#929

Prophecy Unfolding Right Before Our Eyes

I Get This Question A Lot

As the war between Israel and Iran heats up, people ask me if this is the war of Gog and Magog seen in Ezekiel 38 and 39 to which I tell them no. The main reason is that the nations currently involved don’t match the ones fighting now, with the exception of Iran. Now there are some who define “involved” differently than I do and I get that. However when we read the narrative in prophecy it’s pretty clear that involvement isn’t merely supportive. No, they are coming with their respective armies and weaponry to annihilate Israel. Right now Iran is the kingmaker while in Ezekiel Russia is the leader of the pack. There are more differences, quite a few actually and enough for me to say that the war of Gog and Magog isn’t unfolding now, but the pieces are moving into place as the warring in the Middle East continues. Unlike in past times the logic for a war seen in Bible prophecy is easier and easier to see which is amazing for me as one who heard about the Ezekiel from my earliest days as a Christian. Will it happen? Yes. Why will it happen? What is the hook in the jaw that gets Russia to attack Israel? What is the booty they are coming for? Who are the nations who want diplomacy to rule the day? All of these questions are ones theologians, Bible scholars and believers in Bible prophecy have asked for year and years. And we’re living in a day and age when we can answer these questions and more with logic that makes Ezekiel seem like he knew all about things way back when the book was written. Which makes sense, because the God who is outside of time told him. He was just limited by using language and terms that he had at the time. But let’s see if we can provide some explanations.

They Will Come To Destroy

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. 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. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you. (Ezekiel 38:1-6, NKJV)

One of the mysteries of these passages are the motives of these countries to attack Israel in our day and age. Actually, even back when this was prophesied, no one really knew the reason why. However, we live in a day when we can make some educated guesses. And that’s where I’m going as I believe this war is on the horizon and I also believe the Psalm 83 war is even closer and will play a role in the war of Gog and Magog mentioned in Ezekiel 38. Let me explain my theory and you can decide if I’m close, off or just plain looney. Of the three, I know which one I want you to think, though.

Who Are These Nations Now?

That needs to be determined and it’s not that hard to do. We know Russia is in the mix but who are the others? In an article from gotquestions.org fills in the blanks on those nations:

According to the Bible, there will come a time when Russia, in alliance with several other countries, will amass a huge army against Israel, with a view to plunder the Jews’ land. The nations aligned with Russia for this military endeavor are Persia (modern-day Iran), Put (modern-day Libya), Cush (modern-day Sudan), Gomer (part of modern-day Turkey), and Beth Togarmah (Armenia).

So we have Iran, Libya, Sudan, Turkey, and Armenia. Some believe Germany will be there by way of following the nations formed from the three sons of Noah. Those who hold to that point to Gomer as Germany and Turkey gets in there because Togarmah is more than just Armenia. In any event, each of the nations have a reason to join together to attack Israel. Now on to each of them to see why.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: Iran

This is actually a good theory and if you haven’t been paying attention to Iran’s hatred of Israel, you need to change news feeds. Iran switched over to a Muslim regime way back in the 1970s and they haven’t turned back. Yes, they do chant death to America and consider us to be the big Satan, but the Jews are the little Satan. Of all the nations, this one is the easiest to nail down, first because their motive to wipe Israel off the map is well documented. Also, their alliance with Russia is well known so yes, Iran fits in the end time scheme as joining in and maybe instigating the Ezekiel 38 war. I see Iran getting the daylights knocked out of them by Israel, their nuclear program totally destroyed and their ballistic missile capacity completely dismantled. Of course they will want revenge and they will turn to Russia who they recently signed a 20-year agreement with to help them. In an article from The Times Of Israel we read this snippet:

Neither will allow their territory to be used for any action that threatens the other and will provide no help to an aggressor attacking either nation, according to the text, which also said they would work together to counter military threats.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: Libya

Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi was many things, but one is that he maintained stability in the nation. When his government was toppled 2011, that all changed. And like so many areas in the Middle East, Muslim-backed alliances moved in to fill the void. While they all have different political stripes with the Muslim Brotherhood leading the way, they are unified for the most part in their dislike and even hatred of Israel. But now that the circle of fire around Israel is disappearing they could very well be turning to African nations to help them. We read about this in an article from the Tehran Times:

While Iran’s push to strengthen ties with Africa has only become noticeable in recent years—part of a broader effort to deepen relationships with friendly nations—its leaders have long held a favorable view of the continent. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, African nations and their struggles have resonated with Tehran. Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, was a vocal backer of anti-colonial and liberation movements across Africa. He also emphasized the importance of solidarity between African Muslims and their counterparts in West Asia, believing stronger religious and cultural bonds should be nurtured.

