The setting: Israel in the twenty-first century. The headlines read, “Tension in the Middle East.” The players, Iran, Turkey, Libya, Ethiopia and the southern regions of what was once the Soviet Union, have set their sights to attack Israel! Israel seems to be against all odds and hopeless, yet they overcome their attackers! How can this be? This small country, the thorn in the Middle East, has defeated these Muslim nations that have come up against them. “Impossible,” you might say! Yet this is what the Bible predicts will happen, for the Lord says that from that day forward, the house of Israel will know that He is their God.
“Interesting,” you might say. Well, let’s take a look at what the God of the universe has to say about this battle against His people. We start in Ezekiel 38, where God gives a vision to Ezekiel in regards to which nations will be in this battle and what will take place. Keep in mind that Ezekiel was written around the year of 589 BC. Islam was not established until around 300 AD; yet all of these countries described in this chapter are Islamic nations! Let’s get started!

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” (Ezek. 38:1-3).

We then read that the Lord gave Ezekiel a vision: Gog is the chief Prince or leader of the land of Magog (which represents the former Soviet Union and its southern regions), and Meshech represents Moscow and Tubal (historical maps do not clearly state which city this is).

And I will turn thee about, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords (Ezek. 38:4).

Ezekiel here is describing weapons of warfare that were used in his days. If this were a modern-day writing, perhaps the writer might have used words such as tanks and Apache helicopters, etc.

Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you. “‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them’” (Ezek. 38:5-7).

As we read of these names, we first must look at where these nations in the Bible came from. In Genesis 10 we are given a genealogy of the descendants of Noah and where they settled. Keeping this in mind, we can then take ancient-day maps and place them next to the maps of today to get a better understanding of who these nations are.

Genesis–Genealogy:


Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, namely, of Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth (Gen. 10:1-8).

Now that we have a sense of how these nations where named, let’s take a look at who they represent in today’s world. As a side note, out of Magog came the Scythians in the seventh century who brought about the rise of Islam.

Magog = Russia and its southern regions
Persia = Iran
Cush = Ethiopia
Put = Libya
Gomer = Countries north of Turkey
Togarmah = Turkey

Let’s also take a look at the countries surrounding Israel who are not mentioned in this battle:

1.) Egypt
2.) Jordon
3.) Syria
4.) Iraq

This is very interesting especially with Iraq not being mentioned. Prior to the fall of Saddam Hussein, it was very hard to read this verse and reason why Iraq would not be a main aggressor against Israel. Yet as we see today, Saddam has been pulled out of office and Iraq (Babylon) will hold a different role in biblical prophecy as read about in the book of Revelation.

After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples, and they shall dwell securely, all of them (Ezek. 38:8).

In verse eight the phrase “in many days” is translated in the Hebrew as “in the later days” or in the “last days.” Also keep in mind that the next phrase “they shall come into their land” is referring to Israel being back in the land (which occurred on May 14, 1948), when the Jews from all over the world came back to their land (which fulfilled Ezekiel 37). Moving on we read that the Jews “shall dwell securely.” The word in Hebrew for securely is Betach, which means confidently, implying that a peace treaty could be in place prior to this event.

And thou shalt ascend, thou shalt come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy hordes, and many peoples with thee (Ezek. 38:9).

This is talking about the many nations that will come up against Israel and will cover the land.

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: It shall come to pass in that day, that things shall come into thy mind, and thou shalt devise an evil device: and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates (Ezek. 38:10-11).

Again in that day, or better translated, in “the last days,” these nations will come up with a plot or a plan to destroy Israel. It is interesting to consider that the next verse talks about going up against a land of unwalled villages (or cities). This may not seem that strange in today’s society; however, when this verse was written, all of the cities had gates and walls that provided protection from enemies as well as protection for those who were leaving and entering the city. Yet in today’s society our cities are unwalled cities!
To take the spoil and to take the prey; to turn thy hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and against the people that are gathered out of the nations, that have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the middle of the earth (Ezek. 38:12).

Verse twelve speaks of the nations moving in to take over the land and possessions of the inhabitants.
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take the spoil? hast thou assembled thy company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil? (Ezek. 38:13).

Sheba and Dedan represent Saudi Arabia. Here it seems that they are speaking up against the war (they could be taking a neutral position in fear of getting involved). Yet, they are not taking action along with the young lions, who represent the United Kingdom, who seem to voice their words yet take no physical action.

Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In that day when my people Israel dwelleth securely, shalt thou not know it? (Ezek. 38:14).

Again the Lord emphasizes that this event will take place in the latter days, when Israel is back in the land, dwelling securely.
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the uttermost parts of the north, thou, and many peoples with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army; and thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring thee against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, that prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass in that day, when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, that my wrath shall come up into my nostrils (Ezek. 38:15-18).
Again, we are told that the nations north of Israel shall come against the Lord’s people. The Lord will intervene, and His wrath will come up against these nations. Keep in mind that the Bible has depicted an angel wiping out an army of 10,000 Syrian men who were outside the walls of Jerusalem as well as the Lord performing miracles by taking down the walls of Jericho. With God, all things are possible, and since He is the creator of all things, then there is nothing that the Lord cannot do! The Lord then goes on to say that the nations of the world will know that He is God.

