Gog and Magog
The war of Gog will not occur today
Excerpt from a manuscript
Chapter one
Keys
Gog and Magog is about a future war that Israel will take place in the land of Israel. Because of the war with Hamas and the threat of a war with Hezbollah and Iran, many are wondering if this is the war taking place now. Thousands of years ago God said a strange thing. He told Ezekiel to prophesy against a man named Gog telling him that He is against him. Then God told Gog that He would bring him against Israel and destroy him on the mountains of Israel. Why? If God is against this man why doesn’t He raise an adversary against him as He has done with other kings? Instead, He calls him to attack Israel to destroy him on the mountains of Israel. This prophecy is about something more than today’s narrative. Today’s narrative is that Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Libya are going to attack Israel after the rapture. When taught this narrative the reason why God is orchestrating this attack and the significance of it is lost. There is a glaring problem in today’s narrative about Israel’s war with Gog from Magog and no one seems to notice it. Unless that problem is addressed there will be a continued misinterpretation of the Gog and Magog War, when it will start, and the purpose of this.
Although Israel is a tiny nation it is the most important nation in the world. Before God created the first sentient beings He saw a war against Him that would occur. Therefore, before the world’s foundation was laid God destined this nation to be used by Him to bring peace and restoration to His creation. Israel is at the center of that war that started a long time ago and God will end this war with Israel when Gog attacks Israel.
When this war will take place has been a mystery to all since Ezekiel prophesied about it and still is today. In the past, because of the mystery of this prophecy, there have been many interpretations of when the Gog and Magog war took place or will take place, yet time has proven these interpretations false. Just as with past beliefs and teachings, there remain problems with today’s beliefs about the war between Gog and Magog. Many confused ideas about this event are circulating because key scriptures have been overlooked or misinterpreted when addressed. But now all the puzzle pieces are in place and we can now have a clear view of when and why this war will happen. This understanding is unlocked when we interpret today’s events in the light of the key scriptures. We are blessed today with new evidence that those in the past never had, yet many today do not see the evidence before them. I am afraid tunnel vision has occurred when teaching about this war. It is time for us to think outside the box we have been placed in and take a fresh look at this prophecy. Because of the box we have been placed in the key scriptures are not being addressed and we lose the understanding of why God is calling Gog to attack Israel. When the key scriptures are interpreted correctly they will allow us to determine when it will occur. When we have a clear view of when this attack will happen, then we have a clear view as to the reason why God called Gog to attack Israel. It is to the detriment of our understanding of the Gog’s attack on Israel when we do not address these key scriptures and address them properly.
I have listened to many teachings on this subject, but very few address the key scriptures vital to correctly understanding this war, and those who do address them do not address them correctly. Those who teach about the Gog and Magog War failed to consider what they read about Gog’s military while explaining that the conflict between Israel and Gog is about to occur because Russia, Iran, and Turkey are aligning to ally. The popular narrative today is that it will happen soon after the rapture. Today everyone has become focused on the popular narrative because of events taking place with Russia, Iran, and Turkey wondering if the war with Hamas is the beginning of that war. With today’s events happening so fast, it would seem this is the case. Russia and Iran are aligned and Turkey and Russia are drawing closer to each other. God mentioned in Ezekiel that Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya would be in Gog’s coalition. Russia is not mentioned in Ezekiel though it is believed that Gog will come from there has attacked Ukraine eliciting feelings that Gog is on the move. These are all false signs because the reasons why Russia is attacking Ukraine and threatening World War III are different from why Gog will go to war with Israel. There is much more to this war than what is being taught and because of today’s teachings, we miss the rich understanding of why God is calling for Gog to attack Israel.
