Ezequiel 38

Ezequiel 38

Pentecost explains that this restoration is "pictured as a gradual process, for the prophet sees the process of bone being joined to bone, tied together with sinews, clothed with skin. It is a regathering in unbelief, for the prophet observes that there was no life in the assembled carcass (Ezek. 37:8)." In Ezekiel 40-48 the prophet describes the coming age of Messiah, commonly referred to as the Millennium. Ezekiel 38-39 deal with Gog and Magog which is situated between the time of Israel's restoration to the land and the millennial age. Read Ezekiel 38:1-2 and compare with Ezekiel 39:1. What is repeated in this passages? This repeated reference to Gog indicates that Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 while divided into two separate chapters are to be read and studied as a unit. Israel was a land that was desolate, but came to life in May, 1948. Dr. Theodor Herzl, the playwright from Austria who began the Zionist movement into the land of Palestine said "There is a land without a people. There is a people without a land. Give the land without a people to the people without a land." And that is exactly what the sovereign God brought about in 1948 just as He had prophesied in Ezekiel 37! Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, as he was speaking before the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry... The Jewish nation is a ghost nation. Only the God of Israel has kept the Jewish people alive. Weizman's remark is difficult to dispute, for as we study the history of Israel, we cannot come away without seeing the "rebirth" of the nation as a miracle of God. God had sustained Israel as an definite ethnic people group and then He brought them back into the land! And that is where Ezekiel 38-39 give us the rest of the story of Israel. David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister and minister of defense in Israel, once said that Ezekiel 37 has been fulfilled, and the nation Israel is hearing the footsteps of the Messiah. Ben-Gurion however was only partially correct because clearly Ezekiel 37:21-28 has not been fulfilled. And say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them (Not fulfilled); and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 "And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. (Not fulfilled) 24 "And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes, and observe them. (Not fulfilled) 25 "And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever. (Not fulfilled) 26 "And I will make a covenant of peace (Refers to the New Covenant which was described by Jesus at the last Passover made effective on the Cross. While increasing numbers of Jews have come to believe in the New Covenant in His blood, the complete fulfillment of this prophecy awaits the return of the Deliverer as described in Romans 11:26-note) followed by with them; it will be an everlasting covenant (Another description of the New Covenant in His blood - cp Hebrews 13:20-note) with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. (Not fulfilled - Temple Mount, the site of the Holy Temple is currently under Muslim Control. The rebuilding of the sanctuary is a major subject in Ezekiel 40-48) 27 "My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people (Not fulfilled- Another description of the New Covenant - see Jer 31:31, 32, 33). 28 "And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies (sets apart, makes holy - as summarized in the 6 things which will occur at the end of the "Seventy weeks" of Daniel 9:24-note) Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."' (Not fulfilled) Yes, there is a man coming (Rev 6:2-note) who is riding in on a white horse, but he is not the Messiah, but is almost assuredly the Antichrist. And for 3½ years he will usher in a time of false peace (Da 9:27a-note) before he pours out his fury upon this world and especially on the Jews. After Ezekiel 37 and the rebirth of the nation we come to Ezekiel 38, which describes a war against Israel just prior to the start of the 7 year period, the Seventieth Week of Daniel. So the context of Ezekiel 38 is that Israel is back in the land. Let's look at the nations who will sweep down upon Israel to destroy her, and what God will do to this army. A C Gaebelein outlines this last section of Ezekiel... EZEKIEL 37-48 1. The Vision of the Dry Bones. Judah and Israel Re-united. Chapter 37. 2. Gog and Magog and Their Destruction. Chapters 38-39. 