Preface

With the disintegration of the Soviet Union^{^[1]} a sense of relaxation and satisfaction came to many in the West. It was the sense that the period of danger had passed, that a war between Communism and capitalism was now impossible. Probably no one expressed this feeling more effectively than the elder statesman George Kennan.^{^[2]} He said, "What we are witnessing today in Russia is the breakup of much, if not all, of the system of power by which that country has been held together and governed since 1917, ... It is the end of the Russian Revolution as we have known it ... Whatever reasons there may once have been for regarding the Soviet Union primarily as a possible, if not probable, military opponent, the time for that sort of thing has clearly passed."^{^[3]} Mr. Kennan went on to say, "Things are going our way, I don't see why we have to assert ourselves. After all, the Soviets support liberalization in Hungary and Poland and oppose Stalinist governments elsewhere."^{^[4]}

According to the euphoric optimism expressed by Mr. Kennan, in the future we shouldn't have to worry about the prospect of a major war initiated by Moscow or Beijing, the main centers of Communism. However, other analysts have given us more sobering assessments of the situation.

For example, Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, a person with unique powers of analysis, continues to be very well informed on the world situation. In a 1996 speech he said, "Russia finds itself now in borders that it has not had since Peter the Great, for 400 years. It was composed of 15 republics which were really subjugated colonial regions, all of which have now become independent. Russia is by far the largest of these and has the vastest territory. But if you observe the Russian domestic discussion, it is really about regaining the empire, and the foreign policy problem we have with Russia is not the domestic politics of Moscow, which is what too many of our journalists and too many of our political figures say. The foreign policy problem we have with Russia is whether it can be kept within the borders that were established internationally after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

"And you have to remember that is still a vast territory. St. Petersburg is still closer to New York than it is to Vladivostok at the other end of the country. Vladivostok is closer to Seattle than it is to Moscow. So you would think the Russians could not be claustrophobic, but last week I came home from China on a private plane, and we landed at the Siberian city of Kaveric and an unbelievable haggle developed about whether we could get fuel there, which led me into a discussion with the local head of the customs department. And his basic concern was, when will Russia reacquire Ukraine, Azerbaijan and all these other countries that are now independent, and this is at the furthest corner of Russia you can almost be. ... What Russia is doing now is trying to regain great power status."^{^[5]}

We should evaluate Mr. Kissinger’s analysis in light of a serious study of Ezekiel 38 & 39.

INTRODUCTION

Before turning our attention to the great prophetic passage in the 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekie,l a few preliminary considerations are appropriate. We often have great difficulty determining the beginning of a period of history even from its end! Our difficulty arises from the fact that history often is extremely complicated and has frequently been further complicated by powerful attempts to obscure the truth.

In contrast, God knows how events are going to end. Isaiah chapter 46:9-10 stresses this fact. It says, "I am God and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." There are many descriptions of God in the scripture. The most central one of them is, He is the Living God. But here we are reminded He is the one who declares "the end from the beginning." ^{^[6]}

Several passages of scripture make it clear that God wants His people to be aware, at least in broad outline, of the agenda of coming events on the calendar of human affairs. For example, Jesus rebuked leaders of both major religious parties of his day saying, "Ye know how to discern the face of the heavens, but ye cannot discern the signs of the times." (Matthew 16:3) If we become blinded as those people were, whether on purpose or through negligence, all of us will be subject to a similar rebuke from Jesus. This priority of being aware of the main developments in human affairs is also underscored in the first verse of First Thessalonians chapter five: "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you." Could Paul commend us so highly?^{^[7]}

God expects His people, the "sons of light," (I Thessalonians 5:5) to have understanding of the major developments which are imminent on the calendar of coming events because it will help us prepare to participate in the special purpose he wants to accomplish through the church! That purpose is emphasized in a magnificent mandate for the church recorded in Ephesians 3:10-11 which tells us "...that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In order to maximize our abilities, our resources, and our opportunities we must have a correct view of world events, not only those in the past, those in the present, but also, broadly at least, those in the future. Ezekiel’s prophecy in chapters 38 and 39 of his book give us the framework we need to evaluate and anticipate major moves in immanent historical developments.

EXPOSITION

The thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of Ezekiel introduce us to numerous people with whom many of us are not well acquainted, and to events about which we may not have thought deeply. But if we visualize these people and events as participants and scenes in a great drama, it will help us understand them. First of all, it is important to become acquainted with the plot of the drama.

THE PLOT OF THE DRAMA

Chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel’s prophecy predict that a vast coalition of military forces will invade the land of Israel. The consequences of the invasion will be epochal. It will trigger deep spiritual changes both in Israel and in the countries from which the forces of the coalition come. The plot is epitomized in the address God makes to the leader of the vast invading coalition. God’s message to him is, "Be thou prepared, yea, prepare thyself, thou, and all thy companies that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples, and they shall dwell securely, all of them. And thou shalt ascend, thou shalt come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy hordes, and many peoples with thee." (Ezekiel 38:7-9)

THE CAST.

Cast members from the North. Ezekiel 38:6 tells us of cast members who come from the north. It says, "Gomer, and all his hordes; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the NORTH..." The participants from the north are emphasized again in 38:14-15, "Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In that day when my people Israel dwelleth securely [in safety” - NIV], shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the uttermost parts of the NORTH." Thirdly, consider Ezekiel 39:2, in which God says, "I will turn thee [Gog] about, and will lead thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the NORTH." Unmistakably, then, some of the cast members who are going to have a leading part in this cosmic drama will come not only from the north, but the extreme north, or the uttermost parts of the north.

The reference point. If we want to understand this passage of scripture, it is essential to recognize the place from which it is all being viewed. Several verses indicate that the land of Israel is the bench mark from which directions are determined in this prophecy. Ezekiel 38:8 says, "After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel." So, then, "the mountains of Israel" constitute the place on which we must conceptually stand to understand the compass directions given in this informative passage. Also Ezekiel 38:18 tells us, "And it shall come to pass in that day, when Gog shall come against the land of Israel." Here the “land of Israel” is the unmistakable directional reference point. Again, notice Ezekiel 39:2, "I will turn thee about, and will lead thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel." So, the point from which events are viewed is "the mountains of Israel." Similarly, in Ezekiel 39:4 we are told, "Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel." Here, then, the “the mountains of Israel” constitute the unmistakable point from which these compass directions are to be determined.

Geographic clues. One should stand in the area governed by Israel and ask onesself, Where are the uttermost parts of the north? The answer, if one goes due north, points us toward Russia. If one follows the lines of longitude he will see that Moscow, although not precisely, is almost due north of Jerusalem. If we go north of Russian territory we come out in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Obviously then, chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel discuss several regions that are today governed by Russia.

Though several aspects of this prophecy have already come into reality, absolutely nothing in history has been a complete fulfillment of this passage.^{^[8]} Thus, we are studying a graphic depiction of an event which is still future. While it is still future, it is probably imminent, not in the distant future.

Ethnic clues. In addition to geographical, there are also ethnic clues by which we may identify several of the peoples mentioned by Ezekiel.

Tubal. Tubal, mentioned in Ezekiel 38:2, is the name of a grandson of Noah born through Japheth. (Genesis 10:2-5) Notice the Tobol River flowing to the north in the Soviet Union. After merging with the Irtish River which joins the Ob River it ultimately flows into the Arctic Ocean. (See Map No. 1). Also, the major city of Tobolsk, named after this biblical people, is located on the Tobol River at its junction with the Irtish River. (See Map No. 2). Because the river and the city, which both preserve the name Tubal, are in the uttermost parts of the north, it is highly probable that their names identify the location of the Tubal mentioned by Ezekiel.

