Dear friends and readers,
The stage is set, ancient prophecy marches quickly towards us. Gog from the land of Magog is beginning to martial his troops. While I don't know when Ezekiel's prophecies in chapters 38-39 will be fulfilled, it is abundantly clear that we are witnessing the prelude to fulfillment of several end times prophecies.
Today, my goal is explore a very general overview of Ezekiel 38-39 and how I believe it is beginning to unfold. Mainly I want to explain why I think the main characters in this future invasion will be Persia (IRAN TODAY), parts if not all of Turkey, both of whom plus a few others will be lead by Russia from which will come GOG.
But first a comment;
As I was researching this article, the news erupted with reports that Syria had killed more of it's people with chemical weapons. Then the United States, Britain and France lobbed well over 100 missiles at Syrian targets to punish and destroy chemical capabilities. AND THEN----? The war drums began to beat. No, I am not talking about war drums between Russia and the United States although that could eventually happen. After all that would be understandable given todays politically charged worldwide environment. No, no, I am speaking of the war drums between many believers---followers of Christ.. Many stand as staunch supporters of the punishment dealt out by allied forces. Others claiming foul because "there were never any chemical weapons to begin with and the entire Allied attack was just another lie to justify military intervention". Still others of the far left (or right) who are clearly members of the self appointed conspiracy theorist stripe.
I have no idea who is right in this shuffle for supremacy of opinion. I am not a conspiracy kind of guy but I do know that evil can and will infect governments. As the old saying goes "Power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts". The only question is, which government is the more corrupt? I am also a guy who realizes that someone has to stand up for the helpless in this world and sometimes that means guns, hand grenades and missiles. While I would never suggest that believers should shackle their opinions or their voices, I also know that bitter arguments over opinions for something happening on the far side of the world, only cause hard feelings. Nothing can be gained by that. Absolutely nothing!
What I do know works is prayer. What I do know is that Jesus said in John chapter 14 verse 27, "PEACE I leave with you, My peace I give to you; Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid". NUFF SAID!
Regarding the world and specifically the Middle East, there are so many elements in play at this time, that my mind is adrift with possibilities and the challenge of narrowing down the pieces of an intricate puzzle to the point of producing an article that will not overwhelm my readers. So, what's up with Gog from the land of Magog? It helps tremendously to understand what motivates the main players in this future drama.
First, in chapters 38-39 of the prophet Ezekiel, we are introduced to an end times event---an invasion of Israel that is massive in proportion to several other free standing prophetic utterances. It begins as follows; verses 1-6 abbreviated. "Now the word of the Lord came to me (Ezekiel) saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophecy against him, and say, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I Am against you O Gog---! I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out with all your army---. Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, Togarmah from the far north. Also we are told in verse 15 that Gog comes out of his place in the FAR north.
To where? verse18, "And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against THE LAND OF ISRAEL, says the Lord that My fury will show in my face"!
As stated this is simply an overview and I do not like "cherry picking" scripture but time and space do not allow a complete expose in a blog. So I encourage each of you to review all of chapters 38 and 39 as soon as you are through reading this article.
I am not going to dedicate time today to examine all the players in this tragic invasion because I have done so in other articles. But I do want to set the record straight on four key questions frequently asked. 1). Isn't Gog actually the leader of Turkey? The answer to that is no he is not. Elements in and around the modern nation of Turkey were settled by some of the ancient people groups mentioned in this conflict but verse 15 clearly identifies Gog as coming from the FAR NORTH. Looking at either a round globe or a wall mounted world map, place a ruler in a straight line northward from Jerusalem and the furthest city north is Moscow. To nail that down for you, the distance between Ankara Turkey and Moscow is 2,404 KM or about 2 hours and 50 minutes flying time in a modern commercial jet. Turkey is hardly "the far north". Even though Gog comes from Magog, ancient migrations of people groups indicate that the historical use of names suggest the area of Moscow was at the time of Ezekiel's writings "MAGOG". Currently referred to as "THE RUSSIAN BEAR".
