Ezekiel 38

for the future. But insight helps us better understand ourselves and those around us, and what we must do to become better men and women who do the will of God. In these chapters, Ezekiel exercises all three gifts as he exposes sin, analyzes history, and gives promises for the future. He deals with the sins of the Jewish people (chap. 33), the sins of their leaders (chap. 34), and the sins of the neighboring land of Edom (chap. 35).

Many Bible scholars consider this section of Ezekiel to rank among the most difficult prophetic passages in Scripture, and they don’t all agree in their interpretations. Some have identified this invasion with the Battle of Armageddon, described in Revelation 16:13–16 and 19:11–21, but the contrasts between these two events are too obvious. Others see Ezekiel 38—39 as a description of an “ideal battle” that assured the Jews in exile of God’s power to protect His people. While the assurance is certainly there, this approach doesn’t explain the many details recorded in these two chapters. We will approach these chapters assuming that they are describing actual events.

The reference to “Gog and Magog” in Revelation 20:7–9 has led some students to place this invasion after the millennium, but this interpretation also has its problems. The army described in verse 8 will come from the four corners of the earth, while Gog’s army will be comprised of men from six nations and will invade from the north. Also, if fire from heaven devours the army mentioned in verse 8, why would it be necessary to spend seven months burying the bodies and seven years (into eternity?) burning the weapons? The words Gog and Magog are probably used to relate the two prophetic events but not to equate them. Both Ezekiel and John describe attacks against Jerusalem and the Jews, and in both events, the Lord miraculously delivers His people.

A suggested scenario. Before we examine Ezekiel 38—39, we should review the “prophetic situation” prior to this invasion of the Holy Land. The next crisis event on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church, an event that can occur at any time (1 Thess. 4:13–18). Jesus Christ will come in the air and call His people to be with Him in heaven. According to Daniel 9:24–27. the nation of Israel will make an agreement with the head of a ten-nation European coalition to protect them for seven years so they can rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. We don’t know how much time elapses between the rapture of the church and the signing of this covenant. It’s the signing of the covenant that triggers the start of the seven-year tribulation period described in Matthew 24:1–28 and Revelation 6—19.

After three and one-half years, this European leader will emerge as the Antichrist (the Beast). He will break the covenant with Israel, set up his own image in the Jewish temple, and try to force the world to worship and obey him (Dan. 9:27; 2 Thess. 2:1–12; Matt. 24:15; Rev. 13). During the last three and one-half years years of the tribulation period, the world will experience “the wrath of God,” and the period will climax with the return of Christ to the earth to defeat Satan and the Beast and establish His kingdom. That’s when the Battle of Armageddon will be fought.

If this is the correct sequence of prophetic events, then during the first half of the tribulation period, Israel will be in her land, protected by the strongest political leader in the world. It will be a time of peace and safety when the other nations won’t threaten them (Ezek. 38:8, 11, 14). Since we don’t know how much time will elapse between the rapture of the church and the signing of the covenant, it’s possible that the Jews and this powerful European leader will complete their negotiations very soon after the saints have been taken out. We don’t know how long it will take for Israel to rebuild the temple, but it will be complete by the middle of this seven-year period. That’s when this powerful European leader will break the covenant, reveal himself as the man of sin, and set up his own image in the temple.

With this suggested scenario in mind, perhaps we can better understand the invasion described in these two chapters.

The leader of this army is named Gog, ruler of “Magog,” which means “the land of Gog.” It was located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The title “chief prince” can be translated “prince of Rosh,” a place that hasn’t been determined yet. But if “prince of Rosh” is the correct translation, then this man will rule over Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. The latter two places are located in eastern Asia Minor along with Gomer and Beth-Togarmah. Prince Gog’s allies will be Persia (Iran), Cush (ancient Ethiopia), Put (Libya), Gomer, and Beth-Togarmah, both located near the Black Sea.

Since all these nations except Put, Cush, and Persia are located north of Israel, it’s tempting to identify Rosh with Russia and therefore Meschech with Moscow and Tubal with Tobolsk, both cities in Russia; but we would have a hard time defending this on linguistic grounds. This doesn’t rule out the participation of modern Russia, since it is located in the north (vv. 6, 15; 39:2), but neither does it demand it.

The prophet encourages his listeners (and readers) by telling them the end of the story even before he begins: God will defeat this vast coalition army and rescue His people Israel in their land (38:3–4a). This invasion won’t occur until “after many days … in the latter years” (v. 8), at a time when Israel is enjoying peace and security under the protection of the political leader who signed the covenant. Prince Gog and his allies will think that Israel is an easy target, but they forget the protection of the God of Jacob.