3. The Millennial Temple and its Worship. The Division of the Land. Chapters 40-47. (From The Annotated Bible, Volume 4) PROPHECY OF JUDGMENT Ezekiel 1-32 Jehovah Departs The LORD is not there PROPHECY OF RESTORATION Ezekiel 33-48 Jehovah Shammah — The LORD is There FATE OF JUDAH Before the Siege FOES OF JUDAH During the Siege FUTURE OF JUDAH After the Siege 593-588 BC 587-586 586-571 7 YEARS OF PROPHESYING HORROR & NO HOPE 15 YEARS OF PROPHESYING HOPE Ezekiel 1-3 Ezekiel Sees the Glory & Receives the Call Ezekiel 4 -24 Judgments Against Judah Ezekiel 25-32 Judgments Against the Gloating Nations Ezekiel 33-39 Restoration of Israel to the LORD Ezekiel 40-48 Visions of the Millennial Temple Mark Hitchcock writes that... An Arab-Islamic invasion of Israel is not too difficult to imagine today, is it? In fact, it's already happened several times in the past fifty years. Arab nations surrounding Israel have mounted furious attacks to eradicate the Jews, most recently in 1967 and 1973, only to be repelled and humiliated by the smaller Israeli army. Every Arab nation except Egypt and Jordan is in a declared state of war with Israel right now, and those two could turn on Israel at any moment. With every passing day, Arab-Islamic frustration with Israel grows. Israel controls land formerly under Muslim control. Jerusalem, the place from which Muhammad supposedly leaped to heaven (Ed: Specifically The Temple Mount, [or here for an excellent aerial view] the most contested and "valuable" parcel of real estate in the entire world!), is Islam's third most holy site, after Mecca and Medina. Then there's the persistent Palestinian problem. Add to that the extremist Islamic states whose stated mission is to drive the Jews into the sea, and it's not too difficult to imagine another Arab-Islamic invasion of Israel in the near future. (What on Earth is Going On?) And now in the year (March) 2013 there continues to be a very real threat of Iran developing a nuclear capability and Israel considering attacking Iran to "defuse" that possible scenario for a "nuclear Iran" would be an absolute nightmare for Israel. And yet an Israeli attack on Iran would run the risk of major retaliation by the Arab-Islamic countries in the Middle East. So... In light of current events, it is not surprising that many Bible students are raising the possibility that that at least portions of Ezekiel 38-39 could soon be fulfilled. Writers such as Hitchcock see in Ezekiel 38-39 an "account of a future invasion of Israel led by Russia and joined by a vast horde of Islamic nations on all sides." To be sure such an interpretation would have been far fetched prior to May, 1948, when there was not even a nation of Israel to invade. But Israel is a nation. And Iran appears to be seeking nuclear weapons. And Russia seems to be re-arming their military (the re-elected president of Russia, Alexander Putin, called for a $770 billion upgrade of Russia's military in Feb/March, 2012). And so it behooves all students of the Bible to seek diligently to rightly divide the Word of Truth (2Ti 2:15-note) in the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39. The following comments will attempt as objectively as possible to shed light on these fascinating eschatological chapters keeping in mind that they are notoriously difficult to interpret dogmatically! Care will be taken to attempt to alert the reader if a comment is written which is "speculative". The reader will also note that I will quote frequently from Joel C. Rosenberg's writings, for I have found this Jewish Messianic believer to always take a very balanced, literalistic, albeit non-sensationalistic approach to the interpretation of Bible prophecies and how they relate to current world events. The danger of Bible prophecy is to read the newspapers and try to make those events fit the Biblical prophecies. The converse should be our goal - to become so familiar with the Bible's "print" that we are enabled by the Spirit to read the newspapers with godly wisdom and insight, taking care to avoid the temptation to fall into "eschatological dogmatism!" FOUR VIEWS ON EZEKIEL 38-39 Summary of the four views of when Ezekiel 38-39 will occur... Most Bible students who are committed to the principle of literal interpretation will choose one of these four options. VIEW 1: Near the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week. Israel will be enjoying security because of the protection afforded by the world ruler before he shows himself to be the Antichrist. But then he demands that he be worshiped, killing all who refuse. (See Dan. 9:24-27; Rev 13:1-18-note.) In this view, the Israelites are