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And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, | |
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Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, | |
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Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were all sons of Japheth in Genesis 10:2.
The Magogians were known as the Scythians to the Greeks, and they are recorded as being a brutal people who frequently raided their neighbors by horseback. They were expert horsemen, and lived much of their lives in the saddle. The Great Wall of China was built specifically to keep them out, and it use to be known as the "Ramparts of Magog". They originally settled north of the Caucasus Mountains, but spread out all across the lands of Russia today. Meshech later became known as the Moschi, and settled in the region of the Moschian Mountains. The modern city of Moscow is a derivative of this name "Moschi". These people were also earlier called the Muscovites, a more-direct link to Moscow. Tubal dwelt near the Black Sea area near Georgia, and the city of Tobolsk probably originated from this group when they migrated over the Caucasus mountains. It appears that Gog is the the spiritual power behind the land of Magog and the others. Daniel 10 has an interesting description of the spiritual powers and rulers behind the nations of Greece and Persia. It's not a far stretch to assume that every nation has it's own set of spiritual rulers and principalities. The phrase "set thy face against" is typically used when God is describing upcoming wrath or judgement. When God "turns His face away from" a group or nation, He is basically turning His back to them. When He "turns His face towards" a group, it is typically for blessing and kindness. |
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And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: | |
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There is a translational difference between some of the texts, and
many versions of the Bible properly render the phrase, "against Gog, the land
of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" as: "against Gog, of the
land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal". The difference between them is that the KJV appears to have a translational error, rendering the Hebrew word "Ro'sh" as "chief" (an adjective), which is the meaning of the word, while the other versions render the word as a noun: "Rosh". With this difference in mind, the Rosh is the ancient name of the tribe from which the nation "Russia", or "land of the Ros/Rosh" originates. The Rosh peoples settled in the area north of the Taurus Mountains near the Vulga River. God is speaking to the power behind the three groups, and treats them as they are united under a single region or nation. Today's nation of Russia is made up of the remnants of each of these three groups. Why is God against this group of tribes/nations? Part of the reason is because of their evil intentions to attack Israel, who appears to be at peace with them. However, from the text it appears that God is orchestrating the entire scene, and that He is causing this incident specifically to bring these nations into judgement. God is a God of Justice, and in the last 100 years this group of nations has slaughtered (and caused to be slaughtered) countless millions of their own people and others by their system of communism and atheism. In Russia alone (when it was the Soviet Union), over 40 million people were killed under Stalin, Lenin, and the other USSR leaders in only 70 years. The exporting of atheistic communism to China, the Far East, and South America has claimed millions more lifes. Have Russia and these other communist nations ever been repaid for their evil and brought to justice? Not yet...and this is very likely why God declares that He is against them. All the modern pillars of communism are in direct opposition to God and the Bible's teachings, and Russia was the primary nation that lead the world in communism and spread it all over the world. |
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And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: | |
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The phrase "put hooks into thy jaws" is speaking of God forcibly leading them
and turning them around against their will. The Assyrians and Babylonians
used to put large hooks into the jaws of their prisoners and lead them where
they did not want to go: out of their land. Here, God is saying that He
will do the same to them. How could this literally be fulfilled today: Russia being forced to attack Israel against her will? The most logical way is by Russia being entangled in a set of treaties or economic conditions that forces Russia to be pulled down into the Middle East. Russia has been the primary military supplier of weapons to the Israel-hating nations of the Middle East, especially Syria and Iran. Russia also currently is building nuclear plants in Iran, against the wishes of the rest of the world. Perhaps if Israel attacks one of these nations like Iran or Syria, Russia will be forced to launch a massive attack against them. In the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Russia was the primary war planner/supporter of Syria, and was going to send in their own forces if President Nixon hadn't responded so strongly and quickly to come to Israel's defense. With the two superpowers in a quiet stand-off, the situation de-escalated and Israel finished the war with her enemies. Russia also has a number of treaties with Iran to keep the southern "break-away" republics to their south in check, in exchange for providing complete military protection of Iran during future military conflicts/wars. Today (January 2006), Russia is providing UN-veto protection for Iran concerning their nuclear weapons program. Russia doesn't like it, but it appears they have no choice but to support Iran. Russia is also heavily dependent upon natural gas and oil exports to other nations. If the oil market suddenly tanks and the price of oil drastically drops, Russia will feel the economic pinch very quickly. |
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Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: | |
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Persia has been a nation for thousands of years, and has only been known as
"Iran" since 1935. Iran today is the biggest state sponsor of
radical Islam and terrorism in the world, and has been radical and oppressive
since the Islamic Revolution. Iran's current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
was one of the terrorists who took the US Embassy hostage in 1979. Ethiopia is still known by the same name and was taken over by the communists in 1984. Thousands of Jews have migrated from Ethiopia to Israel in the last 20 years. Ethiopia has undergone a long civil war and famine since the communists took control of the nation, supported by the former Soviet Union. Libya is still basically the same nation as it was 2600 years ago, and is also very Islamic. It has long been against Israel and a state-sponsor of terrorism, but they've been quiet lately. The naming of Ethiopia in the original texts is really "Cush", who was one of the sons of Ham in Genesis 10. From Cush comes many of the black peoples of Africa, so the area of Ethiopia mentioned here may in fact be a much larger territory (perhaps all of north Africa, which is very Islamic today). |
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Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee. | |
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Gomer and all his bands can be expanded to include Gomer's sons enumerated in
Genesis 10:3, namely Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. |
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Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. | |
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God is commanding Russia to supply, lead, and guard the entire military force
in this excursion into the Middle East to attack Israel. The phrase "that are assembled unto thee" means that Russia will be planning and leading the attack, and providing the command-and-control information to coordinate the various military groups and forces. |
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After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land [that is] brought back from the sword, [and is] gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. | |
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The terms "after many days" means that this attack will happen long after this
prophecy was given (around 586 BC). There are some liberal scholars to
attempt to make this prophechy occur just before or during the Babylonian
Captivity, but the term "after many days" invalidates this timeline.