2). Doesn't the war of Gog from the land of Magog actually happen after the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth in Revelation chapter 20? The answer to that is, there are two wars of Gog from the land of Magog. And they are separated by at least 1000 years. I will offer the following as proof; In Ezekiel 38 if you recall it is GOD who puts a hook in the jaws of Gog and brings him to an Israel that is living in peace in unwalled villages (verse11).
But in Revelation chapter 20, it is satan who raises up a rebellion from all the nations in the four corners of the world including Gog and Magog. Israel is not mentioned in these scriptures but I believe that Jerusalem is mentioned as "THE BELOVED CITY". In both Ezekiel and Revelation God supernaturally destroys these invading armies.
3). Isn't it a bit of a coincidence that both wars include Gog and Magog? My answer? No more so than the Persians of Queen Esther's day trying to utterly destroy all Jews living in the kingdom of that time and the Persians of today (IRAN) constantly threatening to wipe all Jews off the face of the map and destroy Israel completely. Two events of similar magnitude by the very same nation/ethnic people (leaders thereof) but separated by a period of approximately 2500 years. Remember the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes chapter 1. "That which has been is what will be, There is nothing new under the sun". In other words mankind does not learn lessons easily from the past and history really does repeat itself. I belabor these questions because they are frequently asked.
And finally question #4. A bit off the subject of Gog and Magog but frequently lumped into the same basket of Biblical prophecy since Syria is on Israel's northern border and any invasion would certainly pass through Syrian territory, Damascus for which is the capital. Isaiah 17 depicts the destruction of Damascus. Some writers claim that Damascus was captured and severely damaged by the Assyrian invasion in 732 B.C. And that the Isaiah 17 prophecy (of the destruction of Damascus) was fulfilled at that time. And in fact that invasion and destruction was accomplished. However a close inspection of Isaiah 17:1-2 clearly indicate that this ancient city will someday "cease from being a city and will become be a ruinous heap". That did not happen in 732 B.C. and in fact Damascus has never ever NOT been a major city going all the way back to Abrahams servant "ELIEZER"who hailed from Damascus which is still a city of one million seven hundred thousand people today.
Now that we have identified the subject matter (Gog from Magog), how does that play out in the slightest way with current events? Fair question. First we have to understand the main players in this end times drama.
They are the nations of Russia, Iran (ancient Persia) and Turkey who have always been at odds with each other. Today that is not the case and alliances militarily have been formed between these three nations just during the past couple of years. Extremely unusual since all three cultures are eons apart.
Russia during the entirety if the Soviet Union era was a totally atheistic form of Government in which religion in any form was not only frowned upon but persecuted severely---in many cases unto death. And although there are Christians, Jews and Muslims currently living in modern Russia, the government itself is still very much the god who regulates nearly all forms of life.
Iran (by any other name still ancient Persia) is an official Islamic state. As is the case with Christianity, there are various branches within the Islamic religion. But in the case of Islam, the two main factions of "SHI'A" and "SUNNI" are worlds apart. To the point that in most cases they hate one another and wars have been fought between them. Iran is 90-95% Shi'a with perhaps 5% Sunni with some Christians as a small minority.
Turkey was for many years a basic secular nation because their constitution enshrined secular values. Until recent years in which the population (and government) has become well over 65% Sunni and only 4% Shi'a. Out of 80 million there are only an estimated 120,000 Christians and 26,000 Jews. Remember that the Shi'a and Sunnis are not best chums. Christians and Jews in these countries are stuck somewhere in the middle. Also of interest is that the current President of Turkey "RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN" has transformed a basic republic into an Islamic totalitarian form of Government in a few short years. To the point that last year he usurped near total personal control and arrested or deposed thousands of people from government positions including police, teachers and many within the military. I will speak of Turkey again a bit later but even though it is still considered a NATO Alliance member, how long can that last while working in close concert with Russia and Iran? Could it be that President Erdogan has designs of reinstating the once great Ottoman Empire? And perhaps even becoming it's latest Caliph?
So todays unlikely mix include Russia with a secular form of government and Iran with a Shi's form of Government. And Turkey with a Sunni form of government. Three of the most unlikely bed partners, both politically and culturally speaking that could ever be conceived of but guess what?