Meshech. The name (Ezekiel 38:3) comes from the name of the sixth grandson of Noah through Japheth. (See Genesis 10:2-5.) Where the name Meshech occurs in our English translation, the translation in Urdu, a widely spoken Asian language, is Masak or, as it may also be read, Maska. The Persian and Arabic translations give Mashak. This probably refers to Moscow. Phonetically Meshech, Masak, Maska, and Mashak are identical to Moskva or Moscow.^{^[9]}

Some, however, will probably object by pointing out that the city of Moscow did not come into being till about 1295 A.D. However, just as there is a river and a city which preserve the name Tubal in north central Russia, so here in northwest Russia we have both a city and a river which preserve a people’s name. The city of Moscow is situated on both sides of the Moskva River. (See Map No. 3.) Obviously, these people came into this area long before the city was founded.^{^[10]}

Rosh. In the NIV rendering of Ezekiel 38:2 the word Rosh doesn’t occur. It says, "the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal."(NIV). The translators of the NIV considered the Hebrew word rosh to be an adjective meaning chief. In the Revised Version it is rendered, "the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal," The Hebrew word is rosh. Many scholars, like the renowned William Gesenius, for example, feel that rosh is definitely a proper noun. He says, "Ez.38,2.3. 39,1, Rosh, pr. n. [that is, a proper noun] of a northern nation mentioned along with Tubal and Meshech, without much doubt i.q. [the same as] the Russians, who are described by the Byzantine writers of the tenth century, under the [Greek] name Hoi Hroos, as inhabiting the northern parts of Taurus; and also by Ibn Fosslan, an Arabian writer of the same period, under the [Arabic name] Rus, as dwelling upon the river Wolga. [i.e., the Volga River]"^{^[11]}

The translators of the Bible into Urdu understood the Hebrew word rosh to be a proper noun and transliterated it (as proper nouns should be) as Rosh. [In the Persian and Arabic translations the word is rendered "Roosh".] To what does this word refer? Keeping in mind the geographical considerations mentioned above, it most probably refers to the proper noun, Russia. That being the case, chapters 38 & 39 of Ezekiel prophetically describe an epochal war in which Russia will have a leading role.

To resolve the difference of opinion among the various translators of the Bible into English about how the Hebrew word rosh should be translated, I have consulted thirty-four English translations. Sixteen have understood rosh to be an adjective implying "chief" or "head" while eighteen of the translations render the word as a proper noun, Rosh. It would seem, therefore, on strictly linguistic grounds, one may not be dogmatic about the translation of the Hebrew word rosh. However, if one keeps the geographical and philosophical considerations before him, along with the indisputable etymological association of the names of the other nations or peoples from the north, then the evidence on the side of rosh being the proper name of a nation or people in the extreme north is very strong.

In harmony with the presumptive and circumstantial evidence just presented, it should be noted that there is an ancient people whose name was Rus from whom Russia is named. They came from Scandinavia and overpowered the Slavic people residing in what is now European Russia and then governed the area for centuries.

"Indo-European and Ural-Altaic peoples have occupied what is now the European territory of the [former] Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) since the second millennium before Christ, but little is known about their ethnic identity, institutions, and activities."^{^[12]}

"The origin of the term ‘Russia’ has been much disputed. It is certainly derived, through Rossiya, from Slavonic Rus or Ros (Byzantine Hroos or [its plural] Hroosoi), a name first given to the Scandinavians who founded a principality on the Dnieper [River] in the 9th century; and afterwards extended to the collection of Russian states of which this principality formed the nucleus."^{^[13]}

"Legends and literature recorded much later [i.e. later than the founding of the state of Kievan Rus], archaeological evidence, and the notations of foreign observers, however, suggest that by the early ninth century [A.D.] Scandinavian adventurers (known variously as ‘Varangians’ and ‘Rus’) had entered the Slav lands. Primarily attracted by the silver at the Volga market centers, they plundered Slav villages and carried their booty to the same markets that the Slavs themselves had visited. In the course of the ninth century the Varangians established more permanent ties to the native populace: each band of Varangians protected its own group of Slavs from competing Scandinavian pirates in exchange for regular tribute payments. Those stable relationships were mutually beneficial. The Slavs were relieved of the sporadic, violent raids, while the armed Rus bands received regular supplies of goods used in their exchanges for silver and oriental luxury products. Gradually, the Rus leaders acquired the character of princes, and the Slav populace became their subjects." ^{^[14]}

While the earliest extant non-biblical literary mention of Rosh is in the Primary Chronicle^{^[15]} [compiled during the eleventh and early twelfth centuries A.D.] in the form of Rus, Ezekiel, who prophesied from 593 B.C. to approximately 560 B.C., almost certainly makes literary mention of these important people some seventeen centuries before the Primary Chronicle was compiled! This passage clearly indicates that Russia will be one of the key combatants in the definitive battle for Palestine.

Togarmah. Next, notice the other people from the uttermost parts of the north, starting with the name Togarmah (Ezekiel 38:6). This name comes from a great grandson of Noah through Gomer and Japheth who is mentioned in Genesis 10:3.

An interesting collection of correspondence which was carried on between "Hasdai Ibn Shaprut,^{^[16]} the Jewish chief minister of the Caliph of Cordoba,^{^[17]} and Joseph, King of the Khazars, will help us identify Togarmah. Spain was governed for centuries by Muslims and Cordoba (or Cordova) was their capital city. Contemporaneously, north of the Black Sea was an empire that was known as the Empire or the Kingdom of Khazaria. It was a unique kingdom or empire because it was neither Christian nor Muslim. Although many Byzantine missionaries from Istanbul, which was then known as Constantinople, preached there, and though many Muslim missionaries labored there, the Khazars elected to become Jews in order to preserve their political freedom. The Jewish kingdom of Khazaria flourished from roughly the fifth Christian century to about the eleventh. Notice this interesting statement from that correspondence in response to a question from Hasdai Ibn Shaprut: ‘Joseph [king of the Khazars] then proceeds to provide a genealogy of his people. Though a fierce Jewish nationalist, proud of wielding the ‘Scepter of Judah’, he cannot, and does not, claim for them Semitic descent; he traces their ancestry not to Shem, but to Noah's third son, Japheth; or more precisely to Japheth's grandson, Togarma, the ancestor of all Turkish tribes.’"^{^[18]}

Thus, "the house of Togarmah" refers to the Turkish people. Keep in mind that though the people of Turkey are of the house of Togarmah, there are many of their fellow Turks living in the former Soviet Union. The Islamic republics of the former Soviet Union, several of which are Turkic, have now become independent countries. Russia may ultimately, if these countries maintain their independence, forge a coalition with them. This scripture in Ezekiel may point even to a coalition between Russia and Turkey though they have been enemies for centuries.

Further confirmation of the identity of Togarmah comes from the writings of the traveler Benjamin of Tudela^{^[19]} (died 1173 A.D.), a Spanish Jew who visited not only France, Italy, and Greece in Europe, but Palestine, Persia, the borders of China, Egypt, and Sicily during the period 1159 through 1173. He wrote, "Wealth like that of Constantinople is not to be found in the whole world. Here also are men learned in all the books of the Greeks, and they eat and drink every man under his vine and his fig-tree. They hire from amongst all nations warriors called Loazim (Barbarians) to fight with the Sultan Masud, King of the Togarmim (Seljuks), who are called Turks." ^{^[20]} So the Togarmim (which is simply the Arabic plural form of the name Togarmah in the biblical record) are the Turks!

