezekiel used familiar terms to try to describe modern-day weapons and means of transportation he saw in his vision, like tanks and fighter jets. However, that doesn’t explain the use of horses. Interestingly, Russia still maintains a horse cavalry. Every war in Russia’s history has included this horse cavalry.

There is precedence in the modern era for the continued use of horses, in addition to modern warfare. During the “Korean War” in the early 1950′s, the Chinese moved large numbers of their troops through the mountains with the use of horses. The use of horses for Gog’s army might be very useful because Israel, in the north and the east, is mountainous terrain.

Ezekiel 38:5-6

5 Persia, Ethiopia [or Cush], and Libya [or Put] are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;

6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of [Beth] Togarmah from the far north and all its troops – many people are with you.

In these verses, Ezekiel lists the rest of the participants in the “Gog and Magog War.” Without a doubt, Persia is Iran, as their name was just changed in 1935. The areas of Ethiopia and Libya, otherwise known as Cush and Put in other Bible versions are a little tougher to pin down, as they encompassed a larger territory than they do today. While there is disagreement among scholars over the area of ancient Ethiopia or Cush, the area of Sudan is likely involved and may represent the ancient area better than current-day Ethiopia. Most agree that Algeria and Tunisia may also be included. Historians tell us that Gomer used to cover parts of Eastern Europe, possibly as far west as Germany, and east to the former western Soviet states including Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Lastly, Armenia and Turkey are likely included in Beth Togarmah. Ezekiel tells us that this will be a massive army with many people under the leadership of Gog.

As mentioned earlier, Ezekiel’s prophecy shows us that Russia will govern the former Soviet states to the south at the time of the war, represented by Meshech and Tubal. In other words, before this prophecy takes place, Russia will either re-conquer the southern territories, or they will submit to Russian rule again. Gomer represents the western states, and Ezekiel’s prophecy shows that they join Russia in the conflict. With that said, it is interesting that Russia has recently flexed their muscle invading Georgia in 2008 and recognizing South Ossetia as an independent state, and invading Ukraine in 2014, with Crimea breaking away and aligning with Russia.

The governments of Russia and some of the former Soviet states are predominately atheistic. The common denominator in the other countries that join Russia is they are all Muslim nations. This is interesting, because the more fundamental sects of Islam believe that Israel does not have a right to exist. Many Muslims believe Allah has called them to destroy the Jews and re-take the Holy Land.

Recall my theory from a few sections back, Russia might be pulled into this war as the result of Israel making an offense against one of their allies. It is interesting that the second country listed after Russia and its territories is Persia, or modern-day Iran. Currently, Iran seems hell-bent on developing nuclear technology, presumably to make weapons. Their Islamic ideology suggests that these nuclear weapons would be used to destroy Israel and possibly any nation that sides with Israel.

Many predict that when Israel feels the threat that a weapons development is imminent, they will go in and strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, as they did to Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007. Due to the close ties that Russia has with Iran, it is possible Russia will begrudgingly lead the retaliation, if Israel takes out the Iranian nuclear sites that they helped build. The other nations, being Muslim, will be “chomping at the bit” to destroy Israel, which has been their plan since Israel became a nation.

However, there is an unfulfilled prophecy in Jeremiah that argues against an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Elam is in western Iran, west of the area of ancient Persia:

Jeremiah 49:35-39 – “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might. Against Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them toward all those winds; there shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’ says the LORD; ‘And I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them. I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the LORD. ‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the LORD.”

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This “latter days” prophecy shows that the four winds of Heaven come and destroy Elam and send the survivors into global exile. As discussed in Revelation 7:1, the four winds are the four spirits, or four horsemen of the apocalypse. Historically, these four horses rode out from Heaven to Earth during times of God’s judgment, as discussed in Zechariah 6. These spirit horses also ride throughout the world during the global judgment in the Tribulation. It is not clear if this judgment on Elam occurs during the Seal judgments in Revelation 6 when the four horses appear, but it is clear that this prophecy will find fulfillment in the last days. In fact, Jeremiah’s prophecy against Elam may find fulfillment before the “Gog and Magog War,” because Elam was not a part of ancient Persia, but today it is part of Iran. In other words, if God judges Elam before the “Gog and Magog War,” the area of Iran spared from destruction will more accurately represent the borders of ancient Persia in Ezekiel’s day.