attacked unexpectedly (as required by Ezek 38:8), but the period that follows—the great tribulation described in Revelation—will be so horrendous that it is difficult to envision people clearing the battlefield of war equipment and dead bodies as depicted in Ezek 39:9-20. Ed comment: John Philips champions this view and here is his summary from his commentary on Mt 24:15 - "The order of prophesied events is as follows: Shortly after the rapture of the church, a dynamic leader will arise in Europe. He will unite ten key European nations under ten "kings" and revive the Roman empire. As part of his overall strategy for world domination, he will sign a seven-year treaty with the nation of Israel. Under cover of this treaty the religious Jews will rebuild their temple in Jerusalem (See notes on the Tribulation Temple); their enemies will be held back by the overwhelming military might of this ruler (called the beast in the Apocalypse and the Antichrist elsewhere). The Islamic nations will appeal to Russia. Seeing its global position being eroded by the dynamism and determination of the revitalized West (led by the beast), Russia will make the fatal decision to invade Israel. A military disaster of unprecedented magnitude will overtake the combined anti-Semitic forces (Ezekiel 38-39). This will create an enormous geo-political vacuum, which will make it possible for the beast to assume global rule. The beast will now have no more use for Israel. He will seize the rebuilt temple, put an image of himself in the inner sanctuary (cp Mt 24:15-note, 2Th 2:3-note, 2Th 2:4-note, Rev 13:14-15-note), and command that universal worship be given to him and his image. Then he will launch an all-out pogrom against the Jews; he will set out to exterminate them along with all those who refuse to receive his mark and worship his image. It is this image that is referred to by both Daniel and Jesus as the abomination of desolation." (Mt 24:15-note; Da 9:27-note) (Exploring the Gospel of Matthew) VIEW 2: Near the close of Daniel’s 70th week as part of the war of Armageddon described in Daniel 11:36-45-note; Zechariah 12,14; Revelation 14:14-20-note; Rev 16:17-21-note; Rev 19:11-21-note. Various excellent scholars take this position and manage in different ways to integrate the Scriptures listed above. But reading Ezekiel 38 and 39 gives the impression of an invading force that is destroyed before it meets enemy armies. VIEW 3: During the transition period between the destruction of the armies gathered at Megiddo at Christ’s return, and His subjugation of the northern confederacy. In this scenario, the Beast and False Prophet are still free for a brief time after the great battle of Armageddon as depicted in Revelation 16:16-21 and Rev 19:11-16-note. In this view, Revelation 19:17-21 does not refer to Armageddon, but to the battle depicted in Ezekiel 38 and 39. The regathered and converted Israelites are living safely because Messiah has returned. This position is strengthened by the fact that the “great supper” is common to both Ezekiel 39:17-20 and Revelation 19:17-19. Additionally, the time spent cleaning up the battlefield coincides nicely with the idea of a transitional period of preparation as the kingdom age begins. VIEW 4: At the close of the millennial kingdom, when Satan is released for a little while, gathers a following, and then makes one final and futile assault against God. In favor of this view are the facts that the Israelites will be living safely and that the words “Gog and Magog” appear in Revelation 20:7-10-note as in Ezekiel 38:1-2 and 39:1-2. But one wonders why the Lord would have people spend so much time cleaning up the land when He is on the verge of purifying the whole planet by fire and bringing down the new heavens and earth as depicted in 2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 20:11-21:27. (Knowing God Through Ezekiel) Ezekiel 38:2 "Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him: Son of man - Reference is to the prophet Ezekiel. Son of man - 93x in Ezekiel - Ezek 2:1, 3, 6, 8; 3:1, 3-4, 10, 17, 25; 4:1, 16; 5:1; 6:2; 7:2; 8:5-6, 8, 12, 15, 17; 11:2, 4, 15; 12:2-3, 9, 18, 22, 27; 13:2, 17; 14:3, 13; 15:2; 16:2; 17:2; 20:3-4, 27, 46; 21:2, 6, 9, 12, 14, 19, 28; 22:2, 18, 24; 23:2, 36; 24:2, 16, 25; 25:2; 26:2; 27:2; 28:2, 12, 21; 29:2, 18; 30:2, 21; 31:2; 32:2, 18; 33:2, 7, 10, 12, 24, 30; 34:2; 35:2; 36:1, 17; 37:3, 9, 11, 16; 38:2, 14; 39:1, 17; 40:4; 43:7, 10, 18; 44:5; 47:6 Set your face (turn toward) (In Lxx uses sterizo) - Qal Imperative - A command from God to Ezekiel. 