Of course, the Turks include a vast number of Turkic-speaking people whose areas of settlement stretch far beyond the bounds of the country of Turkey. This fact enhances the importance and significance of understanding who and where the descendants of Togarmah are. An incident from World War I helps us understand how vast the area overspread by the Turkish speaking people is. “A British Intelligence report on the movement to unite all the Turkish-speaking peoples, the Pan-Turanian Movement, prepared by the Department of Information in the autumn of 1917, estimated that outside the Ottoman Empire more than seventeen million people in Asia spoke one or more of the Turkic languages.^{^[21]} According to the report, ‘Turkish-speaking Central Asia is one of the largest continuous language areas in the world - larger than the Great Russian area and almost as large as the English or Spanish-speaking area in America.’ While disdainful of pan-Turanianism as an ideology, the report pictured it as a dangerous instrument in the hands of the Young Turk leaders. ‘The whole population is Turkish; the whole population is Sunni; and the present possessor [i.e. Russia] is not an ancient Moslem [sic] State, but a recent Christian conqueror.”^{^[22]}

“The Turkic languages are remarkable for their lack of diversity in spite of their wide occurrence in all the Euroasiatic regions except South Asia and Southeast Asia. Several of the numerous Turkic languages might be considered as a single language if it were not for the fact that mutual intelligibility between groups is impaired by differential borrowing from the various unrelated languages encountered in different regions.”^{^[23]}

Gomer. (From the far northwest) Another significant name in Ezekiel 38:6 is Gomer. As names move from one language to another, frequently major changes occur. Proper names, Gomer being an example, may undergo such basic modification that we may not recognize them, especially if long time periods have been involved. Through many centuries the name Gomer has undergone major mutations. Still, scholars have been able to follow the people of Gomer through history.

The first modification of Gomer is found in the name Cimmer. The "Cimmerians, [were] an ancient people living north of the Caucasus and the Sea of Azov, driven by the Scythians out of southern Russia, over the Caucasus, and into Anatolia^{^[24]} toward the end of the eighth century BC. Ancient writers sometimes confused them with the Scythians. Most scholars now believe that the Cimmerians assaulted Urartu (Armenia) about 714 BC, but in 705, after being repulsed by Sargon II of Assyria, they turned aside into Anatolia and in 696-695 conquered Phrygia. In 652, after taking Sardis, the capital of Lydia, they reached the summit of their power. Their decline soon began, and their final defeat may be dated from 637 or 626 B.C., when they were routed by Alyattes of Lydia. Thereafter, they were no longer mentioned in historical sources but probably settled in Cappadocia, as its Armenian name, Gamir, suggests."^{^[25]}

The close etymological relationship between Gomer, Cimmer and Gamir is obvious. The fact that the people known as Gamir lived in Cappadocia suggests that Gomer may be the father of the Gallic peoples! Don't forget that the Galatians were Gallic and lived in and adjacent to Cappadocia. Their close relatives live in France, the main home of the Gallic people! The word Gallic is simply an adjective from Gallia, also called Gaul (France).

While the etymological relationship between Gomer, Cimmer and Gamir is obvious, as has been noted, the relationship between Gamir and Gall or Gallia is more obscure. Only the initial consonant “G” remains in both names. Though we do not know how the name Gomer, Gamir or Cimmer mutated into Galatian, that it did undergo that mutation seems, beyond reasonable doubt. While part of the descendants of Gomer settled in Cappadocia and become known as the Galatians, what was probably the larger part migrated to Gaul, today known as France. The French are uniquely known as the Gallic people.

In addition to the fact that their name is found as Cimmer and Gamir in the historical sources, “Their name may be perpetuated in the [name] Crimea, their early home.”^{^[26]} One branch apparently migrated as far as the British Isles.^{^[27]} This is seen in the Welsh name Cymry.^{^[28]} Thus Cimmer, Gamir, Cymr, and Gomer are to be associated etymologically. Some think the name German is derived from the same source: “the first of Japheth's sons is Gomer, in which we recognize the name Germany, though the derivation is long and circuitous.”^{^[29]}

From Roman times the Gauls were also called Celts. “It was "Paul-Yves Pezron, who suggested that modern Breton was a version of the ancient language of the continental Gauls, who, according to Julius Caesar, also called themselves Celts." ^{^[30]} Thus the French, the Gallic people par excellence, are descendants of Gomer. The association of Gomer with both Germany (as mentioned by Boice above) and France (the Celts or Gauls) gives interesting and dramatic perspective to Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. One day there may well be a dangerously militant coalition consisting of some vast reconstituted Russian empire, Western Europe and the Muslim world, arrayed against Israel and that small nation's allies!

The concept that Europe may one day be allied with Russia against America in a war to destroy Israel may have seemed far-fetched until the alienation which has developed between Europe and the United States became evident.

"Calls for a stronger EU are increasingly calls for Europe to define itself as a political counterweight to the United States. Maybe it's Kosovo, and not the euro, writes Der Spiegel, that will launch the new Europe and lead to full ‘emancipation’ from the United States.

"This newfound assertiveness on the part of our European allies should hardly come as a shock. The EU has long been prickly about what it sees as an American bid for global hegemony, so it was predictable that Washington's wavering performance in Kosovo would bring out Europe's anti-Atlanticist tendencies. Albright's heavy-handed style, her talk of the United States as ‘the indispensable nation,’ and the like haven't helped matters.

"The new Europeanism is also a natural result of the end of the cold war. A new generation is coming to power, and Western Europeans of all political stripes want the EU to cultivate its own new identity. Europeans want to do more. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. And the United States should prepare for changes in the character of a post cold-war transatlantic relationship.

"Still, where will this lead? Josef Joffe of Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung suggests that maybe Europe will indeed be able to manage its security by itself one day. But ‘it would be madness,’ says Joffe, ‘to jeopardize the alliance [the NATO Alliance] in the meantime.’ That's logical. But logic cannot always be counted on to restrain the juiced impulses of European arrogance and latent anti-Americanism. Which means that any emerging ‘victory’ in Kosovo may be a Pyrrhic one, in the sense that America's mismanagement of the crisis, real and perceived, has fed the forces that could eventually lead to the alliance's demise."^{^[31]}

"But increasingly petulant attacks on the U.S. by Jacques Chirac [the French president] and Lionel Jospin [the French prime minister] are beginning to risk creating a serious split in the North Atlantic alliance. The latest attack from Mr. Chirac came two weeks ago, when he repeatedly called for the EU to strengthen its institutions so as to contain U.S. might in all areas. Most insidious, and curious for a nominal U.S. ally that supports democracy, was Mr. Chirac's declaration that Europe should reach out to China in order to ensure a multipolar world. He has also taken Moscow's side in opposing American wishes for a modification of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. ... Both believe it is good politics in France to bash the Americans. ... French leaders rail against American `hegemony.'"^{^[32]}

One nation will come from the East. Ezekiel 38:5 says, "Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet." Of the three countries mentioned here, only Persia comes from the east.

Persia. All of us recognize the name Persia though today we usually refer to it by its older name, Iran. The word Arian and the word Iran come from exactly the same root. The ancient Vedic people of India were also Arian people. The Arian people came south on the land route between the Aral and the Caspian Seas as well as on routes between the Pamir Mountains and the Aral Sea. One group of them came into what subsequently was known as the Iranian plateau and another group pushed on eastward into what today is India. We know this because of linguistic similarities between Sanskrit, the language of the oldest Hindu scriptures and the oldest Persian language, the Avestan.