For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; so that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground (Ezek. 38:19-20).

The Lord speaks of a great earthquake and supernatural powers that will make His presence known. It is interesting that in Zechariah 12:1-19, God talks about making Jerusalem a burden to all that comes against them and that He will destroy all nations that come up against Jerusalem.

And I will call for a sword against him unto all my mountains, saith the Lord Jehovah: every man’s sword shall be against his brother (Ezek. 38:21).

In verse twenty-one, God talks about every man being against each other—or every man being for himself. There will be so much confusion and so many catastrophic events taking place that men will fight against each other to survive. There are many situations throughout the Bible where nations set out to destroy Israel but ended up killing each other, such as when Gideon and his 300 men overcame their enemies by causing confusion.

And with pestilence and with blood will I enter into judgment with him; and I will rain upon him, and upon his hordes, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah (Ezek. 38:22-23).

Here the Lord again states that He will supernaturally defend Israel and that many nations will know that He is the Lord! So the Lord will make Himself known to Israel as He did in the days of Moses and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. The Lord will supernaturally intercede for His people, and they will know that He is the Lord. Yet keep in mind that even as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea with Moses and were fed manna from the heavens, they quickly forgot about the miracles that God had performed. So it could be that the Lord will make Himself known to the Jews, yet the Jews will not embrace Him. The Bible says that the Jews will accept the Antichrist or world leader and accept him as their Messiah for a short term until he shows his true colors and demands to be worshipped in the temple that he will build in Jerusalem.
As we enter into chapter 39 of Ezekiel, we get a recap of chapter 38 as well as some interesting insight of how to bury the people that lay dead and how Israel will come back to the Lord. Keep in mind that Ezekiel 39 speaks of nuclear fallout or perhaps a nuclear bomb and states that after this war, professionals will be hired to bury the dead.

Ezekiel 39


And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I will turn thee about, and will lead thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel; and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy hordes, and the peoples that are with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah (Ezek. 39:1-5).

Again we have a recap of prior verses in Ezekiel 38, with some more details on how the Lord will disarm the enemies of their weapons, And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand (Ezek. 39:3). In the early century from the land of Magog came the Scythians who were best known for their archery skills, they could ride on a horse at full gallop and shoot a bird from the sky. In today’s world, a modern-day writer would have used today’s weapons to relate this passage!

And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel (Ezek. 39:6-7).

The Lord proclaims that He will send fire on Magog and them that dwell with them. It is interesting that the Lord judged Soddom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, and here He will do it again. Keep in mind that Genesis 1:1 states that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth! With Him all things are possible. When the Lord says He will do something we can be assured that it will happen. The Lord said that Israel would come back in the land and after 2,000 years (May 14, 1948), it happened. The Lord states in Revelation 13:16-17 that a world leader will force all people of the earth to take a mark on their right hands or their foreheads and that no one will be able to buy or sell without taking this mark. Think about that! The Bible talks about a cashless society being established! Wow! A book that was written over 2,000 years ago has foretold a technology that is certain to take place. And yes, our gracious Lord gives us a way out of the doom that will come upon the earth. The Lord has provided His Son Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for our sins. All we have to do is put our trust in Him, confess our sins, repent and heed His words, and we will have everlasting life. Our Lord Jesus Christ died so that we can have everlasting life!

Behold, it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah; this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall make fires of them seven years; so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall make fires of the weapons; and they shall plunder those that plundered them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord Jehovah (Ezek. 39:8-10).

This speaks of how Israel will be able to use the plundered weapons as fuel for seven years. (It is also interesting that the shelf life of a nuclear warhead is seven years.) In the book of Daniel we are told that the last seven years of world history will begin during this time. We know that the rapture of the church must occur before the world leader or Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2), and then there will be seven years left of world history. In order for the events in Ezekiel 38 and 39 to occur, the church is to be removed prior to this event or during this event. Then there will be seven years left before Christ returns with His church (Revelation 19:3).

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place for burial in Israel, the valley of them that pass through on the east of the sea; and it shall stop them that pass through: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord Jehovah. And they shall set apart men of continual employment, that shall pass through the land, and, with them that pass through, those that bury them that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. And they that pass through the land shall pass through; and when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city. Thus shall they cleanse the land (Ezek. 39:11-16).

We now read that the Lord will set up a burial place east of the Dead Sea for Gog and his armies to be buried. We read that hired professionals will bury the dead and that if a civilian sees a bone, then they shall not touch it but will put up a flag to mark the spot so the professional gravedigger can dispose of the bodies. This is very interesting because we could not of even imagine what this verse was referring prior to 1940’s. Yet today we can understand the effects of nuclear warfare as well as biological chemicals. Keep in mind that Zechariah 14:12 also describes nuclear effects that will occur in the last days:


And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths (NKJV).

