Since the war in the Middle East began over two months ago, my cell phone has been bombarded with a variety of prophecy prognosticators telling us to be prepared for the coming invasion of Israel by lands “to the north,” specifically, the lands of Russia and Iran. All of this is being touted by well-known pastors and so-called experts on Bible prophecy. So, being brought up listening to such prophetic pundits in my early years, I decided to start doing some research about this particular prophecy that comes primarily from chapters 38-39 of the Book of Ezekiel. During the last few weeks, I have gleaned some valuable insights from others who have done some extensive research on this subject, and now it’s time for me to summarize what I have discovered, not only for my own benefit, but also for each of you who are probably wondering what’s going on with Gog and Magog. I hope to unpack the real story in my next two blogs.  

Let’s begin with some basic information about the time in which Ezekiel received his visions and then put pen to parchment. While Isaiah and Jeremiah were the prophets encouraging Judah to repent of their national sins before the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel prophesied during the early years of the Babylonian captivity. Keep in mind that the Babylonian invasion of Judah came in three stages. First, in 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar carried off many of the bright and able young men in Jerusalem, including Daniel and three of his friends. Then in 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar returned and removed more people from Jerusalem, and this time he carried off Ezekiel along with thousands of other Jews. And finally, in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed the city, killing tens of thousands and destroying the city walls and the temple. Ezekiel was 25 years old when he was taken to Babylon in 597 BC and 30 years old when God called him to prophesy. In other words, Ezekiel began prophesying in 592 BC while in captivity in Babylon, but 6 years prior to the actual fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC when thousands more exiles would arrive in Babylon.

Daniel had been deported 8 years prior to Ezekiel, and by the time Ezekiel arrived, Daniel was already well known in the courts of the king. During his exile, Ezekiel received several visions of the power and plan of God, and he provided descriptions of his visions as he documented them using parables, signs, and symbols to dramatize God’s message to His exiled people. One of the purposes of Ezekiel’s ministry was to encourage the people by providing glimpses into the future restoration of the nation and eventual return to their homeland.

The prophecy in question for today’s blog comes from chapter 38 of Ezekiel.

And the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you (Ezek 38:1-6).

Summarizing this passage, Ezekiel is prophesying against a “prince” (or a significant leading official) by the name of “Gog” in the land of “Magog.” Ezekiel further identifies Gog as the “prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal” which are smaller nations (or at least provinces) under the authority of Gog. Today’s prophecy pundits suggest that in the “latter days” Iran (the ancient people to the north descended from Magog) will be led by an evil regime (possibly descended from the ancient King Gog), and will join forces with other countries in a major battle, maybe the “final” battle against Israel. However, it should also be noted that the nations listed by Ezekiel were part of the ancient Persian Empire of Ezekiel’s day, not ours! We have spoken of “Audience Relevance” many times in the past, and so we need to understand that the people in exile in Ezekiel’s day would be familiar with the political geography of their own time. This means that Rosh (not Russia), Meshech, and Tubal would have been very familiar to the Jewish exiles and would have fit perfectly into their historical context.

As it turns out, the nations mentioned by Ezekiel date back to the post-flood generations where Moses lists the “Table of Nations” in Genesis 10. Moses lists the sons of Japheth (one of the Noah’s sons) and they include: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek, and Tiras (Gen 10:2). Each of these sons would become leaders of their own nation. The other nations that Ezekiel mentions are Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-Togarmah. All of these nations were part of the growing Persian Empire in Ezekiel’s day. And Gog was the chief prince or ruling authority over those Persian nations, or provinces. Now that’s the historical context by which we seek to interpret Ezekiel’s prophecy.

We should understand that the Jewish people were experiencing relative peace and safety while in captivity during the latter years of the Babylonian Empire, and this peace extended through the transition to the Persian Empire who defeated the Babylonians in 539 BC. So why was Ezekiel telling the people about the coming “invasion” of Gog as he leads Magog into battle against God’s people? There was something on the horizon, unknown to the Jews at that time, that would put them in danger of being destroyed by a “prince” of Persia, namely Gog, king of the nations in Magog.  

Ezekiel continues his prophecy by saying:

“Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog” (Ezek 38:14-16).

Notice that Ezekiel is prophesying that Gog will “come up against My people like a cloud covering the land.”

Once again, most scholars believe that Ezekiel prophesied during the early years of the Babylonian captivity, from roughly 592-570 BC. So, let’s assume that he saw this vision of Gog and Magog about halfway through the period of his prophetic ministry, in about 580 BC. When the Jews were allowed to return to their land in 536 BC under King Cyrus of Persia, many of the Jews who were born in captivity decided to stay in Persia where the king offered them safety and significant jobs in the kingdom. Although this prophecy would focus upon those Jews who remained in Persia, the ramifications would extend across the empire to the land of Israel itself, where tens of thousands had already returned to their homeland.    

Looking ahead from Ezekiel’s day, we will discover that his prophecy was actually fulfilled in about 480 BC (about 100 years later) during the reign of the Persian King Ahasuerus (his name in Hebrew) or Xerxes (his name in Greek). This was also the time when Esther was queen in the ancient Persian Empire. Furthermore, as previously noted, this was also a time of relative peace for the Jews, whether they were living in Persia or in Israel.  Maybe now you are beginning to see the picture! The prophecy has nothing to do with modern day Israel, Gog, or Magog, but with the events recorded in the Book of Esther who reigned as queen under Ahasuerus, some 100 years after Ezekiel received the vision concerning Gog and Magog.  

So, you may be wondering what events recorded in the Book of Esther provide the clues to help us unlock the mystery of Gog and Magog? Well, as you might have expected, that will be the focus of next week’s blog. I look forward to having you join me then.