Persia is a Greek word that came to be applied to Iran through a mistake made by Greek historians. In Iran there is a province known as Fars or Pars. The pronunciation Pars has persisted in the word Persia. The Greeks put a Greek ending on the name for the province. Thus the word Parsia was born. Then for phonetic reasons it changed from Parsia to Persia. The other pronunciation, Fars, continues in the name of the Iranian language which is called Farsi. The Greek historians and geographers named the entire country after one province. However, their mistake is understandable because the province of Pars held great importance since Pasargadae, the capital of Cyrus, was located there.

So, Persia is going to be one of the actors in this great drama, cooperating with the nations which will come from the north.^{^[33]} Revelation 16:12-16 discusses this same war. It tells us "kings that come from the sunrising" will participate. The boundaries of ancient Persia included all of what is today Afghanistan and Pakistan. Events in both countries are highly significant in this context. Probably kings from much further east will also participate in this war.

The first time I shared this insight into Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 was in 1968 with an American brother who was traveling to Pakistan with me to help in a special project. Following a bus tour of Tehran, as we relaxed in our hotel room, I told him the country of Iran was in for revolutionary change. That change meant that either the shah had to be overthrown or completely change his ideological loyalty. That prediction was based on Ezekiel’s prophecy.

Just home from Pakistan, the first time I presented any of this material in sermon form was in a rally on prophecy at Sweet Home, Oregon in 1976. In those days, especially, and even up to a few months before Khomeini came to power, it was difficult to anticipate the radical changes which have come in Iran! At that time the shah of Iran seemed to be secure on his throne and popular among the majority of his people. What has happened seemed impossible. But today we know that it is possible for Iran to join forces with the former Soviet Union. The relationship is so close that Russia will not allow the UN Security Council to censure Iran for trying to develop atomic weapons. The ayatollahs and their party are vehement and outright in their hatred of Israel. They see it as a real cancer in world society. From the time of Ayatollah Khomeini they have supported the Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon in its murderous attacks on Israel.

Iran is also forging close ties with China. “President Mohammad Khatami, on the second day of a five-day visit to China, called for an ‘Asian convergence’ aimed at standing up to western dominance and globalization. Mr. Khatami called China and Iran two of the world’s greatest civilizations, saying they needed to work together to forge the world of tomorrow, ‘hampering the domination of the world’s unipolar system.’”^{^[34]}

The ayatollahs’ hatred of Israel has gained new momentum with the recent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iranian resident. “Since he took office in August, Ahmadinejad has shown himself an expert at provoking outrage, calling for the destruction of Israel, denying the Holocaust, berating the ‘false superpower.’”^{^[35]} Ezekiel saw the outcome of these developments long ago!

Participants from the south. Before we talk about Cush and Put please consider the other group of actors in this great drama who come from the south. Ezekiel 38:13 says, "Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take the spoil? hast thou assembled thy company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?" (RV). This verse does not say explicitly that Dedan and Sheba and Tarshish are going to be allies of the actors from the North, but it does, I think, infer that. These countries seem to be asking, "Say, are you going to take the spoil and are we just going to be on the sidelines?" Now, let us try to identify these places.

Sheba. When the famous name of Sheba is mentioned one almost reflexively thinks of the queen who visited Solomon! She said, "The half was not told me." (I Kings 10:7). (There is a famous hymn transferring this to Jesus: "The Half Has Never Yet Been Told.") Where did the Queen of Sheba live? Our first clue about the location and identity of Sheba comes from Jesus. He called the Queen of Sheba "the queen of the south" (cf. Matthew 12:42 & Luke 11:31). Jesus, of course, was absolutely correct. The biblical kingdom of Sheba is known from secular sources as Saba and its people as the Sabeans.^{^[36]} The capital city of Sheba was Mariaba, also spelled Mareb or Ma'rib. The magnificent ruins of that city are located near the modern town of Awwam, almost due east from San'a, the capital city of Yemen.

When the British had to give up their power bases east of Suez, they, obviously, had to give up their great naval base at Aden from which they controlled the southern entrance to the Red Sea. On the British departure, war broke out between North and South Yemen.^{^[37]} "A twenty-year friendship treaty signed in October with the Marxist regime of South Yemen places that country's well-equipped army under overall Soviet command."^{^[38]} North Yemen was attacked by South Yemen on February 24, 1979. Saudi Arabia, along with the United States, bolstered the North Yemenese forces so they could resist those attacks. But since then, after holding off the attacks of the South Yemenese forces, the government in North Yemen has made many overtures to Moscow. So, before the unification of the country, both North and South Yemen looked to Moscow for guidance and suport. The vicious coup in South Yemen in February 1986 (More than 13,000 people were killed!^{^[39]}) put an even more blatantly pro-Communist regime in power in that highly strategic country.^{^[40]}

In 1990 the country was politically united.^{^[41]} “On October 10, 2000, over 50,000 protested in Aden against U.S. support for Israel: two days later, the U.S. destroyer Cole, refueling in Aden, was attacked, leaving 17 dead and 39 wounded. The Saleh government permitted FBI attendance at the questioning of witnesses; but the FBI (and Navy) investigators became a new object of attack, by the terrorist ‘Islamic Army of Aden.’”^{^[42]}

With such developments in its recent background, it is quite apparent where its loyalties would lie should a great coalition of nations, led by Russia, invade Israel.

Dedan. Ezekiel 25:12-13 tells us where Dedan is. It says, "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, I will stretch out my hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; even unto Dedan shall they fall by the sword."

From this passage it seems quite clear that Dedan was located in what was ancient Edom. Today Jordan is governing the area that was once governed by Edom. Significant change is noticeable in Jordan, also which was originally offended by the Camp David peace agreement. In reaction King Hussein began favoring radical Muslims but, thinking better of that decision, made peace with Israel. In response, radical reactionary Islamic forces arose in Jordan. When King Hussein died in February 1999, his son Abdullah became king in place of his illustrious father. He too has pledged friendship with Israel. It remains to be seen if he can lead his country into a long-term pro-Israel policy in the face of opposition from Jordanian Islamists.

Cush. Ezekiel 38:5 tells us that Cush will be another member of the cast which shall come from the south to participate in this great incipient cosmic drama. Cush is the ancient name for Ethiopia. Some translations correctly put Ethiopia in the text. Ethiopia was ruled by a Marxist regime after Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed and imprisoned on September 12, 1974. "In a policy statement on December 20, the council [i.e. the Provisional Military Administrative Council] announced that it would turn Ethiopia into a socialist country with a one-party system, collective farms, and direct government control over all property useful for economic progress."^{^[43]} The new regime, as you might well guess, was anti-Christian! There had been a powerful Christian missionary broadcasting facility at Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, known as RVOG. The call letters stood for Radio Voice of the Gospel. It was a twelve-million-dollar installation through which Gospel programs were broadcast all over the Middle East. The very next day after the Marxist regime took power in Ethiopia they confiscated RVOG and began propagating Marxism over those superb facilities!

Thus, we've witnessed the kind of change take place in Ethiopia with startling suddenness which makes it possible to see that what is predicted in Ezekiel Chapter 38 could easily happen. Ethiopia, that is, Cush, could join with forces from the north and east and march to the mountains of Israel. Since the overthrow of Mengistu we must watch to see which way Ethiopia goes. Considering the large Muslim population^{^[44]} the forecast is not benign.