For the very first time they are best buds, in a military coalition fighting side by side in Syria and patrolling the norther Israeli boarder of the Golan heights. These three nations, I believe are the basis or corps group of the Gog and Magog future invasion of Israel. And yes there are others like Libya and Ethiopia involved but todays Ethiopia is not the same as ancient Ethiopia which many believe was located basically in Northern Africa in the approximate location of northern Sudan today which is mostly Sunni Muslim.
So why are they forming military alliances? Three reasons; 1). A deep seated hate for Jews and everything Israeli. 2). Greed! 3). Each of them seek to achieve political and military power over the entire Middle East.
Of the three, the Russians are in the seat of power and I believe that is why Gog leads the future invasion that Ezekiel is speaking of. Russia could care less about religion so what are they after? Well today they need deep sea ports one of which they have now obtained near the northern Syrian coastal city of Tartus on the Mediterranean sea. If in the future they could successfully invade Israel they would also control the international seaports of Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat which would give them basic control of the entire Mediterranean area. Also Israel is extremely wealthy in technology centers and recently discovered both oil and natural gas deposits in huge amounts.
Ezekiel chapter 38:13 is a description of nations including the "Young Lions" standing off at a distance while this invasion begins and asking Gog "Have you come to take plunder?" Many historians contend that the LION is the British Isles and the young lions are the colonies that came out of Britain. CAUTION HERE because no one really knows this for certain. But if that were the case then the "young lions" could be America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I make no such claim because I have no definite Biblical proof but it does make sense to me.
As far as Iran (ancient Persia) and Turkey are concerned their combined Shi'a and Sunni populations basically hate each other only slightly less than they do Israel so that is probably what currently unites them but only temporarily until they can return to their favorite sport of religious infighting.
It is helpful to realize something that many do not seem to understand; This is not only a religious issue but perhaps even more so a cultural one. The adherents to Islam are basically all lumped into one pot by the unknowing peoples of the west. Somehow they are all MUSLIMS which is true for the religious elements but all three cultures, Russian, Persian and Turkish are all ancient and vastly different from one another. Another misconception is that they are all Arabs. In fact Persians are---well let me see now, they would be Persians! Turks are Turks and Russians are Russian. It is for all these reasons that it is truly remarkable for them to work together on anything let alone become part of a working military allance with a common goal. To destroy Israel!
One other point to consider; Russia has a long and storied history, first as a monarchy ruled by a Tsar (king) dating back to the 16th century. Then came the Russian (Bolshevik) revolution of October 1917 in which the Tsar was deposed and killed along with his family. This was followed by an extremely violent and bloody 70 years of rule by the Soviet Union which gobbled up huge portions of Eastern Europe including many countries. As I type this, there are signs that Russia under her current President, Vladimir Putin has designs of reuniting the areas once controlled by the former Soviet Empire. But (my opinion only) I think that Putin has designs for himself that are more reminiscent of Tsarist Russia than Soviet. He was first elected as President in 2000 and has alternated since that time between the office of Prime minister and President plus he was just elected for another 6 year term. By the end of that time Putin will have been in power for a total of 24 years and at the rate he is consolidating his grip on power, I do not foresee him letting go. It is conceivable that regardless of formal title, it may well be this very man who will end up being GOG!
Persia, first initiated as the largest empire ever known was the creation of King Cyrus the Great in about 550 B.C. and at that time was known as the "Archaemenid Empire". It stretched from Turkey in the north to Mesopotamia in the east to Egypt and parts of India in the west. This lasted until the Greek general Alexander the Great conquered the entire area in 331 B.C. But Persia struggled on and was eventually still ruled by a king in the form of Shah (king) Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was deposed by the Iranian revolution in 1979. It is interesting to note that Pahlavi's full title was "SHAHANSHAH" which literally translates to KING OF KINGS.
Confusion exists regarding the name of PERSIA being changed to IRAN. The Persian government requested in 1935 that all nations diplomatically recognized by Persia begin calling the country IRAN because in the Persian language, IRAN is the name of the country, occupied by people representing the ancient Persian culture. So, no change occurred really, simply a cultural correction. By any other name Iran is still Persia and still has Middle Eastern if not worldwide dominance as its governmental and religious goal.