There have been many attempts to identify Gog and his hordes throughout the centuries. Regrettably, this misunderstanding in the past of who Gog is and when the war will happen continues today. In the past, the conditions needed for this war to occur with Israel had not taken place. Conditions for Israel that need to be in place before the war with Gog could happen would have to be, that Israel had to be an independent nation, living in a state of peace, with no need for a military. Israel had not been living in peace while under the domination of Gentile empires, and in AD 70 the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, scattering the Jews throughout the world for two thousand years. It wasn’t until 1948 that Israel became an independent nation again. The creation of the country of Israel was a major event in the prophetic realm; God had brought His people back home. In 1967 the Jews retook Jerusalem, a major event that rocked the prophetic world again. I remember watching Israel’s army entering a gate to Jerusalem on television. What an event in history! With Israel in control of Jerusalem, this started the countdown for the last seven years of the four hundred and ninety years that God ordained for Israel’s punishment. These last seven years will begin sometime in the near future and will culminate with the second coming of Jesus. The second coming of Jesus will end God’s indignation against the Jews forever. Indignation that began when God punished Israel for their sins against Him by allowing Babylon to conquer Israel in 596 BC. Now that Israel is back as an independent nation and in control of Jerusalem, the next major event is believed by many to be the Gog and Magog War.
Misconstrued
The book of Ezekiel begins with God calling out Gog and his army. When calling out his army He says something that does not fit today’s narrative that the war of Gog and Magog will take place after the rapture: “I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee fourth, all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” (Ezekiel 38:4) This is the first key scripture that must be addressed to determine if this battle will take place today. That verse names the weapons that Gog and his armies will use when they attack Israel. The problem is, that the weapons God names do not fit the weapons used today, and nobody seems to notice this. Because of tunnel vision caused by today’s narrative that the war of Gog and Magog will happen soon after the rapture, there is no perception of what this scripture is saying. Therefore, the timing and the significance of this attack are not understood, or being taught. When we properly understand this verse, a different picture is painted. The last piece of the puzzle that has eluded generations is finally here, but no one is paying attention. That unnoticed piece of the puzzle demands that they change their thinking. With the development of the modern war machine of today, there is a stark contrast between the weapons that the scriptures say Gog will use and the weapons that we use today. We cannot afford to not address these scriptures in light of today’s weapons used in our militaries. If we do not address them, it will cause a misunderstanding of the timing and if the timing is misunderstood we cannot understand the purpose of why God is calling Gog to attack Israel. Therefore, to fully understand this war we must address this stark contrast in the scriptures. Those who teach about this war do not address these scriptures, which is a mistake. We must consider every word God has spoken so that we may sort out the truth.
It is in today’s military environment that the final piece of the puzzle is put in place. According to the Lord, Gog’s army will be using spears, shields, swords, bows, and arrows; weapons that Israel will burn for seven years. That verse is a problem for today’s narrative. These are not modern-day weapons, but ancient weapons! Today’s armies use AK47 rifles, missiles, warplanes, attack helicopters, armored vehicles, rocket-propelled grenades, tanks, and as a last resort, nuclear weapons. Since every attempt to identify who Gog is in the past has proven false, and since this war has not yet happened, and since according to Ezekiel Gog’s army will not be using today’s conventional weapons, and every word of God is true, then that war must be still in the future. Therefore, the questions must be asked, are the weapons the Lord mentions metaphoric or actual, and when does this war occur? Will it happen soon after the rapture as it is taught today, or before the rapture as some believe? Will it take place in the middle of the tribulation, as some believe, or will it take place after the battle of Armageddon which some believe?
Another problem with believing this war will take place today is that a war with Gog with such a supernatural intervention for Israel’s sake, would certainly turn the Jews back to their God. Although it would appear that the verse in Ezekiel thirty-nine verse twenty-two could be used to prove that the Gog Magog war would take place today since Israel is in a state of unbelief, this verse must be interpreted in the light of the key verses; the weapons that Gog’s army will use.
“So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.” (Ezekiel 39:22)
When we understand when this war will take place we will perceive this war as more significant than most realize. It is about a war in an unseen realm that started long ago. But first, before this could happen, Israel not only had to be back as a nation but also live in security before this war could take place. Israel is back, but not living in security because they are in a cold war with Iran, and Hamas is always launching rockets at Israel and now they are in an all-out war with Hamas. And even if they destroy Hamas all-out war can happen anytime with Hezbollah and Israel is constantly in danger of terrorist attacks, which will cause them to be always on alert. They are living a safe and peaceful existence under those circumstances.