Put. Next, in Ezekiel 38:5 we have the word Put, the ancient name for the area now known as Libya. Put is the final member of the cast which shall come from the south.

The present dictator, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi came to power by a bloodless military coup in September 1969 which overthrew 79-year old King Idris. Qaddafi proved to be a radical Muslim leader. Under his leadership, Libya became a socialist republic. In July 1970 Qaddafi confiscated the property of Jews and Italians, claiming it was usurped in WWII. On December 7, 1971 Qaddafi nationalized the British Petroleum Company and in March of 1972 he signed an oil accord with the Soviets. In June of 1972 Libya gave aid to the Irish Republican Army. In June of 1973 U.S. oil companies were nationalized. The U.S. embassy was stormed by some 2000 people in December 1979. In July 1985 President Reagan condemned Libya as a terrorist state. Six months later, in January 1986, the U.S. broke diplomatic relations with Libya.

Relations with America continued to deteriorate till in March 1986 Libyan and American forces clashed in the Mediterranean and in April of that year America bombed Qaddafi’s base. In November1991 Libya was accused of planting the bomb which resulted in the downing of the Pan American plane over Lockerbie, Scotland. In 1996 Qaddafi gave a huge award to Louis Farrakhan, leader of the radical Black Muslim movement known as The Nation of Islam.

For a time Libya became the repository of the largest arsenal of Soviet weaponry outside of the Soviet Union. Much of the weaponry which has been smuggled into other countries to support leftist rebellions was supplied through Libya. For example, the major source of weaponry for the Morro Muslim rebels in southern Mindanao in the Philippines has been Libya. Qaddafi has been a staunch ally of the Soviet Union but with the collapse of the Soviet Union his foreign-policy orientation lost both its source of inspiration and support.

The economic boycott imposed on Libya after the downing of Pan American flight 103 over Lockerbie, the obvious inferiority of the Libyan military in its several clashes with U.S. forces,^{^[45]} and the clear implications of the war on the Saddam Hussein regime, if Libya continued to wear the categorization of a terrorist state, forced Qaddafi to make a radical change. He surrendered the men accused of the Lockerbie bombing and gave up his program to develop atomic weapons.

However, “the most passionate call for such cooperation [i.e. cooperation between Muslim nations and China, called “the Confucian-Islamic connection”] came from Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi, who in March 1994 declared: ‘The new world order means that Jews and Christians control Muslims and if they can, they will after that dominate Confucianism and other religions in India, China, and Japan. . . . What the Christians and Jews are now saying: We are determined to crush Communism and the West must now crush Islam and Confucianism. Now we hope to see a confrontation between China that heads the Confucianist camp and America that heads the Christian crusader camp. We have no justifications but to be biased against the crusaders. We are standing with Confucianism, and by allying ourselves with it and fighting alongside it in one international front, we will eliminate our mutual opponent. So, we as Muslims, will support China in its struggle against our mutual enemy. . . . We wish China victory.”^{^[46]}

Obviously, all these developments have pushed the agenda of events described in Ezekiel's startling prophetic scenario markedly forward.

A PARTICIPANT FROM THE WEST

Tarshish. The one cast member who comes from the west is Tarshish, mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13. The identification of Tarshish is somewhat controversial. However, we get a clue about the location of Tarshish when we look at Jonah’s itinerary. He began his flight from God by going to Joppa to board a ship. Joppa, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, is now called Jaffa (in Arabic it is Yafa). It seems Jonah tried to sail west. Research indicates that ancient Tarshish was just west of the Straits of Gibraltar, on the shores of Spain’s Gulf of Cadiz.

However, there is at least one counter-clue in the Bible. Please note II Chronicles 20:35-36, especially these words, "and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber." Ezion-geber was on the north shore of the Gulf of Aqaba. Some scholars feel this negates the suggestion that Tarshish was somewhere in the western Mediterranean or just beyond.

But the Bible and history give us the help we need to solve this apparent enigma. Herodotus tells us (there is archaeological evidence in support of his account) that "Pharaoh Necho of the XXVI Dynasty commissioned some Phoenicians to attempt the circumnavigation of Africa, and that starting from the Gulf of Suez southward they did finally come back through the Mediterranean to the Nile delta. They took nearly three years to complete their voyage. Each year they landed, and sowed and harvested a crop of wheat before going on."^{^[47]} With this historical background please consider the statement in II Chronicles 9:21 which says, "the king [i.e. King Solomon] had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." Note that the time required for this journey was exactly that which was required by the Phoenicians! The cargo manifests of Solomon's ships mention items which were almost certainly acquired from African ports: ivory, apes, and peacocks. While the gold and silver may also have originated in Africa, the evidence suggests another source. We know, for example, that silver came from Tarshish; please see Jeremiah 10:9. Ezekiel 27:12 tells us that Tarshish was also the source of iron, tin, and lead.

If Tarshish was indeed just west of the Straits of Gibraltar, why would Solomon's ships take the circuitous route around Africa, involving a journey which required three years to complete? I suggest two reasons. The first reason was probably the fact that the trip around Africa gave his mariners the opportunity to acquire exotic cargo at bargain prices which could not have been obtained by sailing through the Mediterranean. The second reason may have been the safety of the sea lanes for ships laden with cargo which would have been a pirate's dream.

Tarshish most probably should be identified with the ancient city of Tartessus which was located in what is now Spain, on the southwest coast, between Huelva and the Straits of Gibraltar. Tartessus was one of the most renowned mining and metal refining centers of the ancient world. If we connect that with the fact that the word Tarshish comes from a Phoenician word, "for ‘mine’ ‘smeltery’; from Bab. [i.e. Babylonian] word for ‘smelting plant’; or ‘refinery.’"^{^[48]}, the identification, though not entirely certain, is very strong. This would indicate that we could expect the region of Spain to be involved in the great war which is clearly predicted in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. In view of the developing coalition between Catholicism and Communism in our time, participation of a Catholic area in the war on the side of the Communist forces from the north would not be surprising. (See Appendix II for further detail.)

The Time Frame.

Let us try, then, to place this great war in its proper time setting. What time is this all going to take place? Please notice five time references that are given in our text.

The first time indicator is the gathering of the people. The first indication of time is in Ezekiel 38:8. It says, "After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples and they shall dwell securely, all of them." Note the statement, "GATHERED OUT OF MANY PEOPLES."

The prophet Isaiah calls this gathering the "second-time" gathering. He wrote, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of this people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:11-12 RV) If things in the eleventh chapter of Isaiah are chronological, as they seem to be, then this is a gathering of the Jewish people which is to occur following the coming of the Messiah, the "shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out his roots." (Isaiah 11:1 RV)

Also, the return mentioned by Ezekiel and by Isaiah is far more extensive than the return from Babylonian captivity. This "second-time" gathering of scattered Jewish people is to be "from the four corners of the earth." That certainly fits Ezekiel's description of the current nation of Israel that it is "gathered out of many peoples." (Ezekiel 38:8) It points to the gathering of the Jewish people to the nation of Israel following World War Two, the only gathering which fits these prophetic descriptions.

World War II scattered the Jewish people over most of Europe. The war ended in 1945. Three years later Israel was declared a nation. It was recognized by the United Nations, including the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union did not recognize Israel because it had any love for Israel or for Jewish people, but because it wanted Britain out of the Middle East which at that time governed Palestine under a mandate from the League of Nations. The Soviets saw Britain as an obstacle to their own desire for expansion into the area. Therefore, they voted for the recognition of Israel, hoping to get Britain out of the area east of the Mediterranean. Now notice the arrows on Map No. 4, Jewish Refugees and Immigrants From Europe, 15 May 1948 - 31 December 1970. They represent thousands of Jewish people fleeing to Israel from Europe. Large numbers were involved. From Poland 156,011. From Czechoslovakia, 20,572. From Hungary, 24,255. From Romania almost 230,000. From Bulgaria, 48,642 and so on. The arrows converge on the tiny state of Israel.

That is only part of the story. Thousands and thousands of Jews also came from North Africa. This part of the return of the Jews to Canaan is illustrated by Map No. 5, Jewish Refugees From Arab Lands 15 May 1948 - 31 December 1967. For instance, almost 253,000 came from Morocco. (It is interesting that Morocco is the only Muslim country which has asked the Jewish people who fled to Israel to come back. However, they are not returning.) Again, notice the numbers of other Jewish people who fled to the new state of Israel: From Algeria, 13,119. From Libya, 34,265. From Egypt, 37,867. Out of Iraq, 124,000. From Syria only 4,500 Jews reached Israel because thousands were held hostage by the Syrian government. Even these charts don't tell the whole story. Jewish people also came from the Far East and from South Asia.

The second indicator of time is a devastated country. Please notice Ezekiel 38:8 again to understand the second indication of the time when this great cosmic drama will take place. It will not only be when the Jews are "gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel" but it will be at a time when "the mountains of Israel ... have been a continual waste." Before World War I, Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire which had a peculiar system of taxation. It was based on the number of trees on a person's property. The more trees one had, the more tax was levied on his property. To avoid taxation people simply cut down the trees.^{^[49]} Places like the Plain of Sharon, renowned for centuries for its beauty, became a sand-dune waste. Such forlorn conditions have been called “the desolation of Moslem [sic] rule.”^{^[50]} When the Jewish people took over this area in 1948 the Plain of Sharon had become a barren waste. Do not these events and conditions give us time checks? When is the drama going to take place? When the people come back! When the land is restored from being a continual waste!

The third time indicator is the return takes place when villages have no walls. This clue about time is found in Ezekiel 38:11. It says, "thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of un-walled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates." This indicator will be controversial because of the separation barrier currently being built. Israel began construction of the barrier in June 2002. That means that from 1948 till June 2002 there was no barrier, no wall of any kind. The absence of a wall was a condition lasting for 54 years, more than half a century!

This provides an interesting time check. The people have returned, the land has been restored from being a continual waste, and the inhabitants are dwelling securely! However, their security does not depend upon village walls and village gates. They do not rely on these classic devices upon which village safety and security depended for many centuries. At the time pointed to in this prophecy their security is based on something else.

In June 2002 Israel, under the leadership of Ariel Sharon, began building a separation barrier. “Originally slated for completion at the end of 2005, up till now [December 2005], only around a third – 200 kilometers (125 miles) of the proposed 600-km. route – is operational.”^{^[51]}

It should be noted that it is not being built around Israeli villages. Israel is still a “land of un-walled villages.” It is being built as a separation barrier between Israel and Palestinian settlements. Also, the barrier is certainly not all wall. It is a, “barrier of concrete, ditches, fencing and barbed wire that Israel is building against West Bank Palestinians . . . only some segments will be solid concrete.”^{^[52]} Those segments will only amount in total to 30 Kilometers.

Obviously, when the invading coalition begins its attack, the safety of Israel will be in jeopardy. Perhaps we should look upon the suicide attacks as the prelude to the main attack. However, no one even imagines, despite the many thousands of attacks by deluded Muslim Palestinians which have killed hundreds of Israelis, that the existence or the viability of Israel as a country or a state has been endangered. (See the fourth time indicator, below.) In that sense, the desperate suicidal attacks of the Muslim Palestinians have proven to be entirely futile. The country is still secure.

Walls, bars, and gates have had military significance up until very recent times. However, they have a very restricted role today. For example, The Great Wall of China stretches over twenty five hundred miles. It was built at a time when walls were a military necessity. It was intended to keep out the invaders from the north and the west who had been a perennial threat to China. But the Chinese are not depending on that wall today for their security. Therefore, this passage of Scripture is talking about modern times when walls and bars and gates have very little military importance.

Should an organized attack be made by an army on those portions of the Israeli separation barrier which are a wall, everyone knows it would offer no security. Certainly, Israel is not expecting the wall-portions of the barrier to be a viable impediment against an all-out attack by an enemy army.

The separation barrier has two main purposes. First is to frustrate suicide bombers. Those attacks have been dramatically reduced by the installation of the separation barrier. Its second and main purpose is to be “Israel’s final, unilateral determination of its own borders.”^{^[53]}

Transport and Weapons. Some commentators point out that the invaders are coming riding horses (Ezekiel 38:15) and are armed with bucklers and shields and with bows and arrows (Ezekiel 38:4 & 39:9). They ask, How can anyone affirm, then, that this is pointing to modern times? Well, all the clues in the passage except the description of the transport and armaments point to modern times. Suppose, in place of horses, Jeeps, Humvees and aircraft were in the text. Also, suppose that instead of spears, swords, and arrows, smart bombs, wire guided anti-tank missiles, bunker-buster bombs, cruise missiles, laser beam weapons and other items from modern arsenals had been mentioned. No one until our time would have been able to understand the import of the passage. It would have been a total mystery. From the list of weapons in our text, people in any age would understand that the peoples from the north and their allies are coming fully armed for war. Along with this, God has put the time checks in the passage to help us see that this is not some war in the ancient world, nor a war during which the combatants would be riding horses and be armed with bucklers and shields and bows and arrows.

The fourth time indicator is the security of Israel. Others point out that the passage says Israel during this time will "dwell securely." (Ezekiel 38:8) Then they ask, Is Israel secure today in the Middle East? At present Israel is secure. Up to the point of invasion by the coalition, which will be led by the northern behemoth, they will continue to be secure. Yes, there are distressing terrorist attacks from time to time on the borders of Israel and occasionally in some bazaar area far inside Israel. But there is no power or combination of powers on the borders of Israel right now which could be a threat to the existence or security of Israel as a whole.

The military power at Israel's disposal became clear as early as 1977. It had even then for example, an air force which was larger than the air forces of England and France combined. Israel was militarily stronger than any other Middle Eastern country or combination of Middle Eastern countries. "The flow of arms supplies under the Ford and Carter administrations virtually eliminated any immediate need for the kind of airlift that angered the Arabs in 1973. With the United States’ approval, Israel stockpiled enough weapons, ammunition and fuel to fight a three-front war for 30 days before needing fresh supplies from the United States."^{^[54]}

Since 1977, “Israel has become the region’s incontestable power. Its economy is three times larger than the combined economies of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority (PA). It is the world’s fourth largest nuclear power (as well as the only one in the region) and the world’s fifth largest arms exporter. By common assent (even by its adversaries), its armed forces are unmatched and unmatchable in the region. Whatever other attributes of independence Israel may lack (such as recognized borders), existential security is not among them.”^{^[55]} Yes, Israel is dwelling securely in our time.

The fifth time indicator is a permanent change in Israel. We have noted four time clues in the passage. There is the gathering of the people, the restoration of the land from desolation, villages having no reliance upon walls, gates and bars for security, and the nation's dwelling in security. Here is the fifth time check, and it is decisive. Ezekiel 39:21-22 says, "And I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am Jehovah their God, from that day and forward." (Compare the statements in Ezekiel 39:7 and 39:25-29.)