Also, the Magogians/Scythians have never attacked Israel in recorded history,
and never with this grouping of allies. The rest of this verse shows that this attack could only occur after 1948, when Israel was peacefully regathered to her lands out of all the nations, and are now safe in their own land, as previously described in Ezekiel 36-37) |
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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. | |
| The terms "come like a storm" and "be like a cloud" could very well indicate a massive air attack that comes very suddenly, followed closely by the rest of the military forces. In modern warfare, the air forces are nearly always used first to surprise and weaken the enemy, and then the ground troops come in and finish the attack, and complete the military action. | ||
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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: | |
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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, | |
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Israel today is quite secure in her own land, and has an outstanding
military. It has been over 30 years since they were last attacked by
their neighbors (other than Saddam Hussein tossing some missiles into their
cities in the Persian Gulf War). Israel no longer has walled cities or villages, and is quite an open, modern society. In the past, however, many of Israel's cities and villages were walled, especially when empires like Assyria and Babylon were constantly going back and forth across their land. |
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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. | |
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The "evil thought" that comes into Russia's mind is primarily one of
greed. Russia imports over half their food and other agricultural
products, while Israel exports massive amounts of fruits, vegetables, and other
products. Israel is also ideally located for shipping all over the Middle
East and the Mediterranean. Interestingly enough, the passage does specifically mention cattle (or livestock in general) and goods as part of what Russia is coveting. Russia desperately needs a solution to their agricultural problems and a warm-sea port, and Israel has both. Russia also has lost a significant number of Jewish engineers and scientists over the last 15 years as they have migrated from Russia and it's provinces back to their native land of Israel. |
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Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? | |
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Sheba and Dedan are both sons of Raamah in Genesis 10:7 which settled in the
Arabian penninsula, which today is Saudi Arabia. Tarshish and her "young lions" are a subject of debate among Bible students, scholars, and historians. The prophet Jonah fled on a ship bound for Tarshish when he was running from God, and since Nineveh (his assignment) was in the east in Assyria, it's very likely that Jonah was going in the opposite direction as far away as possible. This would make Jonah's destination either the British Isles or Spain. Tarshish was well-known in the ancient world as being world-wide sea merchants, and a great supplier of tin, both characteristics of ancient Britain, and the British have always been world-famous, sea-faring merchants The symbol of the lion has also been tied to Britain/England for many centuries, and the best arguments on exactly who Tarshish is usually favor Britain. The "young lions" of Tarshish (if it's Britain) would likely be her former colonies in the new world (which are fairly "young"), such as the United States, Austrailia, Canada, and a small assortment of other English-speaking lands. Most of these have continued in world-commerce and sea-trade like Britain. In the passage, note that while Sheba, Dedan, Tarshish, and her young lions protest Gog's actions, they do not do anything to stop it nor come to Israel's aide. A disturbing question to ponder (as an American), is that if Russia and the Islamic nations launch a massive attack on Israel, what would America do? It's unlikely that America would join in the attack on Israel because Israel has been one of America's staunchest allies. However, it's also equally unlikely that the United States would take up arms to defend Israel - the fear (threat or blackmail) of a Russian nuclear strike upon our American cities would be enough to keep America out of the way. Sadly, it appears that Tarshish and her offshoots protest, but refuse (or are too threatened) to take action. |
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Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know [it]? | |
| At this point, God goes back to addressing Gog again, and mentioning that Gog knows that Israel is safe and properous, and it's implied that it makes Gog envious. | ||
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And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: | |
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Even if the identities of Rosh, Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were not known,
tracing a line due north from Israel would take you directly into the heart of
Russia, in the uttermost northern parts of the globe. The Hebrew word for "horse" in this passage is not necessarily specific to the animal. The word literally means "leaper" - in Jeremiah 8:7, the same word is used for a bird, and in Exodus 14:9 the word is used for a chariot-rider. Basically, any type of rider or vehicle that "leaps". If a person 2600 years ago (or even 150 years ago) were to look into the current day and see an airplane or airforce, they would likely describe what they saw in terms they were familiar with, and describe them as great birds, or flying chariots with tails of fire. |
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And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. | |
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Again, there is both the mention of the armies of Gog coming up against Israel
as a "great cloud covering the land" and "in the latter days". This is
very descriptive of a massive air strike moving towards Israel to strike deep
within the land (like a cloud covering the entire land). The phrase that God says "I shall be sanctified in thee" means that He shall be honored, made holy, or set apart by how He responds to the attack. Today, people talk about God very often, but it's in a common (and typically profane) way that bears no resemblance to the God of the Bible. And by how God responds, He will make His name holy and respected to the entire world once again, after nearly 2600 years. |
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Thus saith the Lord GOD; [Art] thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days [many] years that I would bring thee against them? | |
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It is interesting that the primary prophet that God is mentioning here is the
very prophet who was writing it down: the prophet Ezekiel. The long time
gap mentioned also shows that this attack would happen long after the time of
Israel's prophets (which ended with John the Baptist in about 30 AD). There are no other prophets in the Bible that specifically mention these nations or this attack, other than possibly Daniel (in Daniel 11-12), but it's not nearly as specific (or as descriptive). |
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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. | |
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God is very patient with man, and He has long held back His judgement and wrath
upon the wicked people and nations of the earth. He stood by patiently
during the Holocaust, the Gulags, and the slaughter of millions of people over
the last 100 years. But when Russia and the Islamic nations finally move to wipe Israel off the map (His land and His inheritance), God finally stands up and moves against them, and He does so very dramatically and shows the entire world He means business. |
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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; | |
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On that day, God will send a great earthquake throughout Israel (probably by
shifting the faultline along the Jordan Rift/Valley). One reason for God to do this is to get everyone's attention. Another reason is that everyone in Israel will be driven outside by the earthquake to see with their own eyes what God does next: working His salvation in their land and destroying all their enemies. The jealousy of God is for His land (Israel), His people, and for His Holy Name. He has been blasphemed for centuries and He has been patient and merciful. He didn't move against Germany during the Holocaust, or Russia during their days of communism -- He knew this day would come and that His justice and vengence would be satisfied. But on this day, He moves to set things right, and shows everyone exactly Who God is and what He thinks about people who attack His land and His people. |
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So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that [are] upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. | |
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God doesn't just intend to get Israel and the attackers' attention, but the
attention of the entire world. During a natural disaster such as an
earthquake, people in most areas will check the news as soon as possible to
find out what's going on. There will most likely be a very short timespan between the earthquake and the God's destruction of the invading hordes. Probably just long enough for most people to check themselves over and turn on their TVs, radios, and computers. |
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And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. | |
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Frequently in the Bible, God uses confusion as one of His weapons against an
enemy, causing them to destroy each other and then retreat. In order to
lead such a vast, diverst group of allies in this attack, Russia must have
nearly perfect communication with each division and have their
command-and-control center coordinating the entire operation. A massive
earthquake that disrupts communication and other military technology could
indeed cause confusion among these invading armies. Another problem with the coalition of the various Islamic nations of the Middle East and Russia is that none of these groups trust each other. When Islamic countries aren't warring against Israel, they typically war against one another. The Middle East has not known real peace for thousands of years. |
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And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that [are] with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. | |
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The third part of God's response to this invasion force (after the earthquake
and His turning their forces against one another) is to send pestilence (a
rapid outbreak of diseases?) torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and
brimstone against the armies.
These torrents and hailstones would cripple both the clouds of fighter jets in the skies and the rapidly moving ground forces. The "raining of blood" will probably be a supernatural plague sent by God. Frequently in the Bible, God judges a nation by the "gods" they worship. For example, the plagues of Egypt were all really directed against the gods of Egypt, and showed everyone that these gods were powerless against the True God. Consider the gods that both Russia and Islam worship: war, bloodshed, death (evolution, terrorism, etc.), injustice, anti-Semitism, and world dominiation. The earlier earthquake would also serve to disrupt any naval forces that would be attacking or moving by sea from the tsunamis generated by the earthquakes near the land of Israel. |
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Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] the LORD. | |
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The main purposes that God apparently has for this incident is to let the world
clearly know the following: 1) That God does indeed exist (inspite of the "God is dead" rhetoric of recent history and the media) 2) That God will intercede upon human actions/history and work out His purposes upon the world. 3) That God is a God of Justice who will repay nations for their evil deeds and their slaughter of the innocents. 4) That God is the true God of Israel who watches over and protects them, just as He promised. 5) That God will no longer let His name be blasphemed and mis-used by the religions of the world, especially Islam, which proclaims that they are God's people, not Israel. 6) That God is the God of the Bible and not the Koran or the other religions, and people will see how this incident was written in detail in the Bible over 2600 years before it occurred. 7) That God is once again moving on the earth and in history after being "silent" for a long time, and that the End Times as spoken of in the Bible are on our doorstep. |
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King James Version (KJV)
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