The Lord said in Daniel 12:4 to seal up the book until the end when knowledge will be increased. Could we be living in the last days? Is this what God was speaking of? That knowledge would increase, then we would understand the meaning of His words. The Lord has foretold all of these events thousands of years ago, and now these verses are making sense. Just think about our forefathers, these godly men and women who read the Bible 200-plus years ago and came across verses like this. It must have been hard for them to understand, yet they trusted in the Lord. We are living in times when the Bible’s prediction makes complete sense to us, yet we do not heed the words of our Lord. Yes, that’s right; our God has predicted the past, present and future, and all we have to do is abide in Him, and we will be saved. For God sent His only Son to die on the cross and then in three days arise from the dead so that we can have everlasting life. Incredible—the God of this universe made Himself a man so that He could experience the suffering of the flesh. He took our sin and crucified sin forever at the cross.

And thou, son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Speak unto the birds of every sort, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. And ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord Jehovah (Ezek. 39:17-20).
From verse seventeen on, we move into the later part of the seven-year period. This verse picks up with the Battle of Armageddon where the birds of the earth will feast on the flesh of those dead in the valley of Megiddo.
And I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am Jehovah their God, from that day and forward (Ezek. 39:21-22).
This is referring to Revelation 19 when Christ returns with His church and wipes out the armies of the world. Then the house of Israel will know that He is the Lord. He will set His right foot on the mount of Olives and split the mount in two.
And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they trespassed against me, and I hid my face from them: so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they fell all of them by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions did I unto them; and I hid my face from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Now will I bring back the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name. And they shall bear their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they shall dwell securely in their land, and none shall make them afraid (Ezek. 39:23-26).
Israel will then realize their sins and acknowledge Christ as their Messiah.

When I have brought them back from the peoples, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations. And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God, in that I caused them to go into captivity among the nations, and have gathered them unto their own land; and I will leave none of them any more there; neither will I hide my face any more from them; for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah (Ezek. 39:27-29).

The Lord said that He will pour out His Spirit again upon the house of Israel in the latter days. Romans 11:25 states that the Holy Spirit is dealing with the Gentiles, and once the Lord has gathered His church (the fullness of the Gentiles) then Christ will pour out His Spirit upon the nation of Israel again. Blindness has been put on the Jews (in part) until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. God is not done with the nation of Israel but is pouring out His Spirit upon His church. Once the Lord takes His church (the rapture) then He will make Himself know to the Jews who rejected Him.
So the question arises: when will this event take place? We are not told of a day or time but of the season! Our Lord has said, Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near (Luke 21:28). Israel is God’s prophetic time clock for the Last Days. As of now we are in between Ezekiel chapter 37 and 38. Ezekiel 37 puts Israel back in the land (May 14, 1948), and Ezekiel 40 speaks of the rebuilding of the Temple. The battle that occurs in Ezekiel 38 must take place either right after the church is removed (the rapture of the church) or within weeks if not simultaneously. Though we can only speculate on when this event will take place, the Bible does support two key verses that put this event in the last seven-year period. Both Daniel and Ezekiel allude to this seven-year period. In the book of Daniel we are told that there are seventy seven-year periods proclaimed for the nation of Israel. Sixty-nine of these seven-year periods have been fulfilled by Christ coming to the earth, dying for our sins and then rising from the dead; yet the last seven-year period of world history will be ushered in by this world leader/Antichrist who gains the world’s trust and brings an initial peace and prosperity to the whole world. Also keep in mind what Jesus preached in Luke 4:18-21:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Yet Jesus did not go on to read the rest of the verse (Isaiah 61:2), And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn. Christ put a period where there is a question mark! Christ stated that the Scripture was fulfilled but He did not read about the vengeance of God, which again leaves us to the last seven years of world history, when God will pour out His wrath or vengeance on a sinful world that rejected Christ.
The Lord has preserved His Word for thousands of years, and He has laid out in advance details of the world’s history. The Lord has foretold the past, present and future, and His Word has proven to be one hundred per cent accurate thus far. We need to really take a close look at what God is saying to us. Again I would like to take you back to our forefathers or, moving forward, to the late nineteenth century. Try grasping these verses in the Bible in those contexts! It would seem like nonsense or science fiction to read about countries being wiped out in one hour, a cashless society, professional gravediggers cleaning dead bodies due to nuclear contamination, or perhaps reading the verses in Zechariah that speak of tongues dissolving in mouths and eyes being dissolved in their sockets. Do you see how farfetched this would have sounded a hundred years or so ago? However, in the twenty-first century (since knowledge has increased), these are the technologies that we read about today in medical journals and military reports. Yes, the Lord has spoken it, and it will come to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord.