Ezekiel 38-39, better known as the war of Gog of Magog, gives great detail into a key end times war involving Israel and a powerful horde of nations that wish to take plunder. This war causes a ton of controversy among Biblical scholars. Some people differ on the nations that are involved. Others differ on the timing of this battle. If we analyze every aspect of this prophecy, we can come up with a fairly accurate and close conclusion.
At the beginning of Ezekiel 38, it states, "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal." (2) We are already in a dilemma. Who is Gog and where is the land of Magog? Most prophecy scholars would argue that Magog is the territory encompassing modern day Russia. In verse 15, the far north is linked with Magog. On a map, if we go far north of Israel, we will find Russia. In fact, Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, linked Magog to the ancient Scythians, who were a nomadic people group who lived in Russia for a period, although in Ezekiel's day, they had not migrated to Russia yet. Prophecy scholar and author, Joel Richardson, however, believes Magog to be Turkey, not Russia. When we add Meshech and Tubal to the equation, there is strong evidence that links Magog, Mescech, and Tubal to the nation of Turkey. Later in the prophecy, Gomer and Beth Togarmah are also linked to this battle. If we go to Genesis 10, Gomer, Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were sons of Noah's son, Japheth. Togarmah was a son of Gomer. Most reputable scholars and sources connect Magog, Mescech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth Togarmah to Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. For example, Greek historian, Herdodotus, noted that the ancient Scythians lived in Asia Minor. If we compare that to Josephus, we should take Herodotus' account because he lived around 150 years after Ezekiel's day while Josephus lived over 700 years after Josephus. Josephus is definitely a reputable historian, but the geopolitical landscape was way different in his day than it was during Ezekiel's day. In fact, Roman Christian theologian, Hippolytus, connected Magog to the Galations, which placed Magog in modern day Turkey. Additionally, Roman military commander and philosopher, Pliny the Elder, placed Magog on the border of Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. People tend to get hung up on the phrase, "far north". Since Russia is far north of Israel, people conclude that this is speaking of Russia. In verse 6 of Ezekiel 38, Beth Togarmah also is located far north of Israel. Togarmah is located in modern day Turkey, which most scholars can agree on. If we have our math right, we can confidently conclude that Magog is located in modern day Turkey. On a side note, just because all of these place names are supposedly in modern day Turkey doesn't mean anything. Keep in mind that the place names and boundaries in Ezekiel's day were vastly different that our modern day boundaries.
Now that we can confidently conclude that Magog is in Turkey, what about Gog? Often times, since Gog is called the chief prince, prophecy teachers refer to a president or world leader as Gog. Since Russia is identified with Magog so often, Russian presidents such as Vladimir Putin are often seen as "Gog" candidates per say. I believe that Revelation 20:7 gives us an important clue as to who Gog is. It states, "When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth- Gog and Magog- to gather them for battle." I don't believe Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20 refer to the same battle, but I believe we are dealing with both principalities and individuals. Even though Ezekiel 38-39 will involve real people and nations, Gog is likely a demon principality controlling that specific nation or it could even be a veiled reference to Satan. Just like Daniel refers to the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece in a spiritual sense, Ezekiel is likely doing the same thing with Gog. Also, Satan is referred to as the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14 and the King of Tyre Ezekiel 28. Satan uses these principalities and demon spirits to control the nations. As it says in Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Aside from Turkey, what other nations assist in attacking Israel? According to the prophecy, Persia, Put, and Cush will be the chief allies of Gog. Obviously, Persia is the modern nation of Iran, a fierce enemy of Israel. Put is likely modern day Libya, although ancient Put probably encompassed the modern day territory of other countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Finally, Cush, although many prophecy scholars believe it be Ethiopia, is actually North Sudan. Interestingly enough, all of these aforementioned nations are Islamic and are hostile towards the nation of Israel. So, what are the specific goals of this alliance of nations and when will this battle take place?