Jeremiah’s prophecy may even occur before the Tribulation begins. A possible scenario may involve Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, which is a narrow passage into the Persian Gulf where nearly fifty percent of the world’s oil passes through (source). Iran has threatened to block the strait (source) and the volatile oil prices could drive them to do just that if their oil driven economy collapses. If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, surely a global coalition would strike western Iran to reopen the strait, otherwise global oil prices will skyrocket. Perhaps God will send the four spirit horses out to lead such a coalition to judge Elam.

Incidentally, Iran’s nuclear facilities are in the ancient area of Elam, but diplomat John Bolton warned that the deadline to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities ended in the fall of 2010, and that striking the facilities now is too great of a humanitarian risk and radiation hazard to the region (source). Therefore, if a global coalition strikes Iran now, it could fulfill Jeremiah’s prophecy and return Iran to the ancient boundaries of Persia before the “Gog and Magog War.”

Ezekiel 38:7-9

7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them.

8 After 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.

9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

In this passage we can begin to pinpoint the time in history the “Gog and Magog War” will occur. The war will be in the “latter years,” which is the end of the age. Jewish people who have come out of exile, or brought back from the sword, will be living in Israel. Our generation has seen this prophecy fulfilled.

Several times Ezekiel tells us that Israel will be “dwelling safely.” The word in the original Hebrew for dwelling safely, “betach,” can have a meaning of feeling safe, but not necessarily being safe. I doubt Jews in Israel feel completely safe because the countries that neighbor them are enemies that want to annihilate them. That being said, everyday life in most parts of Israel appears to go on normally and peacefully, despite the threat looming nearby. Also, despite the continued threat, tourism in recent years has skyrocketed.

Due to the repeated prerequisite for Israel to have “peace and safety” before the “Gog and Magog War,” I believe something more concrete like a peace treaty or covenant is in view, instead of just a “feeling” of safety. This could be the 7-year covenant that Israel will confirm with the antichrist (Daniel 9:27).

Another possibility is that “peace and safety” could be expected after the defeat of Israel’s immediate neighbors. This is likely, because Israel’s immediate neighbors are not included in the Gog and Magog horde. In fact, Scripture supports this notion. The following passage even uses the same Hebrew word “betach” found in chapter 38 of Ezekiel for “dwell safely,” or “securely”:

Ezekiel 28:25-26 – ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God.”‘

If Israel were to conquer their Islamic neighbors, you can imagine the rage that will ensue from the remaining Islamic nations. The strong ties between Russia and many of these Muslim nations could be the hook in the jaw to pull Russia into this conflict with Israel, to retaliate against Israel taking out her neighbors. We will discuss this more toward the end of this study, but the “Great Middle East War” study covers this topic in-depth.

Ezekiel 38:10-12

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 unwalled 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.

For all practical purposes, Israel is presently a land of “un-walled villages.” However, because of Palestinian terrorist attacks, construction of a security fence began several years ago. Portions of the fence surround Jerusalem, but it is not complete. The construction has slowed due to resistance from the Palestinians and the legal battles over it.

Because of the huge media buzz and political nightmare made over the security fence, it seems to me that the fence will surely be taken down prior-to the Gog and Magog campaign. However, taking the fence down will make Israel more vulnerable to attack.

Ezekiel 38:13

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?”

Bible teacher Jack Kelley makes an interesting case for identifying Tarshish:

“Tarshish was a son of Javan, who settled the area of Southern Greece. Some see his name as a reference to ancient Tartessus, a seaport in southern Spain, near Gibraltar. Others recall the sea-going navies of the Phoenicians who sailed “the Ships of Tarshish” out of nearby Cadiz as far north as England for tin, a metal used in the making of bronze and other alloys, which they mined in Cornwall.