This raises the perplexing question: Why would Gog and his allies want to attack Israel at all, knowing that a powerful ten-nation European alliance had promised to defend the helpless Jews? The overt purpose stated in verses 12–13 is to seize the wealth in the land of Israel, a purpose that the other nations understood. But if our suggested scenario is correct, perhaps these nations also want to prevent the rebuilding of the Jewish temple. The nations named are identified with Islam, and they would want to protect the “Dome of the Rock,” a revered Muslim monument which has stood on the temple site for centuries.

Whatever Prince Gog’s thinking might be, it’s clear that it is the Lord who brings this army out (v. 4 nasb; vv. 16–17). Prince Gog thinks he has worked out the whole scheme (vv. 10–11), but it is God who is in charge. The northern coalition comes into the land of Israel confident of victory, but they are walking into a trap.

Enemies have frequently attacked Israel from the north, including Assyria, Babylon, and the Hittites. Prince Gog and his horde will swoop down from the north, “like a cloud to cover the land,” totally ignorant that the God of Israel intended their destruction. The decisions made in the war room of Magog will conform to the will of the Lord who planned this invasion for His own purposes. God in no way violated their own freedom to think and decide, but He overruled Gog’s decisions for His own purposes, just as He did with Babylon (21:18–24). “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov. 16: nkjv). “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov. 21: nkjv).

What does the leader of the European coalition think when this undeclared war begins? Surely a man of his intelligence would have known that these nations were mobilizing. Having just entered into the sevenyear covenant with Israel, he had to act to protect them; but he would also want to make the best use of the crisis to promote his own agenda. After all, he had agreed to protect Israel so that he might one day use their temple for his own evil purposes. Perhaps he could use Gog and his allies to hasten the day when he would become world dictator.

But before the European leader has time to act, God will intervene in His jealous wrath and wipe out the invading forces! First, He will cause an earthquake that will be felt around the world (Ezek. 38:19–20). This earthquake doesn’t seem to fit any of the earthquakes mentioned in the book of the Revelation (Rev. 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18), but in some places on the earth, the damage will be terrible. The shaking of the land of Israel will throw the invading army into panic, and the men will begin to slaughter one another. Then God will send rain, hailstones, and fire and brimstone (sulfur) from heaven as well as a plague on the army, and this will end the invasion, leaving so many corpses that it will take seven months to bury all of them (Ezek. 39:12).

The description of the defeat in chapter 38 focuses on the army, but in 39:1–8, the focus is on the leader of the army, Prince Gog of Magog. In the KJV, verse 2 gives the impression that one sixth of the invading army will be spared and sent home humiliated. However, the verse is stating that it is God who brings Prince Gog into the land and allows him to try to attack the people of Israel. “And I will turn you about, and will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north, and will lead you against the mountains of Israel” (ab).

God not only leads the prince, but He also disarms him so that he is helpless before his enemy (v. 3). Instead of slaughtering the Jews, his soldiers will themselves be slaughtered and become food for the vultures and the beasts of the field. But the Lord won’t stop with His judgment of the armies that invade Israel; He will also send a fiery judgment on the land of Magog (v. 6)!

In verse 23, the Lord gives three reasons for bringing Gog and his armies to Israel and then defeating them so dramatically. First, this victory will reveal the greatness of the Lord as He displays His power before the nations (v. 23). There is no evidence that the Israelite forces ever confronted the invading army. The Lord intervened and used weapons that no general on earth could use—rain, hailstones, and fire and brimstone from heaven! In fact, the invading army will get out of control and destroy itself! This victory will also reveal His holiness as He judges the sins of the leader from Magog and deals with his enmity against the Jews. The wealth of the Holy Land belongs to the Lord, and He has shared it with His people Israel, and the other nations have no right to exploit it. Third, the victory will make Jehovah known to the Gentile nations, and the world will see that the God of Israel is the only true and living God.

But perhaps the most important reason is given in 39:7, that Israel will recognize the holiness of God and be convicted of her own sins. During their time of dispersion in the other nations, the Jews had profaned the name of the Lord (36:19–23). Now God has gathered them back into their own land, but they are still not a converted people; otherwise they would confess God’s holiness and greatness. It will not be until they see their Messiah that they will loathe their sins, put their trust in Christ and become a regenerated people (37:25–38). But this great victory will be the beginning of their spiritual experience with the Lord. Both Israel and the nations will know that Jehovah is the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. During the difficult tribulation period, did the Jewish people remember God’s great victory over the invaders? Did it encourage their faith? Did any of the Gentiles remember and turn to God?

We’re tempted to speculate on how the European leader responded to this remarkable series of events. No sooner did he guarantee his protection to Israel than a coalition of nations invaded Palestine, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Perhaps he said that the “forces of nature” were under his control! At least the Jews could build their temple without interference from the neighboring nations. The Lord will give Antichrist what he wants, but in the end, it will all combine to lead to his destruction.