I always wondered about the African nations in the Ezekiel 38 coalition. Now it makes more and more sense.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: Sudan/Ethiopia

Again, we need to assess the leadership in this African country that has seen more than its share of unrest. But one thing is clear and that they are at least 97% Muslim and this has been true for a very long time. It’s just a matter of which branch of Islam they follow. One would think that this is cut and dry in the coming war, but the peace deal brokered by the first Trump administration got in the way of such Jewish hatred thinking. Or so, it would appear because the peace agreement was made with the first Trump presidency and the 2020 elections allowed for power to change hands to less than supportive leaders for that deal. In 2022, funding for the deal was cut or reduced, probably due to the instability of Sudan, but partially because the current administration just simply hated anything Trump put together and their coolness towards Israel in general. The other wildcard here is the many coup attempts in the nation of Sudan and Ethiopia making any peace deal tenuous at best. But it is the religious influence that could also play a part. Whether they are Shia or Sunni, they all hate Israel. And again, the areas listed in Ezekiel were not the same as they are today as far as names and territories.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: Turkey

It wasn’t that long ago that Turkey was a stable, moderate Muslim nation with friendship with the Western nations like America. But things changed when radical Muslims rose to power and things got frosty with the United States and cozy with Russia. And just looking at a map will show the strategic nature of any Russian troops moving against Israel. Turkey has hitched its wagon to all things Russia. They even made a nuclear deal as seen in an article from The Financial Times. And in political terms, Turkey can’t be moderate and have things both ways by diplomatically aligning with both the United States and Russia so the proverbial dye is cast on this pending any military coup. Oh, and did I mention they hate Israel now?

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: Germany, Armenia

This one is the tricky one in my opinion and the one that would need to take a major turn to seeing Germany align with Russia and the other Muslim countries to come against Israel, However, Germany is not opposed to taking on the world as evidenced by WWI and WW2 and the thought of a Fourth Reich in history is out there. Klaus Schwab is German we must remember and some see his former influence in the World Economic Forum (WEF) as paving the way to bring Germany into the fold against Israel fighting the Great Reset. Yes, this is out there, but not so farfetched as to be totally unthinkable. Now let me add another layer to this and that is the dependance on Russia for things like gas and oil. I agree that this one is more of a stretch to some, but some see the borders of Germany fitting into the list of nations here. Author Nathan Jones provides us with a little help on this one:

The Jewish historian Josephus identified Gomer who “founded those whom the Greeks now call Galatians [Galls], but were then called Gomerites. Some theologians point to Germany as the land of Gomer, leading one theologian to ask, “What if a united and anti-Semitic Germany were to seek its future fortunes while allied to an anti-Semitic Russia?” The Jewish Midrash Rabbah and Talmud also call Gomer “Germania” indicating today’s Germany. Not a commonly held view, but one Oxford historian even suggested Gomer’s son who became the ancestor of the Celtic people necessitates including the Cymry of Wales and Brittany, meaning Great Britain. Gomer most popularly looks to reference the Gimirrai of the Assyrians, or Cimmerians, who lived in the Black Sea area adjacent to Turkey.

The Psalm 83 War

If the Psalm 83 war occurs first and makes Israel a Middle East super power as expected, then taking them out could a part of the Gog and Magog war and not an insignificant one. Especially with the WEF crowd who want a one-world government, something Bibi Netanyahu is on record as opposing. In fact, this may be the hook in the jaw mentioned in Ezekiel 38 since Putin isn’t a big fan of joining such a government and would have to be dragged into any aggression. Another factor is that Russia is getting more and populated by Muslims and could get to a point that where they call the shots at the time of the Gog and Magog war which would add to the drama.

What Does This Mean To Us?

I like how Jones concludes his article to give us an evangelism purpose to knowing about this war in Bible prophecy:

With a more secure handle on exactly what nations are involved in Ezekiel 38-39 and when the Gog-Magog Battle will occur, the evangelist can better approach the apologetic of fulfilled Bible prophecy more confidently. While this epic battle and prophecy remain future, various aspects of it demonstrate that events are quickly ramping up leading to the complete fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy, so it is not so distant in the future. With that sense of urgency in mind, the evangelist can precede to show those to whom he is witnessing how God’s prophetic order of events is playing out even in our day and age and encourage them towards surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ and in holy living.

As always, pray for the peace of Jerusalem as Jesus told us to do. As Jones points out, using prophecy as a witnessing tool is always a good draw for anyone and makes talk of the whole Bible as being God’s word. Lastly, talk of such events only make the Second Coming of Jesus closer and by extension the Rapture. Did I mention that the folks who monitor and set the Doomsday clock moved us closer to Midnight? Yes, they think WWIII is a very real threat now and see how it could happen at any time. Pray without ceasing folks. And witness like there is no tomorrow because time is short.