Although the main requirements have been fulfilled and Israel is back as a nation, there is one part of the prophecy yet to be fulfilled, the weapons that Gog’s army will use in that war. Conditions before this war can take place must be fulfilled which require the usage of swords and shields. Like the important requirements that were overlooked in the past, somehow this has been overlooked and because of this, it causes mistakes in the interpretation of the timing and fulfillment of this war, as well as the reason for the war. Unless the weapons that Gog’s army will be using in the war are addressed, and properly interpreted, the timing and when the fulfillment of when this war will take place will escape everyone who teaches about this war, including the why of the war.
Warfare has changed in the last century. We went from fighting with swords, spears, bows, and arrows, to weapons that can destroy all life on Earth. Russia, Iran, the United States, and China to name a few countries, are pouring billions into weapons. Russia announced it will spend eighty-four billion on its military in 2023. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin boasts of their military achievements, which include hypersonic weapons that are difficult to intercept.
Iran, who vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, has spent $140 billion on weapons in the last ten years creating a formidable military, and will spend $22 billion on its Revolutionary Guard. Iran and its Quads Force pay for Hezbollah’s immense arsenal, estimated by the Israel Defense Forces to be approximately 150,000 surface-to-surface projectiles. Hezbollah’s arsenal consists mainly of short-range Katyusha rockets with a 28-mile range which also includes some 3,500 projectiles that carry 150-kilogram warheads that can hit greater Tel Aviv. The arsenal includes more than 200 long-range ballistic missiles that carry half-ton warheads, which can strike any point in Israel.
Turkey has spent $140 billion on its military and continues to upgrade their military, spending more and more money in a quest to become a superpower, with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dreaming of a renewed Ottoman Empire with Jerusalem in its sight. It would be insane for any of them to decide that the best way to attack Israel is with spears, shields, bucklers, and spears, bows, and arrows. This would be a dream come true for Israel since Israel is a superpower in the Middle East. Israel is armed with formidable modern weaponry and continues to advance in their ability to protect itself from hostile enemies that surround them. If Gog and his coalition were to attack Israel with bows and arrows it would be no contest, Israel would easily win the war. It would be insanity for any of Israel’s enemies to attack Israel with bows and arrows. And if Israel did defeat Gog, God would not get the glory for the defeat of Gog, and Israel would be able to boast about their military. This would frustrate the reason why God is calling Gog to attack Israel, which is to glorify Himself to Israel and the Gentile nations.
It has been suggested that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) exchange, which are nuclear weapons detonated in the atmosphere, will make all modern electronics-based weapons useless, forcing the use of primitive weapons. This view does not make sense since an EMP attack would only affect electronics. Hand grenades, artillery, guns, rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), and mortars do not have electronic components, therefore they would not be affected. There would be no need to resort to primitive weapons. That being so, the question is when God said that Gog and his army would all be riding on horses carrying swords, spears, bows, and arrows what did He mean? Were they metaphors, or did Ezekiel have a vision, but did not understand what he was seeing, as some suggest, so he called the weapons he saw bows, arrows, spears, swords, shields, and bucklers? No doubt symbols are used in the Bible. A metaphor figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. The word sword is used in the Bible as a symbol for war. But was God using them as symbols when He said that all of them would be riding on horses carrying bows and arrows, shields, and swords? No, He meant it literally. In chapter thirty-nine verse nine there is a list of weapons that will be burned for seven years, even adding one more to the list, hand staves. If the weapons were a symbol, why would God itemize weapons naming them as bows and arrows, spears, and shields? And if the weapons are not symbols did Ezekiel have a vision of modern-day weapons and not understand what he saw so he called them bows, arrows, shields, bucklers, swords, spears, and horses?