In Ezekiel 38:7, this alliance will attack Israel after they have recovered from war. In verse 8, it says that Israel lives in safety and in verse 10, Israel is described as a land of unwalled villages. With this in mind, has Israel lived in peace and security since being "regathered from many nations, which had long been desolate"? (8) The answer is an unequivocal, no. This war of Gog of Magog would likely have to take place sometime after Daniel 9:27 in which a peace treaty with Israel is confirmed. One aspect of this prophecy that is often overlooked is the fact that this takes place after Israel has recovered from war. This could suggest Psalms 83, although I am not confidant that this is a literal prophecy even though literal nations are mentioned. Maybe, Israel could be involved in Isaiah 17 in which Damascus, Syria becomes a ruinous heap. It could, though, just refer to a regional war with Hamas or Hezbollah, though. We aren't given any specific details about the war prior to Gog's invasion. Anyways, in Ezekiel 38:12, it clearly says that this alliance of nations attack Israel to plunder, which makes sense since Israel has become a very prosperous nations since they became a nation again in 1948. Since the army of nations who plunders Israel is an Islamic coalition, their mission is likely two-fold: take plunder and annihilate Israel as a nation. The interesting part of this prophecy is that a few nations and people groups protest this war: Sheba and Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish and her villages (some translations say her young lions). Sheba and Dedan are considered to be located in modern day Saudi Arabia, although they possible could include some of the Arab gulf states. Tarshish is widely believed to be located in modern day Spain, although no one is quite sure who her young lions are. Some say they could include Britain and even the United States, but that is pure conjecture.
What will happen to Gog and his alliance? In Ezekiel 39:2, it states, "I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel." God will put it in their hearts to accomplish His sovereign will. He will supernaturally defend His people: Israel. In His wrath, a few things would occur. First, there would be a great earthquake in Israel. In Revelation 16, a severe earthquake will take place, although it is unclear if they are the same event. Additionally, Ezekiel 38 also says that mountains will be overturned, plagues would afflict people, burning sulfur and hailstones would fall on the nations, and people would tremble at God's presence. These judgements are also in Revelation 16, which occur after the 7th bowl judgement is unleashed. In addition, "every man's sword will be against his brother" (Ezekiel 38:21). In the midst of this vicious attack on Israel, the enemy armies will be divided, similarly to the ways Sunni and Shiite Muslims kill each other on a daily basis. Ultimately, God will severely judge Gog and his allies on the mountains of Israel. "On the mountains of Israel you will fall, and you and all your troops and the nations with you" (Ezekiel 39:4). God declared that Magog would be destroyed and wild animals would eat the dead carcasses of Gog and his armies.
After the war, Israel will use the weapons for fuel and burn them up. For seven years, they will use these weapons for fuel. They will also plunder those who plundered them. Because of this seven year period, people tend to tie it to Daniel's 70th week. The problem with this interpretation is that the outcomes of this war don't line up with events before or at the beginning of the tribulation. I will cover that more in a little while. Also, why would Israel burn up the weapons after such a brutal war? Wouldn't they keep weapons for defense? In addition, Ezekiel 39:12 indicates that Israel would spend 7 months burying the dead bodies and cleansing the land. There would be a great feast for birds and wild animals. As I mentioned previously, they would devour the dead carcasses, which parallels Revelation 21. With all this information in mind, we can conclude that the war of Gog of Magog is in fact the battle of Armageddon and Gog is the "antichrist". People argue that this isn't Armageddon because it mentions specific nations rather than all nations. To answer that, it says in Ezekiel 38:15 that Gog would lead many nations, so we can gather that not all the nations are mentioned in this prophecy, only the leaders of this battle. To be absolute certain, let's examine God's direct promises to Israel and the nations immediately following this war.
In Ezekiel 38:16, it states, "O, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I showed myself holy through you before their eyes." Not only does God refer to Israel here as His land, but gentile nations would acknowledge the true God of Israel. In chapter 39 verse 6, despite God setting fire to Magog, God even says that they "will know that I am the Lord", which means that God will preserve a remnant from Gog's nation. In verse 7, it states, "I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel". This occurs right after Gog is destroyed. If Gog isn't the antichrist, how can this promise be fulfilled? Until the antichrist and wickedness are annihilated, God's name will continue to be profaned. Thus, we can conclude that this will take place at the end of the tribulation. Verse 25 through 29 of Ezekiel show God's faithfulness to Israel. At this point, all Jews would return home to Israel, they would have zeal for God, and Israel would be a blessing to the nations. Only through the millennial reign of Jesus Christ will all of these things come to pass. If Gog is indeed the antichrist and Magog is indeed modern day Turkey, can we accurately conclude the antichrist will arise out of Turkey? It is important to not be dogmatic, but in light of these things, Turkey should definitely be on our radar. Interestingly enough, in Revelation 2:12, while John is addressing the Church in Pergamum, he states, "These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live- where Satan has his throne". The Church in Pergamum was located in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. This verse doesn't explicitly state the antichrist's seat of power would be in Turkey, but it is still an interesting verse to consider. Now, are there signs that this war is on the horizon?