11x/11v - Ezek 4:3, 7; 6:2; 13:17; 20:46; 21:2; 25:2; 28:21; 29:2; 35:2; 38:2. This phrase almost always introduces a prophecy against the recipient of the prophecy (cp against in Ezek 38:3). Gog - 10x in 8v - 1Chr 5:4; Ezekiel 38:2, 3, 14, 16, 18; Ezekiel 39:1, 11. Below are all the uses of Gog in the English Standard Version. Take a moment and write out your (descriptive) "definition" of Gog, by objectively observing uses in Ezekiel 38-39 (remember to check the context) and then read what the scholars say about Gog. 1 Chronicles 5:4 The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, Ezekiel 38:2 "Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him Ezekiel 38:3 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Ezekiel 38:14 "Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? Ezekiel 38:16 You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. Ezekiel 38:18 But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. Ezekiel 39:1 "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Ezekiel 39:11 "On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. What is the meaning of Gog? This is difficult to answer objectively (and dogmatically)! Gog is felt by some commentators to be a personal name, whereas others see it more as a title like "Czar" or "dictator" (See more discussion below). In the context (Ezekiel 38:10) Gog clearly appears to describe a political and/or military leader and thus suggests an individual is in view. In the original Hebrew text, there is no gender or number (singular or plural) designation for any of the uses of Gog in Ezekiel, but the Greek Septuagint translates all the Hebrew uses with the Greek noun in the masculine, singular. As I researched this topic, it seems that much of our modern evangelical interpretation derives from C I Scofield's interpretative comments (circa 1917, prior to Israel becoming a nation) on Ezekiel 38:2... That the primary reference is to the northern (European) powers, headed up by Russia, all agree...."Gog" is the prince, "Magog," his land. The reference to Meshech and Tubal (Moscow and Tobolsk) is a clear mark of identification. Russia and the northern powers have been the latest persecutors of dispersed Israel, and it is congruous both with divine justice and with the covenants (e.g. (See Scofield "Genesis 15:18") See Scofield "Deuteronomy 30:3" that destruction should fall at the climax of the last mad attempt to exterminate the remnant of Israel in Jerusalem. The whole prophecy belongs to the yet future "day of Jehovah" ; Isaiah 2:10-22; Revelation 19:11-21 and to the battle of Armageddon, Revelation 16:14 (Speculation - Ed Comment: As discussed the Timing of the events in Ezekiel 38-39 is not clearly defined!).... (The 1917 Scofield Study Bible) For example, TWOT's "definition" for Gog is somewhat interpretative... Gog is the ruler of the land of Magog and prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal (Ezek 38 and 39). Gog is also the name of a Reubenite in 1Chr 5:4....Ezekiel envisions this prince as the leader of a vast horde of armed troops that includes people from Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah. They will march against Israel at a time when the people of God have returned to their land and live in peace completely undefended. But this will all be allowed by the Lord that he might display his holiness among them. The people of God will not have to fight, for God himself will destroy the armies of Gog (Ezek 38:19-23). (E B Smick in Harris, R L, Archer, G L & Waltke, B K Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody Press) Even the etymology of Gog is difficult! The TWOT explains that... All attempts to trace the origin of the name Gog must be held to be tentative. Some see the name in Gyges of Lydia who drove away the Cimmerians (Gomer). Others see it in a name mentioned in Assyrian records, Gagu, the chief of a mountain tribe north of Assyria (cf. BDB). It is not important theologically that we be able to trace the name linguistically or identify it historically. Most Christians interpret these passages eschatologically. Precise interpretations differ. Some see the passage as highly symbolic of the final struggle between the Church and the forces of evil (Ed: See discussion on Interpreting Symbols for dangers of spiritualizing the Scripture!). Others taking it quite literally (Ed: See discussion of the Literal approach) say the nation Israel will be attacked after the Millennium when Satan is released only to be finally destroyed by being cast into the lake of fire. (Ed: As discussed below, this is a speculative statement because the timing of Ezekiel 38-39 is very difficult to identify with absolute confidence!) Others consider the references in Rev 20:7-9 to be allusions, not decisive as to fulfilment and they identify the time of fulfilment as the battle of Armageddon before the millennium. Louw-Nida defines Gog (G-K #1573) as follows... גֹּוג (gôg): noun proper; ≡ Strong's #1463; TWOT 324—Louw-Nida 93-personal/person. (male) Gog: 1. of Reuben (1Ch 5:4) 2. chief prince of Meshech and Tubal of the land of Magog (Eze 38:2-18 passim; Ezekiel 39:1,11); also part of a compound name, Hamon Gog. (A Dictionary of Biblical Languages w- Semantic Domains Hebrew - OT) Charles Ryrie says that... The derivation of the word is uncertain. It probably refers to the ruler of the people who live in Magog. Magog was identified by Josephus as the land of the Scythians, the region N and NE of the Black Sea and E of the Caspian Sea (now occupied by three members of the Commonwealth of Independent States: Russia, the Ukraine, and Kazakhstan). Rosh. The area of modern Iran. Meshech and Tubal. The area of modern Turkey. (Bold italics mine) Henry Morris (who is conservative and generally interprets Scripture literally) says that... "Gog" seems to be the name of the commander-in-chief of this confederation of nations which will invade Israel "in the latter days" (Ezekiel 38:16), sometime after Israel has been reestablished in its land--while still rejecting God and His Christ--as outlined in Ezekiel 37. The name "Gog" may be an accommodation to some such ethnic name as "Georgi." Magog is evidently Gog's country, associated also with the countries of Meshech and Tubal. All three countries were named after their founding fathers, each of whom was a son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), and all three originally settled in what is now Asia Minor, north of Israel. The HCSB Study Bible has an interesting discussion of Gog, noting that... Gog may most immediately refer to Gyges, king of Lysia, from the seventh century b.c. Even so, the reference transcends this Gog's historical circumstances to refer to a leader who will oppose Israel in the far future. A modern parallel would be for us to speak of a prominent but vile leader as a "new Hitler." The only other occurrence of "Gog" is in Rev 20:8 (note). Gog seems to transcend historical categories, serving as a symbol of the forces of antichrist. If so, Gog has become a transnational symbol of evil, much like Edom and Egypt (Ex 15; Isa 34; Isa 63:1-6; Mal 1:2-5). (HCSB Study Bible - Note - this well done resource is free online. Hint: Enter Ezekiel 38 in the search query. To see if there is a note on specific verse, click the verse number. For the preceding comment, click verse "2" and a separate window pops up with the comment). Prince of Rosh - While some interpreters have stated "Rosh" is Russia, this interpretation is problematic. (Speculation) While the NAS uses the word "Rosh", the ESV and RSV both translate Rosh as "Chief." Rosh is found almost 600 times in the OT and is most commonly translated “chief” or “head” (as in the expression for the Jewish New Year, Rosh ha-Shanah, or head of the year). The NET Bible Note comments on "the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal"... Some translate "the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal," but it is more likely that the Hebrew noun in question is a common noun in apposition to "prince," rather than a proper name. See Darrell I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:434-35. As Block demonstrates, attempts by some popular writers to identify these proper names with later geographical sites in Russia are anachronistic. See as well E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27. (NET Bible Online) The HCSB Study Bible adds that... Because the Hebrew word for chief (Hebrew = ro'sh) sounds similar to the name "Russia," many modern Bible students have attempted to identify Russia with the "chief" in this verse. This popular identification is based on a faulty etymology, the similarities in sound between Russia and Rosh being purely accidental. "Rosh" never appears as a nation in any biblical text. Furthermore, those who identify Meshech with Moscow and Tubal with Tobolsk likewise operate on faulty assumptions about the etymological evidence. Comment: I tend to agree with the HCSB Study Bible comment. The "danger" in interpreting difficult passages like Ezekiel 38-39 is to be so excited about them that one attempts to force them into current