Gog and Magog

What Nations Will Be Involved In The Military Attack Against Israel Predicted In Ezekiel 38?

In Ezekiel 38, God foretold that in the latter days, there would be a major military attack against the tiny State of Israel in the homeland once Israel would be restored. And God indicated that military attack would be comprised of the armies of nations as they were known back in Ezekiel’s day. 

Five of those nations are named by God in Ezekiel 38:5,6.

IRAN SUDAN LIBYA TURKEY

In verse 5 the first nation was Persia. Now, that’s what it was known as in Ezekiel’s day, but modern-day Persia is the nation of Iran. Some 2500 years ago through this prophecy, God was saying that in the end times Iran would be sending military forces against Israel in the Middle East. You know what happened to Iran little more than 20 years ago when radical Muslim forces overthrew the Shah of Iran and they’ve been dominating the nation of Iran ever since. That radical Muslim government of Iran has publicly declared more than once that its ultimate goal is the annihilation of Israel from the Middle East.

The second nation named in verse 5 is Ethiopia. Now that again is what that nation was known as in Ezekiel’s day, but I must point out that the nation known as Ethiopia back in Ezekiel’s day is not the same nation that we know as Ethiopia today. The nation known as Ethiopia in Ezekiel’s day is the nation that we know today as the Sudan. Sudan right now, again, is dominated and ruled by a radical Muslim government that hates Israel with a passion and wants to see it destroyed.

The third nation named in verse 5 is Libya. Libya is located due west of Egypt in North Africa. And you know what’s been going on in Libya in recent years since the overthrow of Mu’ammar Qaddafi. Qaddafi was very anti-West, anti-American, but even more strongly anti-Israel. He would have liked to see Israel destroyed. 

The fourth nation named in verse 6 was Gomer. In Ezekiel’s day, Gomer was a tribal group of people who were located in the central part of what you and I know today as the nation of Turkey.

The fifth nation named, verse 6, was “the house of Togarmah of the north quarters.” In Ezekiel’s day Togarmah was another tribal group of people who were located in the eastern part of what you and I know today as the nation of Turkey. 

Now, you’re probably aware of the fact that since the end of World War II that Turkey, although it’s a Muslim nation, has had basically a secular government that has allied itself with the Western nations of the world. Turkey, since the end of World War II has been a member of NATO. It's been an important U.S. security partner and has been a valued NATO Ally since 1952.But that is now radically changing.

Not too long ago, a radical Muslim party in Turkey won by election control of the government of the capital city of the nation of Turkey, and when they won that election they publicly stated, “Our next goal is to gain control of the national government of Turkey.” One of the spokesmen for that radical Muslim party said, “When we do that, we’re going to change our relationship with NATO. We’re going to establish an Islamic NATO and an Islamic common market.”  Turkey is meant to come under complete domination by a radical Muslim element where it will also turn against the nation of Israel and want to see it annihilated from the face of planet earth.

It’s interesting to note that every one of these nations named here in Ezekiel 38:5,6 today are Islamic nations. Therefore, God some 2500 years ago through this prophecy was indicating that in the end times Israel will have very serious problems with the Islamic nations of the world. 

Russia is not Rosh. Rosh is a Hebrew word for “head, beginning, top, ridge.” The word is frequently used in the Hebrew Bible, 599 times, and does not in any way imply Russia. 

Nine times out of ten, the name Gog is mentioned in Ezekiel 38–39, making it highly symbolic in context. King David was referring to Meshech in his time (Psalm 120:5-6) as a place of war, two millennia before Moscow was first mentioned in AD 1147. And Tubal is frequently mentioned, together with Javan (Greece), as a real geographic place, far from the Siberian Tumen region where Tobolsk is located.

Gog and Magog are not a literal location, nor an allusion to some person or a nation, but a figurative phrase. The expression “Gog and Magog” is an idiomatic phrase with a figurative meaning of “all heathen nations,” all gentiles, all pagans, all those outside of God’s election and will. The world outside of Israel was Gog and Magog. For example, Jews in the second century BC in Egypt, interpreted Gog & Magog as Ethiopians and Nubians who accompanied Antiochus IV when he captured Jerusalem.

The book of Revelation alludes to this Ezekiel prophecy in chapter 20, verse 8, when after the millennium, Satan calls Gog and Magog------ all wicked resurrected nations to the final battle against the beloved city, heavenly Jerusalem. When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.