A Gog-Magog Reality Check
by Michael G. Mickey
In the 38 & 39th chapters of the book of Ezekiel, we see that an attack on the nation of Israel is going to take place in the prophetic future. The nations expected to participate are as follows:
Gog - most agree that this is a reference to Russia.
Meshech - Most associate this with modern day Turkey, ancient Anatolia, but some say it refers to the Moscow area.
Tubal - Most associate this with modern day Turkey, ancient Anatolia.
Persia - modern Iran
Ethiopia
Libya
Gomer - eastern Europe or Turkey.
Togarmah - southeastern Europe or Turkey.
So Russia and Iran are going to oppose Israel militarily, according to the book of Ezekiel which was written in approximately 593-571 BC, almost three thousand years ago. Pretty amazing, isn't it? Even so, the headlines of our world today demonstrate that this yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecy is definitely going to be fulfilled. Make no mistake about it!
Russia, for example, is currently helping Iran prepare the nuclear facilities most in the world are of the opinion the Iranians will use (and are, in fact, already using) in an effort to obtain nuclear weaponry. Not only is Russia backing Iran, Moscow is vowing it will veto any resolution forwarded to a vote in the United Nations concerning another enemy of Israel's involvement in the assassination of a former Lebanese leader, namely Syria, as seen in a BBC report. The Russians vow this in spite of the fact virtually the entire free world is prepared to take action against Damascus for its dastardly deeds.
Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to a Fox News story, is calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map", demonstrating the amazing accuracy of Bible prophecy in predicting the future.
What the prophet Ezekiel has told us is going to happen, is going to happen! The forces of Gog-Magog will gather in secret, at a time when Israel believes it is living in safety, somehow believing it has resolved its differences with its neighbors. The Bible's description of the attack insinuates it will be a massive attack, one that the Lord will swiftly respond to, proving Iran's current president wrong - and emphatically so.
Ezekiel 38:9: Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
Ezekiel 38:10-12: Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, [that] at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 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 safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places [that are now] inhabited, and upon the people [that are] gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
Ezekiel 38:18-19: And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, [that] my fury shall come up in my face. 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;
Ezekiel 39:2-6: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and 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 bands, and the people that [is] 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 GOD. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Russia may presently be supporting Syria, protecting it from the international community, but Syria is notably absent in Ezekiel description of the Gog-Magog attack, perhaps an indication that Isaiah's prophesied destruction of Damascus, the world's longest continually-inhabited city, has taken place (see Isaiah 17:1) before Gog-Magog takes place - something for us to keep in the back of our minds. Russia's present ties to Iran demonstrate that prophecy is on its way to fulfillment, potentially in the near future.
As for Iran and its president, both hoping to see the nation of Israel "wiped off the map", Bible prophecy makes it clear that an attempt at this will be made, but, in the end, when the smoke clears, 5 out of every 6 invading forces will lie dead on the mountains of Israel, proving that the God of the Bible is alive, on His throne, and in control.
That's what I like to call a Gog-Magog reality check.
(There are
various views as to when the Gog-Magog invasion of Israel will occur i.e.,
before the Rapture, during the tribulation, at the end of the tribulation, or
that the Gog-Magog battle is indeed part of the final Armageddon battle. As
world events unfold, the correct view will come into focus. However, the one CERTAIN
fact is that it will occur, and that current maneuverings on the world stage
are clearly preparing the political environment and alignment of nations to
line up with the bible's description of this event. It’s just another sign of the
nearness of the return of Jesus Christ ….Keygar)
______________________