At the beginning of the prophecy God spoke to Ezekiel and said, “Set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog.” God then defined Gog’s army and the weapons that Gog’s army would use in the battle. He said Gog’s army would be riding on horses, and their weapons would be bucklers, shields, spears, swords, bows, and arrows. This is ancient warfare, not modern-day warfare such as today. To place this battle in our time is not according to scripture. Either you believe Him, or you do not. Since this is ancient warfare perhaps those who believe that this war was fulfilled in the past are correct, or maybe not. It would certainly fit the narrative that this war happened in the past. I have heard many teach on this war and all of them would read verse four in chapter thirty-eight, yet they ignore what they just read and go on to explain how Russia, Turkey, and Iran are alining up as allies setting the stage for the Gog Magog war. This is incorrect teaching. You cannot place this war in our time because according to the scriptures, the weapons they will be using are weapons of ancient warfare. The weapons define the time and the time is not today. The next major war in which God will get the glory, which Israel also will fight against Gentile powers, will be the battle of Armageddon, but that will be between Israel and the antichrist, not Gog.
Did God break the ninth commandment?
And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 39:9-10)
The second key scripture is the weapons to be burned after Gog and his armies are defeated. As God continues His revelation of the future war with Gog, He reveals that Israel will gather up all the weapons that Gog’s armies left on the ground and will burn them for seven years. No need for them to take firewood out of the field for seven years. What God says next is very important to take notice of. God itemizes the weapons that Israel will burn for seven years. If this war were to happen today, God would not have itemized the weapons since you cannot make fires of tanks, warplanes, RPGs, rockets, armored personnel vehicles, and other modern weapons used today as they are not made of wood. And because they are not made of wood, He would not have said they would burn them for seven years; God does not make false statements! By God itemizing the weapons that they will gather and burn, He made it clear that He was not speaking metaphorically when He referred to Gog’s weapons. If God itemized the weapons referring to them as weapons of ancient warfare when He knew the weapons that Gog would be using would be missiles, AK74s rifles, tanks, fighting vehicles, mortars, fighter jets, and all the assortment of other modern-day weapons of war use today, then God broke His ninth commandment: “Thou shall not bear fault witness.” For Him to know, and God certainly did know, what terrible weapons man would have developed and will deploy at the end of this age, then itemizing the weapons that will be burnt as spears, bows, arrows, shields, and hand staves would make Him a liar. If He lied about that then He lied when He said that they would all be riding on horses when He knew that there would be motorized vehicles in use. Since you cannot burn metals that are used in today’s weapons, then God lied about Israel burning the weapons for seven years. Matthew Henry’s Commentary makes this statement about the ninth commandment: This forbids speaking fairly in any matter, lying, equivocating, and in any way devising, and designing to deceive our neighbour.
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army. (Ezekiel 38:15)
Bucklers, shields, all of them handling swords, if God lied about that, what else has He lied about? Did He lie about our salvation? Are we saved? And how can He be the righteous judge of the whole earth, if He broke His commandment, you are not to bear false witness? If that is so then what other commandments or promises is God willing to break? If He broke the ninth commandment He is no better than we are! But we know that God is not a liar, nor is He an unrighteous judge, nor will we find any fault in Him, as Paul writes:
God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. (Romans 3:4)
On the day of judgment when God judges the secrets of all men and women’s hearts, we will witness the righteousness of God’s judgment, thus we will understand why God did what He did, and all will praise Him.
Those who study why people lie have compiled many reasons for their lying. For of all the reasons why people lie none of them can refer to the nature of God. People lie because of fear; people will lie for personal gain. Some people lie for no clear purpose, however, God has no reason to lie to anyone, His nature prevents it. He is the supreme authority in this universe, He is the author of all things, He fears no one, and since He answers to no one He is not afraid to speak the truth. The Bible clearly states: “God cannot lie.” If He were found a liar then the cross of Christ would be pointless. Everything He has done would be pointless.
“In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” (Titus 1:2)
Since God is incapable of lying to us, then we must take the weapons that He said Gog would use at face value. Since the weapons that God said Israel would be burning must be taken at face value. How then can this war possibly take place today?
It was suggested by someone that maybe an international agreement to disarm will take place and that is why Gog has to resort to swords, shields, bows, and arrows. Not a chance! Iran has spent billions of dollars on arms to confront Israel, and Iran is on the path to obtaining nuclear weapons and will get them thanks to the gullible West with their nuclear agreement with Iran. They will never honor such an agreement. Whatever they agree upon, they will act dishonestly. Certainly, Israel would understand that any agreement with Iran is not worth the paper it is written on. Iran wants to obliterate them and nuclear weapons are one way to do it. Their enemies not only surround them, but anti-semitism is on the rise everywhere. Israel is going to have to maintain a powerful modern army to ensure their survival. Since their enemies’ numbers are more than theirs, swords and spears will not suffice, Israel is fighting for its existence. Politics, arms agreement, and a two-state agreement will never solve the problem, only Jesus can, and He will.
When God said all would be riding on horses, he meant all of them, not some of them. He did not say they would be riding armored personnel carriers, tanks, Russian BMPTs, or any other type of military vehicles, nor did He say some of them would be riding horses, but all of them would be riding horses. If He said all would be riding horses knowing that was not true, then He bore false witness, breaking the ninth commandment. If you believe that God cannot lie, then there can be no doubt in your mind that Gog will be using bows and arrows, spears, shields, and bucklers and all of them will be riding on horses when he attacks Israel. So how does this fit in today’s military environment? It does not! We must break out of the box we have been placed in and realize something is amiss in today’s narrative concerning the battle of Gog and Magog. It is time to embrace the truth.
God cannot, nor will not bear false witness, nor does He have any reason to do so. To insist this attack will take place today would be to accuse God of breaking the ninth commandment, which He is incapable of doing. Nor would the Lord show Ezekiel a vision of today’s modern weapons for he would not understand what he saw. Nor would God list the weapons that would be used in our time since Ezekiel would not have the ability to comprehend what God was talking about; neither would the ancients who read the prophecy. If the attack were to happen today God would have said something like this, “I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and lead you out, you with all your army, and weapons of war.” That would have been the practical way not to perplex anyone. But He does not because the weapons Gog will use are swords, shields, spears, bows, and arrows. This shows that the weapons are literal, not metaphoric. He would not have itemized the weapons as such if this was not so. Nor would He itemize modern weapons to be burnt since you cannot burn metal. This war just does not fit in our period. When these key scriptures are realized and properly understood we enter a whole new level of understanding of this war.
Since God is incapable of lying, since He cannot break any of His commandments, and since He itemized the weapons to be burned as spears, swords, bows and arrows, handstaves, shields, and bucklers, and since this war has not happened yet, then we must conclude that this war will have to be fought sometime in the future that will require such weapons to be used.
The weapons define the time. Ezekiel thirty-eight and thirty-nine must be interpreted in the light of the weapons that God said Gog would be using when he attacks Israel. These are key scriptures because they contrast the weapons used in today’s warfare.
In the light of the fast fulfillment of prophecy concerning the second coming of Jesus, we know that the battle of Armageddon will not be fought with swords, shields, bows, and arrows, but with modern weapons. A battle that will take place with the antichrist seven years after he makes a covenant with the Jews, but not with Gog.
Weapons are not the only thing to consider. We must ask the question, did Ezekiel have a vision, or did God speak to him? This is a very important question that must be answered correctly, if not then the prophecy of Ezekiel will be misinterpreted, and if misinterpreted then we lose the rich importance of why God is calling Gog to attack Israel.
With that piece of the puzzle, Morden warfare versus ancient warfare, in place which has been missing since Ezekiel prophesied about Gog, it now becomes clear when this war is to take place. We have come a long way from bows and arrows to weapons of the likes of AK74s, missiles, tanks, mortars, drones, and weapons of mass destruction. It is in this environment that it becomes possible to ascertain when this war will take place in the timeline of prophetic events.