Some believe that the name Britannia is actually derived from a Phoenician word meaning “source of tin.” If so, since the ships of Tarshish brought tin to the ancient world, this reference could be to Great Britain making the “lions” (KJV) or “villages”(NIV) of Tarshish Great Britain’s colonies, of which the US is the most prominent today. The fact that the Lion is a symbol of the British Empire lends support to this view.”

Source: Gracethrufaith

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We find in Genesis 10, that Cush had grandsons named Sheba and Dedan. Later in Genesis 25, Abraham also had grandsons named Sheba and Dedan. We don’t know exactly which grandsons are in view in Ezekiel. Most prophecy teachers believe that they were the grandsons of Abraham. Based on Genesis 25:6, Abraham’s grandsons, Sheba and Dedan migrated east of Israel, which today is Saudi Arabia.

It appears that one of the few, more prominent Islamic nations that do not align with Russia is Saudi Arabia. If Sheba and Dedan represent Saudi Arabia, they will side with the western world to protest the actions of Russia and the other nations. This makes sense, because Saudi Arabia typically aligns with the western world today.

An important note to make is that Israel is all alone in this conflict. The U.S. apparently, is among the young lions watching from the sidelines, but not coming to Israel’s aid. At some point before this war, Israel will have lost all her allies; only God will come to her rescue.

We have already discussed the possible motives for attacking and dragging Russia into the conflict with Israel. God will force Russia to enter the conflict by a “hook in the jaw,” but they will see a silver lining in the spoils of war. In addition to the prerequisite of Israel feeling safe, it will be a wealthy nation at the time of the war. Ezekiel describes Israel as having “great plunder.”

Indeed, Israel is much more prosperous than her neighbors. However, Israel could greatly increase her wealth by discovering oil. In recent years, Israel has said to have found a massive reserve of natural gas off the coast of Haifa. This is already drawing conflict with Israel’s neighbor Lebanon. Israel having major oil reserves could add “icing on the cake,” being plunder and great spoils for Russia to take, in return for helping out their allies.

Incidentally, in the 2014 conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia threatened to turn off the natural gas supply to Europe through Ukraine, which makes up about a third of Europe’s supply, if they back sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Due to this threat and the possible economic ramifications, Europe may look elsewhere for their natural gas to reduce their dependence on Russian oil. Potentially, Israel could replace Russia for exporting natural gas to Europe. Russia’s loss of income could be motive to attack Israel and take their natural gas as spoil.

Ezekiel 38:14-16

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.”

We see the emphasis again, on Gog coming from the “far north,” which undoubtedly is Russia. God also reiterates that Israel will be dwelling in safety and Gog will know it. Gog “knowing” that Israel is dwelling safely seems to support something more concrete than just a feeling. As stated before, the “feeling of safety” could come from a peace treaty and/or defeat of Israel’s immediate neighbors. In other words, whatever will be making Israel feel safe may actually be part of what draws Gog into this battle.

This passage discloses the purpose that God has for bringing Gog and these armies against Israel. God will not only be revealing Himself to the world, but He will be calling Israel His people again. In other words, during the war, God will turn back to Israel, as He promised He would again in Hosea 1:10, 2:23 and Romans 9:25-26.

Ezekiel 38:17

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?”

As mentioned at the beginning of this study, Gog will be a human leader likely controlled by a demonic spirit or fallen angel. The passage above supports this notion. Other than Reuben’s descendant (1 Chronicles 5:4), other mentions of Gog in Scripture clearly depict him as being supernatural.

In the Greek Septuagint translation of the Bible, Gog is called the king of locusts in Amos 7:1. We know these aren’t physical locusts because Proverbs 30:27 says that locusts have no king. Revelation 9:11 describes supernatural locusts, but their leader is the angel Abaddon, or Apollyon, not Gog. A parallel passage in Joel 2 tells us that Gog’s army is removed by a supernatural locust army, which shows a spiritual battle that manifests in the physical. In other words, it appears a supernatural army of locusts directed by Gog works through a physical human army to come after Israel, but God protects them with his own army of locusts.

Ezekiel indicates that Gog knew that he would lead this battle in “former days.” This is further evidence that Gog is not just a human. Gog is also mentioned at the end of Christ’s millennial reign, when a rebellious Gentile army will come against the Lord in Revelation 20. Gog himself does not appear at this war. Revelation 18:2 shows that the area of Babylon will be a prison for all the demons and foul spirits during the Millennium. If Gog is a demon or evil spirit, he will be among them.

There is nothing in Scripture that indicates Satan has any help from other demons or spirits in the “Gog and Magog War” in Revelation 20. In other words, though Gog is not leading the battle, it is reminiscent of the “Gog and Magog War” in Ezekiel, hence the name given to the army. It is even possible that this army will be descendents of the same nations that will come against Israel in the Ezekiel war.

Ezekiel 38:18-23

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face.

19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel,

20 so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’

21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.

22 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

23 Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”

God will be revealing Himself to the world in this war through judgment. As I will discuss later, I believe this war will likely take place during the Tribulation because God is pouring out His Wrath. Major tectonic and atmospheric forces will be the tools of God’s judgment in this war. A major earthquake in the region will flatten the mountains. This could awaken dormant volcanoes near the enemy line, and rain down fire and brimstone on them. God will also bring a mighty thunderstorm on the army. In addition, God will bring confusion to the attackers and they will kill each other, just like the enemies of Gideon and his men did in Judges 7. Truly this will be the most horrific event in human history since the flood, and will have consequences that will shake the rest of the world.

There is an interesting prophecy in the book of Haggai. Some believe this passage is a possible parallel of God’s judgment on the Gog and Magog armies:

Haggai 2:20-22 – And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.’”

The second chapter of Haggi shows that the twenty-fourth day of the tenth month is very important. In fact, this prophecy was partly fulfilled in the victory of the Maccabean revolt of 165BC. This is the event that the Jewish people commemorate in the holiday of Chanukah (or Hanukkah); where after victory, the Jews began the process of cleansing the temple on the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month of the Jewish calendar. Jews light the first candle of the menorah at sundown on the twenty-fourth day. Some believe that the complete fulfillment will be the “Gog and Magog War,” perhaps on the twenty-fourth day of the tenth month of the year of its fulfillment.

Ezekiel 39:1

1 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal….”‘”

In this passage, God reiterates that Gog is the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. Further evidence that Gog is a supernatural leader is in Daniel 10:13, where there is a supernatural leader called the “Prince of Persia” who Michael, the archangel, struggled against, as mentioned earlier. Michael told Daniel that there was also a supernatural leader of Greece (Daniel 10:20).

We wrestle against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, [and] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). In other words, Satan has organized a spiritual military, complete with commanders to spiritually attack humans of all nations. In the “Gog and Magog War,” this spiritual war will manifest into a physical war, with God’s judgment coming against the partakers.

Ezekiel 39:2-8

2 “…and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.

3 Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.

4 You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

5 You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.

6 “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.

7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

8 Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord GOD. “This is the day of which I have spoken.”

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Gog’s army and “those who live in security in the coastlands” will come under judgment. It is not clear who these coastland dwellers are. The most popular theory is that the damage will extend to Europe and/or the Americas. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this, especially since many believe that the western nations are Tarshish and their young lions.

Personally, I think it makes more sense that the damage will extend back to the attackers’ countries. Perhaps more specifically to the organizations and people who have supported the anti-Israel campaign; particularly Islamic terrorists. Incidentally, many of those who fund these Islamic terrorists live in the rich cities of the Middle East coastal areas, such as those in the Persian Gulf. These people may feel secure because of the massive army that will come together to carry out their campaign.

God is not going to allow Israel to profane His name any longer after this war. In addition, God is reiterating that He will be revealing Himself to the world in judgment. This seems to support the notion that the 70th week of Daniel has commenced. God will be dealing with Israel’s transgression during this time of judgment. In the “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” study, I discuss in detail the purpose of “Daniel’s 70th week.”