events, rather than letting the passage govern the assessment of current events. There is a subtle but very real difference and this approach can lead to a very speculative, sensationalistic interpretation. While I believe these passages indeed could refer to Russia, one has to remain as objective as possible lest he or she wrongly divide the word of truth. Henry Morris... "chief prince. The words "chief prince" may also be rendered "prince of Rosh," and some translations so render it. This may well be (Speculation) a reference to the people known as "Rus," who eventually became Russia. The names "Meshech" and "Tubal" may be preserved today as "Muscovy" or "Moscow," and "Tobolsk" and "Tbilisi." Magog is identified by Josephus with the Scythians, and there is considerable evidence that all three tribes eventually migrated farther north. Whether they can be precisely identified as equivalent to modern Russia (or other states of the former Soviet Union) is debatable, but it does appear most probable that the prophecy does refer to a "northern confederacy," coming out of the "north parts" (Ezekiel 38:15). Beloved, now are you really confused?! Is so then read Thomas Constable's note below which in my opinion is one of the best, most balanced comments I have seen on these introductory passages... The identity of this ruler (Gog) has been the subject of much study and speculation. The possibilities include a Reubenite prince (1Chr 5:4), a former king of Lydia named Gugu (or Gyges), an unknown “dark” figure (from the Sumerian word gug, “darkness”), a man named Gagu who ruled over Sakhi (an area north of Assyria), an unspecified official ruler (taking “Gog” as a title) of a particular land (Magog), a general personal name for an otherwise unidentified enemy of Israel, or a code name for Babylon. It is probably safe to say that “Gog” refers to the name or title of a ruler who will emerge in history while Israel is dwelling safely in her land (cf. Ezekiel 38:8). Perhaps Ezekiel referred to this unnamed future enemy of Israel as a dark figure (unknown and evil) calling him “Dark” much as we might refer to such a person as a new Hitler..... The land of Magog probably refers to the former domain of the Scythians, who lived in the mountains around the Black and Caspian seas (modern southern Russia). Gog will also have authority over Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Rosh (lit. “head” or “chief”) has not been identified either by biblical or extra biblical references. The idea that it refers to Russia rests on etymological similarities, but the name Russia only came into existence in the late eleventh century A.D. Thus a linguistic connection with Russia is very tenuous. Rosh may be an adjective describing the ruler of Meshech and Tubal. Meshech and Tubal occur together in Scripture (Ezekiel 27:13; 32:26; Ge 10:2; 1Chron. 1:5) and apparently refer to regions of Anatolia (modern western Turkey), the areas that became known as Phrygia and Cappadocia. The whole region would be what is now parts of southwestern Russia, Turkey, and Iran. (Bolding added for emphasis) Joel Rosenberg has the following comments on Gog... Over the years, people have asked me if Putin might be the Russian dictator referred to as “Gog” in the Biblical prophecies of “Gog and Magog” in Ezekiel 38-39. I suspect as Putin continues to re-emerge, those questions will begin to be asked again. Here’s my quick answer: It’s too soon to draw such a conclusion. There’s much more that would have to happen to indicate that Putin was the “Gog” of Bible prophecy. But there’s no question in my mind that Putin is Gog-esque. He is dangerous, and both Israel and the West should keep a close and wary eye on him, especially given all that Putin has done to build a strategic alliance between Russia and Iran and the other countries mentioned in the “Gog and Magog” prophecies. (Putin Rising but is he “Gog”) NET Note - Heb “the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal.” Some translate “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal,” but it is more likely that the Hebrew noun in question is a common noun in apposition to “prince,” rather than a proper name. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:434-35. As Block demonstrates, attempts by some popular writers to identify these proper names with later geographical sites in Russia are anachronistic. See as well E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27. Land of Magog - Mentioned again in Ezekiel 39:6 "And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD. Tony