A Full Examination Of Gog And Magog From Ezekiel 38 & 39 – Part 1 Of 2 Series

A FULL EXAMINATION OF GOG AND MAGOG FROM EZEKIEL 38 & 39 – PART 1 OF 2

CHAPTERS 38 AND 39

This interesting examination of who Gog and Magog really is, is thorough, and could be a bit difficult to follow. It was prepared for my bible study group and given there. One day, this great war will become a reality, and a terrible time for Israel. It does not concern the Church.

These two chapters are not only intriguing, but they are enigmatic and incomplete for our full understanding. The events in the chapters are easy enough to follow but the timing of those events, some find difficult to place in the series of events in the prophetic framework of Israel's restoration. The writer feels confident about his own position but is aware of the variance among very recognised writers one counts as credible.

THE IDENTIFICATION OF GOG AND MAGOG

The conjectures about this are as broad as the number of commentators so we need to exercise caution. I am going to give a few snippets from a three sources just as a small summary of some of a few of the ideas:-

[1]. From a Jewish source “My Jewish Learning” – “Gog and Magog refer to the enemies against whom God will wage an apocalyptic war at the dawn of the messianic age. The wars of Gog and Magog have come to be understood as essential to the Jewish eschatological vision of the end of days, a final battle between good and evil that will usher in a period of eternal peace. The origins of this belief lie in the prophecy of Ezekiel, who identifies Gog as a prince and his land as Magog. (The only earlier biblical reference to Magog is in Genesis, which identifies Magog as one of the descendants of Japheth, a son of Noah.)

The wars of Gog and Magog, as the prophecy came to be referred to in later sources, are part of a larger belief that the messianic age will be preceded by a period of great suffering and upheaval — the so-called “birth pangs of the Messiah.”

[2]. From another Jewish source “Jewish Encyclopaedia” – “Magog is mentioned (Genesis 10:2 and I Chronicles 1:5) as the second son of Japheth, between Gomer and Madai. Gomer representing the Cimmerians and Madai the Medes, Magog must be a people located east of the Cimmerians and west of the Medes. But in the list of nations (Genesis 10) the term connotes rather the complex of barbarian peoples dwelling at the extreme north and northeast of the geographical survey covered by the chapter.

[3]. From “Bible Gateway” – “The origin of the name “Gog” is unknown. He has been identified with Gyges of Lydia, who is said to have expelled the invading Cimmerians with Syrian help; with Gaga, mentioned in the Amarna letters; with another Gaga, a Babylonian deity; and with Gagi, a ruler of the city of Sabi.”

THE TIMING OF THIS GOG MAGOG INVASION

I think the main views on the timing of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, and that war/invasion are these:-

[1]. THIS INVASION OF ISRAEL COULD HAPPEN ANYTIME NOW BEFORE THE RAPTURE.

Those on the lunatic fringe even want to speculate about nuclear war in Israel and the Middle East. There will be no nuclear war, for that would obliterate the Jews in Israel and render the whole area unlivable. Those people who write nonsense like that ought to be ashamed of themselves. At best they are dreamers and at worst, they are deviously delusional.

The main objection to this Gog/Magog war in Israel before the Rapture has to be the great hurdle of The Times of the Gentiles. God openly intervenes in the Gog/Magog war for the Jews as shown in many scriptures, and that just can’t happen this side of the Rapture. The Church must be removed first before the 70th week of Daniel can start. Also any war now would become a world war, for if Russia and all the northern alliance, and Iran and Ethiopia invaded Israel, (part of Gog/Magog) then the USA would intervene. It just will not happen.

We have often said that there are indicators for placing prophecy in the time context. The strongest one is “In that day” or “At that time”. This is the expression from {{Ezekiel 38:16 – “It will come about IN THE LAST DAYS that I shall bring you against My land . . . .”}} That expression always refers to the end of the Tribulation or set in the Millennium, but as it is used in the Old Testament, it refers to the time at the end of the age corresponding with Matthew 24 and 25. The Lord will NOT take up the Jews until after the Rapture, and He will defend them as shown in those two Ezekiel chapters.