Ezekiel 39:9-10

9 “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years.

10 They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,” says the Lord GOD.

Most prophecy teachers today believe that these weapons will be nuclear, thus “burned” as nuclear energy. I don’t believe that the amount of weapons plundered will be just enough to burn for seven years. Rather, I believe there will be a limited 7-year period of burning these weapons by those who dwell in Israel. Note that the passage does not say that it is God’s people, or “the house of Israel,” as specified in the next passage, who will burn the weapons, but “those who dwell in Israel,” which is not limited to only Jews; other people groups live in Israel too. This is important to remember for our discussion later about the timing of the war.

Ezekiel 39:11-16

11 “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.

12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.

13 Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,” says the Lord GOD.

14 “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.

15 The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog.

16 The name of the city will also be Hamonah. Thus they shall cleanse the land.”

The burial-place of the man who will be controlled by Gog is in Israel, east of the sea. “East of the sea” is the land east of the Dead Sea. Ezekiel tells us that this land will belong to Israel. Today, this land is part of Jordan. This supports the likelihood that Israel will defeat her neighbors and expand her borders in a war prior-to the “Gog and Magog War.” We will discuss this more at the end of the study.

It will take seven months for the “house of Israel” to bury the dead. Based on the carnage described, the mess would take a lot longer to clean up without the help of scavenger birds (Ezekiel 39:4). The detailed method of cleanup, described by Daniel, is the same used in nuclear decontamination today (source).

Ezekiel 39:17-20

17 “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: “Assemble yourselves and come; gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.

18 You shall eat the flesh of the might, drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.

19 You shall eat fat till you are full, and drink blood till you are drunk, at My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you.

20 You shall be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mighty men and with all the men of war,”‘ says the Lord GOD.”

There is a shift of events here. Before verse 17, Ezekiel describes a regional war with Gog and his armies. Right after this, the scriptures describe a seven-month cleanup and burial. But then in this passage, the birds come to feast on “all men of war.” At the end of the Tribulation in Revelation 19:17-21, we find the parallel passage to this “fowl’s feast.” The Gog and Magog armies will be bird food, as specified in Ezekiel 39:4. But here, verses 17-20 clearly say “all men of war” will be given to the birds and beasts, not just Gog’s men of war.

We will see in the next passage, after this feasting God will bring the Jews back to Israel. The gathering of the Jews will be at the end of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:31). In contrast, Jesus commands the Jews to run to the mountains and hide during the Tribulation (Matthew 24:15-20).

In short, all of Ezekiel 38-39:16 cover one regional event, and Ezekiel 39:17 thru the end of the chapter appear to cover another event on a global scale. It is not uncommon for separate events in prophetic passages to appear written as just one event. There are several passages of Christ’s 1st and 2nd Comings in the Old Testament which demonstrate this. (Click here for examples). In this case, Ezekiel 38-39 appears to describe the opening and closing scenes of the Tribulation.

Ezekiel 39:21-24

21 “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them.

22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.

23 The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.

24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.”

We are now talking about God’s judgment on all the nations. This will be the time of the 2nd Coming of Jesus, and His battle against the nations, during the Armageddon campaign. The Jewish remnant that survives the Tribulation will, at that point, recognize that He is their Savior and Lord:

Zechariah 13:9 – “I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

Ezekiel 39:25-29

 

25 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name -

26 after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid.

27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations,

28 then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer.

29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”

God will finally gather all of His people back to the land at the end of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:31 & Mark 13:27), evicting the evil inhabitants who remain:

Jeremiah 12:14-15 – Thus says the Lord: “Against all My evil neighbors who touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit – behold, I will pluck them out of their land and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land.”

God will also pour out His Spirit on the house of Israel by the end of the Tribulation (Joel 2:28-29 & Zechariah 12:10). “All Israel will be saved” after this point (Jeremiah 31:1 & Romans 11:26); they will not turn from God, or He from them, because God will circumcise their hearts to love Him (Deuteronomy 30:1-6).