Until the last 30 years or so, Turkey and Iran weren't major threats in the Middle East and the world. After the Ottoman Turkish Empire fell in 1917, Turkey became a moderate Muslim nation with friendly ties to the west under leadership of Kemal Attaturk. In 2003, with the election of Recep Tayipp Erdogan as prime minister and now serving as president, Turkey has become a dangerous enemy of Israel and western interests. Erdogan has been strategic in his attempts to destabilize the Middle East and reform the Ottoman Empire. His inconsistent alliances and decisions may seem strange, but they are calculated. For instance, Erdogan claims to be fighting ISIS, but there is evidence that Turkey is fighting against the Kurds in Iraq and Syria despite the fact that Kurds make up 20 percent of Turkey's population. Additionally, Erdogan's AKP party supplies Hamas with over 250 million dollars a year to wage terrorism on Israel. Turkey is also forming an alliance with Iran despite the fact that Turkey is Sunni Islam and Iran is Shiite Islam. Recently, Erdogan visited Iran to meet with Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani and supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei to discuss trade, Yemen's crisis, and other foreign policy matters. Iran, much like Turkey, had been friendly to Israel and the west under their Shah. When the Shah was deposed in 1979, Iran, under its first ayatollah, Ayatollah Khomenei, began its quest to destroy Israel and America while setting up a reign of terror in the Middle East. Erdogan's efforts to make peace with Iran seems strange since Turkey supports the Syrian rebels and opposes the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran, on the other hand, supports Bashar Al-Assad's Syrian government and the Houthi rebels. It is unclear what Erdogan's clear motives are, but I believe he wants to control the Middle East with the help of Iran despite their opposing ideologies. If Erdogan can take care of the Kurdish populations with the help of ISIS and use the Syrian rebels to overthrow Assad's regime in Syria, he can hold a firm grasp on the region. Then, with the help of Iran, ISIS can be taken care of. With these factors in mind, Turkey and Iran can then focus on Israel. Radical Muslim groups and nations are very divided on most issues, but they all share a unanimous hatred for Zionism. This is where Ezekiel 38 can literally be fulfilled, although pieces still need to fall into place. If you add Sudan and Libya to the mix, which are mentioned in the prophecy, we can conclude that this war is on the horizon. Sudan, under the leadership of president, Omar al-Bashir, has formed strong ties to Iran. On its own, Sudan isn't a giant threat to Israel because of constant civil war and conflict with South Sudan, but it is a strategic breeding ground for terrorism and has been used to funnel weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza. Libya presents a more interesting scenario since the demise of Colonel Muammar Gadaffi in 2011. Since Libya will be controlled by the antichrist as referenced in Daniel 11, stability doesn't necessarily need to be achieved in Libya since it is already there for the antichrist's taking. He will also control Egypt and Sudan (also translated as the Nubians). While Sudan has an active government, the level of chaos in that region should present no difficulty for the antichrist's armies. With all of these puzzle pieces falling into place, we should definitely watch Turkey, specifically their relationship with Iran. While the antichrist doesn't necessarily have to come from Turkey and Erdogan may not be the man to do Satan's bidding, Ezekiel 38-39 gives us some interesting and important clues that most Biblical scholars tend to overlook and misinterpret. We are definitely seeing the signs pointing to this end of days conflict in which God will rescue His people Israel. Stay tuned.
Sources
1. http://www.hope-of-israel.org/tarshish.html
2. http://www.joelstrumpet.com/?p=3772
3. http://www.joelstrumpet.com/?p=2681
4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-wagner/implications-of-iran-and-_b_3742688.html
5. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-07/erdogan-says-turkey-iran-should-trade-in-their-own-currencies
6. http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Erdogan-gambles-on-war-with-Kurds-Syria-412520
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