When Israel sees the outcome of this war they will acknowledge God as "their God, FROM THAT DAY AND FORWARD." If the war predicted in this great passage had taken place sometime in the past, how could we explain the apostasy of Israel today? Many Israelites are atheists. Many do not believe the Scripture. Most have not accepted Christ. How could this be if the war predicted in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 were past history? As a consequence of the war prophesied by Ezekiel they will recognize God as their God "FROM THAT DAY AND FORWARD" Obviously, then, the war predicted here is in the future. However, it seems certain it will be in the near future, not the distant future.

GOG AND MAGOG

Discussion of Gog and Magog has been deliberately postponed to this point. It seemed beneficial to first make those identities which were much less difficult than these two. In this way all of us can understand the main action and principal participants in the grand scenario portrayed in these two remarkable chapters in Ezekiel. Even here, in what is undoubtedly the most difficult part of the passage to expound, there is obvious certainty as well. Magog appears in the table of nations in Genesis chapter ten. He was one of the sons of Japheth. Therefore, we know the name represents a people as did Gomer, Togarmah, Put, and the other names of actors. The identity of the actors besides Gog and Magog in this cosmic drama are quite beyond doubt. However, the identity of Gog and Magog is more difficult.

Magog

There are two people who should be considered in our attempt to identify Magog. In Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 the original place of residence of Magog is in the uttermost parts of the north. However, it seems by the time the events described in these two chapters take place, Magog will have been displaced. In his place will be "Gog of the land of Magog." (Ezek. 38:2)

Note how the phrase “Gog of the land of Magog” is rendered by several other translators who seem to have understood the same import: In The Bible in Living English, translated by Steven T. Byington, "Gog in the country of Magog." In Today's English Version it reads: "Gog ... in the land of Magog." The Holy Bible in the Language of Today, translated by William F. Beck, renders it this way, "Gog in the land of Magog" and James Moffatt translated it, "Gog [in the land of Magog]."

However, some translations render the passage in such a way that one wonders if Magog has been replaced. First, notice the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament translated by Bremton which says, "Gog and the land of Magog." The Septuagint Bible translated by Thomson renders it, "against Gog and the land of Magog." The Jerusalem Bible expresses it this way, "Gog and the country of Magog."

How may this disparity of views be resolved? Apparently, on strictly textual evidence, one may not come to a decisive conclusion. But, it is very instructive to notice that while Magog is very closely linked with Gog, it is not said that Magog will come from the uttermost parts of the north as Gog will, though he will be involved in the invasion of Israel. This seems to imply that Magog has forfeited his former place of residence to Gog. Therefore, not only from textual evidence but contextual implications, it seems better to conclude that "Gog of the land of Magog" is the correct rendering of the passage.

Magog may be represented today by the people who call themselves Magyars or, more fully, Magyarorszag. The Magyars now live in Hungary. Though Magog seems no longer to live in his ancestral area, still he (i.e. the people descended from him) is going to be actively involved in the war described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, for God says, "I will send a fire on Magog and on them that dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Jehovah." (Ezek. 39:6) If one understands that the name Magog points to the Magyars, then it would indicate that Eastern Europe will be actively involved on the side of Gog in the war described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Since I have concluded that the second candidate for the identity of Magog is more likely to be the correct choice, I have placed the evidence for the Magyars in Appendix IV.

The second candidate for the identity of Magog is more probable. It is the Mongol people. As with Magyar, only two consonants of the name Magog (that is, M and G) coincide with the consonants of the name Mongol. However, the geographical circumstances for the Mongols being identified as Magog are even stronger than for the Magyars. The Mongols are a group of peoples united by a common language and nomadic traditions more than by physical characteristics. "All Mongols recognize their kinship to each other in varying degrees through legend, written history, and especially language. Dialects vary from east to west more than from north to south, but very few are unintelligible to other Mongols."^{^[56]} Geographically, the Mongols certainly fit the biblical description, "Gog of the land of Magog." At one time, they controlled practically all the area of what was the Soviet Union. Slavic Russia now controls the area and is the leader of, or the "prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal." (Ezekiel 38:2)

"The Mongol forces crossed the Volga in the autumn of 1237 and attacked the principalities of central Russia, capturing town after town, including Moscow, which was then comparatively unimportant. ...In the summer of 1240 the Mongols resumed their attack, and in December they captured and destroyed Kiev, the ancient capital of Russia. The way lay open into central Europe."^{^[57]} Apparently it was only the death of Ugedei, the chief of the Mongols, and the ensuing struggle for power which kept the Mongols from subduing Europe. For, "The Mongol military machine, after all, was capable of conquering China, Turkestan, and Persia, all areas with immense populations and gargantuan walled cities. (The Mongols subdued China in sixty years, Russia in three.)"^{^[58]}

If Magog points us to the Mongols, which seems to be the case, then this prophecy points to major far eastern participants in the great coalition which will invade Israel. That possibility, of course, is buttressed by Revelation 16:12-16 which emphasizes the participation of "the kings that come from the sunrising." From close examination it seems highly likely that the war described in these two chapters of Ezekiel and the war described in Revelation 16:12-16 is one and the same.

In summary, it seems the Mongols rather than the Magyars should be considered the proper people with whom to identify Magog. (See Appendix IV for the evidence that the Magyars should be considered but not chosen as the people to whom the name Magog points.) First, the etymological evidence for the association of the names is as strong for the Magog-Mongol association as it is for that of Magog-Magyar. Secondly, the parallel passage in Revelation 16:12-16 points us to major participation in this war by forces from the Far East (i.e. "the kings that come from the sunrising.") Thirdly, the geographic and cultural impact of the Mongol occupation of Russia was far more extensive and prolonged than that of the Magyars. So profound has this impact been that a famous proverb came into being in France and later in other western countries to describe it. The proverb says, "Scratch a Russian and find a Tatar."^{^[59]} As a logical deduction from this conclusion, Christian analysts should give the closest attention to developments in inner Asia, China, and other countries among the Pacific rim nations.^{^[60]}

GOG

Thus, if the translation "Gog of the land of Magog" is correct, as it seems to be, the land occupied by Magog was subsequently occupied by, the "expansion of the Russian Empire." Since Gog is the leader of Tubal, Meshech, Togarmah and the other members of the coalition, it would seem to point to the Slavs who rule Russia. That the name Gog does refer to a nation is confirmed in Revelation 20:7-8 which says, "The nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog." Gog and Magog clearly seem to be etymologically related. Probably Gog is a derivative from Magog. Though Gog is apparently the derivative, the people to whom it applies have come to dominate not only the homeland of Magog, but the peoples of the great coalition which eventually will invade Israel.