The following passage shows the Lord’s plan to bring the Jews back to Him through the Tribulation. Verses 1-5 describe the “Gog and Magog War,” verses 6-9 show the final destruction of Babylon at the end of the Tribulation, and the inheritance given to the Jews in the Millennium is found in verses 10-13:

Zechariah 2:1-5 – Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,’ says the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

Zechariah 2:6-9 – “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the LORD; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the LORD. “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.” For thus says the LORD of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me.”

Zechariah 2:10-13 – “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the LORD. “Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

In this part of the study, I attempt to place the timing of the “Gog and Magog War,” with respect to other prophetic events in Scripture.

Is Gog the antichrist?

Many do not see two separate wars depicted in Ezekiel 38-39, which has led some to believe that the “Gog and Magog War” is the same as Armageddon. We will look at the reasons this is not the case in a moment.

Gog is not the antichrist. There will apparently be a man in-dwelt by the supernatural chief prince, who is Gog. This man will die and be buried:

Ezekiel 39:11-12 – “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude…. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.”

The antichrist will be cast into the lake of fire, not buried:

Revelation 19:19-20 – And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

As for the prophets, plural (Ezekiel 38:17), we have previously discussed that Amos 7 speaks of Gog. There were likely more prophets of God than just those who wrote Scripture that could have prophesied about Gog as well. For example, 1 Kings 18-19 shows that there were at least 100 prophets at the time of Obadiah and Elijah who did not author Scripture.

Is the campaign of the antichrist in Daniel 11 the same as the Gog and Magog War?

One of the more popular beliefs is that the “Gog and Magog War” describes the conquest of the antichrist in the middle of the Tribulation. We do see a few similarities in the following passages:

Ezekiel 38:4, 15-17 – I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army…. Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you…. 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….” 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?”

Daniel 11:40-41 – “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him [the king of the south] like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown.”

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The passage in Daniel is about the conquest of the antichrist, described as the “king of the North,” when he begins to rise in power near the middle of the Tribulation. Babylon will be the center of the antichrist’s kingdom, which is northeast of Israel (Revelation 18 & 19). Also, at least two prophets in Scripture refer to the antichrist as the Assyrian (Isaiah 10, 14 & Micah 5), and most of the land of the Assyrian kingdom lay to the north of Israel. However, Ezekiel says that Gog and its troops comes from the “far north” (Ezekiel 38:6), which better describes an area further north than Assyria. Most believe that this country “far north” is Russia.

As shown in the last section, there are differences between Gog and the antichrist. Another difference between the positions of the antichrist and Gog is that a “king” and a “chief prince” have different ranks of command. Also, sometime during the Tribulation the antichrist will take over Israel, as we saw in the passage above in Daniel. Contrast that to the passage below, where God will destroy Gog and his horde before they can destroy Israel in the “Gog and Magog War.” It is clear that these are two different campaigns and two different generals:

Ezekiel 39:2-6 – “…and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD. “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands.”

Is the “Gog and Magog War” the same as Armageddon?

Many see parallels between the following passages about the “Gog and Magog War” and Armageddon:

Ezekiel 38:19-22 – …Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground…. And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

Revelation 16:17-18, 20-21 – Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth…. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.

Ezekiel 39:4 – …I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured….

Ezekiel 39:17-20 – “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: “Assemble yourselves and come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the might, drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. You shall eat fat till you are full, and drink blood till you are drunk, at My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you. You shall be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mighty men and with all the men of war,” says the Lord GOD.

Revelation 19:17-18 – Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

Despite the similarities, there are clear differences between the “Gog and Magog War” and Armageddon. We already discussed that Ezekiel 39:4 is speaking of Gog and his army. In contrast, Ezekiel 39:17-20 and Revelation 19:17-18 are speaking of a feasting on a grander scale. Also, Revelation 19:18 includes ALL people groups, while the Gog and Magog horde in Ezekiel consists of a specific group of enemies surrounding Israel:

Ezekiel 38:1-6 – Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “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 prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I 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. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops – many people are with you.”

