Ezekiel 38-39
(Please note that I wrote this about 18 months before Russia invaded Crimea in March 2014. Updated note: Russia, in February 2022, invaded Ukraine, once a part of Russia). I am updating this in 2023 because of Russia’s involvement with Iran (Persia) and the Gaza War.
“Dear friends, I am writing you now this second letter; and in both letters I am trying to arouse you to wholesome thinking by means of reminders; so that you will keep in mind the predictions of the holy prophets and the command given by the Lord and Deliverer through your emissaries” (2 Peter 3:1-3).
I’ve always been fascinated by end-times eschatology. It’s really how I came to faith in Yeshua. He dealt with a lot of my childhood fears, gave me hope, and set me free. The first book I read after being ‘saved’ was The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. My eyes were opened to so many things, most especially the role of the nations of the world with Israel and Jerusalem in the last days.
Over the past 30 years I’ve heard many different modern-day prophets predict the day of Yeshua’s return, but they have all been wrong. This is because most, if not all of them, didn’t take into account the Feasts of Yahweh. They based their predictions on ideologies without His outline of events being central to their predictions. They looked at how horrible the world was becoming rather than the ‘appointed times’ that needed to be fulfilled. Some pastors even taught there is no prophecy that needs to be fulfilled before Jesus returns. According to new testament Scripture, Peter disagrees with that teaching and says that we must keep in mind the predictions of the holy prophets.
Ezekiel is one of the holy prophets. Much of his end-time revelations are about how the world enters the 1000 year reign of Yeshua (Jesus) on earth. Ezekiel 38-39 describes a world battle that is sometimes referred to as Gog and Magog. I remember reading these chapters numerous times in my life and being confused by all the strange names. Bible teachers interpreted the names differently depending on their personal views of eschatology. One interpretation suggested they named all the demonic powers and principalities that rule over the spiritual realm in certain countries. Though I believe that prophecy reveals more of what will happen in the natural, physical realm, I do keep the spiritual view in mind because our ‘battles are not against flesh and blood, but powers and principalities’ (Ephesians 6:12).
It was only recently when I was reading a novel and found what the author wrote intriguing. Since it was written in 2006 and it was a novel, the author wasn’t necessarily trying to predict anything. He was just writing from a plethora of information and created his own version of how he saw the end times unfold.
Apart from one place, his understanding of these countries actually lined up with everything that is happening in the news around the world today –– not seven years ago. Even stranger, several of the events that he wrote about actually became headlines within days of me reading the book.
Since I believe he actually had the names and places of Ezekiel 38-39 correct, I did what I always do –– write it in the margin of my Bible for future reference. I also shared what I found with my husband who shook his head in disbelief when he found one of the ‘novel’ events being published in that day’s news.
In Daniel 12:4, Daniel is told ‘in the last days knowledge would increase’. Peter said we are to ‘keep in mind the predictions of the holy prophets’. Combining the increase in knowledge with the prophets’ words opens a larger spiritual vision of what is occurring in the world. Perhaps you already know the countries involved in Ezekiel, but if you don’t know the countries and have wondered what and where they are, I’m going to list them below and insert them into the two chapters of Ezekiel. Find a map with modern-day names and see where these countries are in relation to Isra’el and each other. An interesting ‘picture’ will be revealed politically, but it is my opinion that the ultimate purpose for the Gog/Magog war will be religious and ultimately bring ‘every knee to bow at the name of Yeshua’ (Romans 14:11). It is also important to note that the final victory will not be any random powerful nation, but the nation of Israel and the city of our God, Jerusalem.