Turkey deserves special attention because it was once the seat of the mighty OTTOMAN EMPIRE which was begun in the 14th century and ruled much of the Middle East including Israel for the next 600 years. TAKE NOTE HERE: The Ottoman Empire was a CALIPHATE, ruled by a CALIGH (sort of a king) and the Caliph was and still is considered to be the religious successor to the Prophet Muhammed who in turn is also claimed by both the Sunni's and the Shi'a leadership of today.
Gog from the land of Magog and his hordes will someday attempt to accomplish the absolute destruction of Israel. The bare bones of that alliance is forming right now. But I can guarantee that the leaders of all three of these nations are plotting and planning ways that they can come out on top of the heap when all is said and done. If they could win that invasion, each of them would immediately begin fighting for control. It will not happen because Ezekiel chapter 39 clearly says so.
I am going to tell you now about just how much destruction God will wrought upon Gog and his armies; You will only find the following reference in the original King James version of the Bible. In that version chapter 39 prophecies that this huge army will be destroyed by God Himself down to 1/6 of it's total numbers. And GOD will also, according to verse 6 "send fire on Magog and those who live in security in the coastlands". In other words not only will the actual invading army be destroyed but also much of the territories these various parts of that army hail from. Most of the members of this huge army of invasion will be Muslims and that is why I do not believe that either Russia or several of todays Islamic states will be major players in end times chronology coming into the battle of Armageddon. They will simply no longer exist as a major military power bloc.
Seem far fetched to you? Well consider this; I have stated many times my belief that the rapture of the church happens in Revelation chapter 4. Then in chapter 6, the Lord (Lamb of God) begins releasing the first six seal judgement on the earth. The fourth seal is represented by a rider on a pale horse and the name of he who sits on that horse is DEATH! And hades follows with him and he is given power to kill 1/4 of the earths population. In other words with todays worldwide population of about 7 BILLION 500 MILLION people, only 4 seals into the tribulation years, 1.86 BILLION people will be killed.
Ezekiel goes on to prophecy that people who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out (after the invading army is destroyed) and set on fire and burn all the weapons of this army---and it will take them a full 7 years to do so. Also Ezekiel tells us that it will take Israel a full 7 months to bury the dead enemy soldiers. I believe those 7 years are the years of tribulation.
In part this is why I place the invasion of Gog from the land of Magog (after the rapture) and just prior to the antichrist of Daniel chapter 9 verse 27 "then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (prophetically speaking one week according to Daniels 70 week prophecy is a period of 7 years---the 7 years of Jacob's trouble which culminates with the battle of Armageddon and finally the second coming of Christ). In other words it could well be this huge invasion---and it's terrible destruction that could bring about the release of the antichrist (lawless one---2 Thessalonians 2:8), that results in Daniels prophesied 7 year peace treaty with Israel and her neighbors. And maybe, just maybe also have provision built in to allow Israel to build her third Temple.
CAUTION READERS: There are all kinds of variations on this end times theme. Once again bitter arguments proceed from the mouths of professing Christians over these future events. We as believers should NOT be arguing over things yet to be fulfilled. I am telling you the results of my studies but as always I recommend that you personally form your opinions based upon vigorous Biblical study of your own.
I believe that we are seeing the prophetic stage being set right now for the eventual invasion of Israel by Gog and his armies. While I certainly have no way to pin down exact dates, it is very difficult in my opinion not to recognize the "signs of the times" as spoken of by Jesus Himself in Matthew chapter 16:3. Plus it should also be noted that Jesus Himself referred to Daniels 70 week prophecy in Matthew chapter 24:15.
In the end, no one will know for certain until Gog begins massing this huge army and begins the march to his own doom. As believers we do need to be aware of what is happening in the world around us and always remember that we have a very important job description (AMBASSADORS) and within that title is found Jesus admonition for each and everyone of us to do our utmost to accomplish the Great Commission of Mathew chapter 28:18-20.
Study to show yourself approved to God. 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV).
God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.