Armageddon will consist of ALL nations coming against Israel and Jerusalem:

Revelation 16:13-14 – And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Revelation 19:17-18 – Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

Zechariah 14:1-2 – Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.

All of Israel will live in peace and safety in “un-walled villages” before the “Gog and Magog War”:

Ezekiel 38:8,11-12,14 – 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…. You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates….’ “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?”‘

The saved remnant of Israel will have fled to the wilderness in the middle of the Tribulation. They will stay there until Armageddon, when Jesus returns. The remnant will not be living in un-walled villages at the end of the Tribulation because they will be supernaturally protected in the mountains:

Matthew 24:15-16 – “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”

Revelation 12:6, 14 – …the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days… the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

In contrast to God saving Israel out of Gog’s hand in the Ezekiel war, Jerusalem will temporarily be captured during Armageddon with much suffering. These are clearly two separate wars:

Zechariah 14:2 – For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity….

Is the “Gog and Magog War” in Ezekiel the same as the one in Revelation?

Revelation 20:7-10 – Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.

History tends to repeat itself; prophecy is no different:

Ecclesiastes 1:9 – That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

While these two gathering armies have the same name, there are definite differences between the two events. Ezekiel is very specific about cleaning up bodies for seven months and burning weapons for seven years:

Ezekiel 39:9, 14-15 – “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will g out and set on fire and burn the weapons.” …and they will make fires with them for seven years. “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog.”

Eternity begins immediately after the “Gog and Magog War” in Revelation 20. This war cannot be the same war in Ezekiel, which describes a period of cleaning up. There will not be seven months to clean up dead bodies, or seven years to burn weapons, because God will put the earth through His refining fire after the war in Revelation, before the final judgment:

Revelation 20:11 – Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

2 Peter 3:10 – But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Another difference is that the “Gog and Magog War” in Ezekiel will take place at a time when God is not widely known among the nations, but during the Millinnium, when the Gog and Magog armies in Revelation gather at the end, the nations will know the Lord because He will rule over them in the flesh:

Ezekiel 38:23 – Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

Micah 4:1-3 – Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

Where on the prophetic time clock will the “Gog and Magog War” take place?

We’ve already discussed why the “Gog and Magog War” will not happen during the middle of the Tribulation, or at the end. Let’s take a closer look on why that is the case.

The earth will go through an incredible transformation by the end of the Tribulation:

Revelation 16:18-21 – And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.

There will be a worldwide earthquake that destroys all the cities. Every island will disappear and every mountain flattened. There will be a tremendous hailstorm that will not only pound everything it hits to a pulp, but imagine the powerful flow of water produced when the hail stones melt, that will wash away everything in its path. These hailstones will pound people to death. The rapid melt of the hailstones, mixed with the blood from the carnage, could be the reason that the river of blood outside of Jerusalem will reach as high as the horse’s bridle (Revelation 14:19-20).

When Christ returns, He will elevate Jerusalem, or Zion, to a mountain (Micah 4:1-2). As already mentioned, the Lord will cut down the mountains to no more than hills. It appears that Israel, in addition to the entire surface of the earth, will go through an overhaul in preparation for the Millennium. At the 2nd Coming of Jesus, God is doing the cleaning up, not the “house of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:12-13).

It is my belief that the “Gog and Magog War” must occur at least seven years before the Millennium begins. I see it as either a regional war before Daniel’s 70th Week, or that it coincides with the beginning of it, within the Seal judgments in Revelation 6; more on this later. In fact, the “seven years” in Ezekiel 39:9 may even be a clue that the war is at the beginning of “Daniel’s 70th Week”:

Ezekiel 39:9 – “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years.”

Also, the “Gog and Magog War” could pave the way for the “Mystery Babylon” religion to rise. This religious harlot system will rule during the first half of “Daniel’s 70th Week,” before the ten kings destroy her and hand over their power to the antichrist (Revelation 17). “Mystery Babylon” will fill the void left after the “Gog and Magog War,” and effectively wipe out radical Islam and atheism. Islam will already be crushed, as discussed in the “Great Middle East War.” That being said, the “Gog and Magog War” will remove any doubt that Allah is a false god.