Gog – prince or czar over a land
Magog – the land over which Gog rules
Rosh – head, leader, chief prince
Meshekh – Moscow (Moscow is directly north of Jerusalem and east by 100 miles)
Tuval – Siberia (The Tubol river flows through Siberia)
Paras – Persia is modern-day Iran (Iraq was part of Persia with Babylon being its political center)
Cush – Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea
Put – Libya, Tunisia, Algeria
Gomer – Germany
House of Togarmah – Turkey, Armenia
Sheba – Saudia Arabia
Dedan – Persian Gulf Region
Tarshish – India, Pakistan (some say Iberian peninsula and that could include
Mororcco, but Morocco has historically been pro-Jew)
Gilead – means ‘mountain of testimony’. It includes the tribal regions of Gad, Reuben and eastern half of Manasseh or all of the land east of the Jordan River and includes modern-day Jordan
Bashan – Golan Heights (part of Syria)
Ezekiel 38
“The word of Adonai came to me: “Human being, turn your face toward the czar of Russia, leader of Moscow and Siberia; and prophesy against him. Say that Adonai Elohim says, ‘I am against you, Czar, and leader of Moscow and Siberia. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with all your army, horses and horsemen, all completely equipped, a great horde with breastplates and shields, all wielding swords. Iran, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, Tunesia, Algeria are with them, all with breastplates and helmets; Germany with all its troops; Turkey and Armenia in the far reaches of the north, with all its troops — many nations are with you. Prepare yourself, get ready, you and all your crowd gathered around you; and take charge of them. After many days have passed, you will be mustered for service; in later years you will invade the land which has been brought back from the sword, gathered out of many peoples, the mountains of Isra’el. They had been lying in ruins for a long time, but now Isra’el has been extracted from the nations and all of them are living there securely. You will come up like a storm, you will be like a cloud covering the land — you and all your troops, and many other nations with you.’
“Adonai Elohim says: ‘When that day comes, thoughts will well up in your mind, and you will devise a sinister scheme. You will say, “I am going to invade this land of unwalled villages; I will take by surprise these people who are at peace, living securely, all in places without walls, bars or gates. I will seize the spoil and take the plunder.” You will attack the former ruins that are now inhabited and come against the people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and other wealth and are living in the central parts of the land. Saudi Arabia and the region around the Persian Gulf and all the leading merchants of India will ask you, “Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hordes to loot; to carry off silver, gold, livestock and other wealth; to take much plunder?”’
“Therefore, human being, prophesy! Tell the Czar that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Won’t you be aware of it when my people Isra’el are living in security? You will choose just that time to come from your place in the far reaches of the north, you and many nations with you, all of them on horseback, a huge horde, a mighty army; and you will invade my people Isra’el like a cloud covering the land. This will be in the acharit-hayamim [last days]; and I will bring you against my land, so that the nations will know me when, before their eyes, I am set apart as holy through you, Czar of Russia.’
“Adonai Elohim says: ‘I spoke of you long ago through my servants the prophets of Isra’el. Back then, they prophesied for many years that I would have you invade them. When that day comes, when the Czar invades the land of Isra’el,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘my furious anger will boil up. In my jealousy, in my heated fury I speak: when that day comes there will be a great earthquake in the land of Isra’el; so that the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the wild beasts, all the reptiles creeping on the ground and every human being there in the land will tremble before me. Mountains will fall, cliffs crumble and every wall crash to the ground. I will summon a sword against him throughout all my mountains,’ says Adonai Elohim; ‘every man will wield his sword against his brother. I will judge him with plague and with blood. I will cause torrential rain to fall on him, his troops and the many nations with him, along with huge hailstones, fire and sulfur. I will show my greatness and holiness, making myself known in the sight of many nations; then they will know that I am Adonai.’
It is interesting to note that Yahweh will use all of these nations (of Islam) that come against Isra’el to reveal Himself and His glory.
Ezekiel 39
“Son of man, prophesy against the Czar and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Czar chief prince of Moscow and Siberia. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Isra’el you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will send fire on Russia and Siberia and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the Lord.
“‘I will make known my holy name among my people Isra’el. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Isra’el. It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day (of the Lord) I have spoken of.
“‘Then those who live in the towns of Isra’el will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.
“‘On that day I will give the Czar a burial place in Isra’el, in the valley of those who travel east toward the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Czar and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.
“‘For seven months the house of Isra’el will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I am glorified will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord
“‘Men will be regularly employed to cleanse the land. Some will go throughout the land and, in addition to them, others will bury those that remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months they will begin their search. As they go through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker beside it until the gravediggers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. (Also a town called Hamonah will be there.) And so they will cleanse the land.’
“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Isra’el. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Jordan and the Golan Heights. At the sacrifice I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.
“I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. From that day forward the house of Isra’el will know that I am the Lord their God. And the nations will know that the people of Isra’el went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.
“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Isra’el, and I will be zealous for my holy name. They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
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