Gog, therefore, most probably refers to Slavic Russia. In many ways Slavic Russians are a Mongol derivative. While it is not in the scope of this exposition to attempt a resume of the Slavic Russian people, it should be noted that their forms of society and government largely derived from the Mongols just as the name Gog seems to have been derived from Magog. "The invading hordes under the leadership of the famous Ghenghis Khan brought to the Russian people those institutions which they had delivered to other conquered races: a system of taxation (yasak), a political discipline which established absolute obedience to the authority of the Khan."^{^[61]}

Theological clues. In addition to geographical and ethnical clues, there are also theological clues which point to the former Soviet Union as the leading participant from the north who will participate in this coming war against Israel. Ezekiel 38:3 says, "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal:"

God's opposition to these people is not without cause. The reason God is against them is because they are against him. Since 1917, regimes have governed the vast Soviet Eurasian land mass, first the Soviets and now Russia, under an aggressive anti-God ideology. This is the central concept of Communism. In the Communist telling of things, religion is the opiate of the people, the ultimate foolishness, the ultimate lie. They are against even the concept of God. Their philosophy, aggressively promoted, has denied millions of people the knowledge of God and the opportunity to serve him. It is not surprising, then, that God is portrayed in this passage in Ezekiel as against Gog and his associates. It is very questionable whether the religious relaxation following the collapse of the Soviet Union will continue very long. As that relaxation ends, we probably will see a revival of an aggressive campaign against any pro-God activity in Russia.

Military Disaster. The destruction to come upon Gog and the nations allied with him will be a disastrous overwhelming military defeat. Not only shall their vast armies be destroyed, it shall require seven months to bury the corpses! (cf. Ezekiel 39:11-20), but civilian areas shall also share the pain and destruction of the war. But those civilian populations will not be completely annihilated. Yes, God "will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell securely in the isles." (Ezekiel 39:6) But, apparently, this punishment will be perceived as an obvious case of divine intervention and will lead to the turning of these nations to God. God says regarding this, "they shall know that I am Jehovah." (Ezekiel 39:6, compare also vs. 7.) Again, God says, "I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them." (Ezekiel 39:21) It is difficult to miss the cumulative import of these statements. They are summarized when God says, "I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah." (Ezekiel 38:23)

Probability. We know that the people living in the uttermost parts of the north have their eye on the Middle East because of its strategic importance and the value of its natural resources. However, Israel is seen by this northern behemoth and the members of her incipient coalition as an American bridgehead which thwarts the realization of their ambitions. Coinciding with the movement of the northern members of the vast coalition predicted by Ezekiel are dramatic events in the East. For example, fundamental changes have been taking place in Iran in recent times. The overthrow of the shah and the coming to power of Ayatollah Ruhullah Khomeini are two of the major events.^{^[62]}

Ezekiel predicts that a massive coalition between Muslim and Communist countries will come into being. Iran is specifically mentioned as participating in that coalition. However, it must seem strange to many that any Muslim leader could forge a coalition with Communism in order to achieve his goals since Communism is, ostensibly, the antithesis of the most fundamental statement of Islam. Also, as we see the current coalition between Islamic nations and the former Soviet bloc developing in our time, we may think that historically and ideologically it would be impossible. But in reality, this seemingly abnormal relationship has been developing for a long time. Such cooperation goes back to the very beginning of the 1917 Russian revolution. "In the early days of the Bolshevik struggle, many native leaders in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other Muslim areas looked favorably upon Lenin's revolution. They saw it not so much as the beginning of a new socialist era but as the end of Russian imperialist domination. In 1921, a Tatar observer, Hanafi Muzaffar, expressed this early optimism: ‘As long as Europe can maintain its imperialistic policy [in the East] our situation will remain hopeless. However, in Europe herself new forces are growing which are becoming more threatening every day for imperialism. ... It would be a great mistake for us people oppressed by Europe to fail to recognize that Marxism is fighting imperialism. As the Communist Party is fighting this same imperialism in Russia and abroad, we must accept Soviet Power.’"^{^[63]}

Also, please realize that neither Islam nor Communism are what they appear to be on the surface. The political affinities of Islamic ideology are much more in harmony with Communism than with western political concepts. Toynbee helps us grasp this reality when he tells us, "To apply the notion of the division between church and state to Islam would run counter to the whole Islamic concept of religion and way of life; and, as we know, this has caused great difficulty in our time in Islamic countries that have tried to adopt Western, and therefore, at bottom, Western Christian, constitutions and social systems."^{^[64]}

The serious implication of Toynbee's observation is emphasized by Khurshid Ahmed, Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad, Pakistan who said, "Under Islamic idealism, every nation state would gradually become an ideological state and these would go to make up the commonwealth of Islam."^{^[65]} The Islamic ideology not only has political concepts which have greater affinity to the Communist system than to the West but also it has economic concepts which clearly favor Communism: "An overwhelming majority of Muslim thinkers feel we should have neither private property of the capitalistic type - private ownership of the means of production, the absolute right of a proprietor to dispose of property as he wishes - nor the socialistic system whereby all means of production are nationalized, with consequent danger to human freedom and initiative. ... No one has the right to destroy property. If misused it can be taken away. If it is not needed it must be passed on to others, or handed to the state as the trustee of society. This limitation on property is, I believe, uniquely Islamic."^{^[66]} Henry Kissinger must have had some of these concepts of Islam in mind when he observed, "The most decisive factor is the progressive collapse of pro-Western governments in the developing world and especially in the Middle East and Africa. ... What we may find is a confluence of Communist organization and radical currents which together produce historical changes."^{^[67]}

The Committee For The Establishment of Constitutional Government In Iran was certainly right when it declared in "A Warning To The Free World" that, "The Khomeini regime is historically doomed. So is the expectation that Islamic fundamentalism is a bulwark against Communism."^{^[68]}

"Another fundamental obstacle to understanding is the totality of Islam. In Islam there is no difference between ‘church’ and state, between God and Caesar, for in Islam God is Caesar. This means that any criticisms of Islam in a Moslem [sic] country are seen as being directed against the state and society as a whole."^{^[69]} There are many lovely, wonderful Muslim people today who detest what is happening in Islamic societies but cannot yet recognize that this totalitarianism is ultimately inherent in the system. They think it is some kind of an aberration or perversion imposed on the system.

The Islamic system is not only totalitarian, it is often a dictatorship as well. For example Ayatollah Khomeini gave this self aggrandizing view of anyone in his position, "... as head of government - ‘the vice regent of God’- his word took precedence even over the edicts of Islam's Holy Koran. He said the ruler could revoke religious and civil laws, close a mosque if it was ‘causing harm’ and even halt the holiest of Islamic acts, pilgrimage to Mecca. The ruler ‘can prevent any matter, whether religious or secular, if it is against the interests of Islam,’ he said."^{^[70]}

The pecking order of the coalition. The powers from the north are going to be the guard for all the others. God will say, "be thou a guard unto them." (vs. 7) Who is the dominant power among this great coalition that is coming into being right in front of our eyes? Undoubtedly, this passage is talking about a coalition that is led by Russia. The coalition is going to involve Iran for sure, Ethiopia for sure, Yemen for sure, and Libya for sure. Their final military focal point is not going to be the Middle East in its general sense, but the final focal point is going to be "the mountains of Israel." (Ezekiel 38:8)

The language that is used indicates an overwhelming military invasion, "like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy hordes, and many peoples with thee." (Ezekiel 38:9)

Motivating influences.

What is it that will entice these people to invade Israel? First, there will be obvious economic factors. Chapter 38:12 says, "To take the spoil and to take the prey; to turn thy hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and against the people that are

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gathered out of the nations, that have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the middle of the earth." Many of these economic enticements will have arisen from the restoration of the land which has taken place under Israeli auspices.

Secondly, the strategic importance of the area will allure. Not only are there strong economic factors which will entice this huge coalition to invade Israel, but there are important strategic considerations also. Note the statement about the place where Israel is living. It is said they " dwell in the middle of the earth." (Ezekiel 38:12) The land of Israel forms a land bridge between Africa, Europe, and Asia, and is, therefore, geographically "the middl