The result will be that everyone will be looking for an answer, likely through religion because of the supernatural nature of this war. Ezekiel 38:23 says “I will be known in the eyes of many nations… they shall know that I am the Lord.” Unfortunately, many will be looking in the wrong place and be led into deception; first through the “Mystery Babylon” religion, and then later by the antichrist.

God will show Himself again to the Jews during the “Gog and Magog War.” Jews who recognize this war fulfills the prophecy in Ezekiel will see that the chapters after the war describe restoration of their covenant relationship and temple worship. However, the Jews may want to build a temple before the “Gog and Magog War”; more on this point in a bit. Either way, a temple must stand before the middle of the Tribulation week, when the antichrist will cause the “abomination of desolation” there:

Daniel 9:27 – “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

Additional support for the “Gog and Magog War” coinciding with the beginning of the Tribulation is that some of the Seal judgments in Revelation 6 parallel the “Gog and Magog War” described in Ezekiel, Haggai, Zecharaiah, and Joel:

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This is a strong possibility considering the carnage described in Ezekiel, compared to the quarter of the earth that will be subject to death from the 4th Seal judgment alone (Revelation 6:8). However, the judgments poured out on Gog and Magog in Ezekiel deal with a specific group of nations, not all nations. That being said, it is not hard to see how decimation of these particular nations will cause a ripple effect throughout the world; especially considering the global dependence on oil from those nations. In fact, it says in Ezekiel 38:19 that there will be an earthquake in Israel, but it will affect everyone on earth. All creatures will shake, apparently in fear, from the supernatural aspect of the judgments. But if this war parallels the Seal judgments, there will also be a literal shaking throughout the whole world:

Revelation 6:12-14 – I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

In this scenario, a covenant confirmed by the antichrist and “many”, perhaps on the heels of a war between Israel and her immediate neighbors, would fulfill the first Seal judgment. Russia would be pulled into the war because of their alliance with the other Muslim countries. Presumably, these nations are not among the “many” that confirm the covenant. The other Seal judgments of war, scarcity and death, and the “Wrath of the Lamb” earthquake centered near Israel, would follow in rapid-fire succession.

One other thing to consider in the timing of the war is that the antichrist will have confirmed a 7-year peace covenant with Israel at the beginning of the Tribulation week. Under that covenant they will be living in a false sense of security. This would fit with the emphasis in Ezekiel that Israel will be living in “peace and safety.”

The Lord turns back to the Jews in the “Gog and Magog War” (Ezekiel 38:18-23), which supports this war occurring in the Tribulation period. As shown in the study on Israel, the chapters leading up to the “Gog and Magog War” in Ezekiel show the Lord’s reason for gathering them back into the land in these last days, which is to prepare them for the Millennium.

The book of Joel is a summary of the wars in the last days, including the “Great Middle East War,” the “Gog and Magog War,” and “Armageddon.” The second chapter in Joel covers the “Gog and Magog War,” with parallels to both Ezekiel and Revelation. Joel shows us that “the day of the Lord is at hand” (verse 2), which supports this war taking place at the beginning of the Tribulation:

Another possibility is that the “Gog and Magog War” is a pre-Tribulation war that will, in effect, cause a power vacuum in the Middle East. Some believe this will be the catalyst for the rise of the antichrist. One argument for the war being pre-Tribulation is that a Jewish remnant will be in hiding at Petra during the “Great Tribulation,” therefore they will unavailable to burn the weapons half way into the Tribulation. However, a closer look at this passage reveals that it is “those who dwell in the cities of Israel” that will be burning the weapons:

Ezekiel 39:9 – “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years.”

Those “who dwell in the cities of Israel” may not necessarily be limited to the remnant that flees to Petra, considering there will still be people, probably Arabs and/or unbelieving Jews, inhabiting and defending Jerusalem just before the Lord’s return at His 2nd Coming:

 

 

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By: Voice of Reason

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