During Last Days Before All Things Become New

“Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, set your face against 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, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops —many people are with you.’” Ezekiel 38:1-6

The name “Magog” first appears in Genesis 10:2, “The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.” The name “Magog” last appears in Revelation 20:8-9, “And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. ... And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”

According to Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary, “Gog refers to the prince of the land of Magog. The title was probably a common one of the kings of the country, as ‘Pharaoh’ in Egypt. These names might be adopted by Ezekiel... as ideal titles for the great last anti-Christian confederacy.” Magog consists of descendants from Noah’s son Japheth. Gomer and Togarmah are also descendants of Noah’s son Japheth. His people settled to the north of Israel in what is now sometimes referred to as Asia Minor and they spread out across Europe and Russia.

According to Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary, “The ‘Prince of Rosh...’ the modern Russians may have hence assumed their name, as Moscow and Tobolsk from Meshech and Tubal.” “Magog was Gog’s original kingdom, though he acquired also Meshech and Tubal, so as to be called their chief prince.”

Persia refers to the people of modern day Iran. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya join with Magog against God’s people.

The Lord gave Ezekiel a prophecy against these lands in that they will form a great army to attack His people dwelling in Israel. According to Revelation 20:8-9, their turn against God’s people is a work of Satan. Why would anyone seek to destroy those through whom God brought His Word, His Messiah and His Holy Spirit? But events are not a tragedy for God’s people, but for those who oppose them. God is going to gather His enemies just as He did previously with Pharoah and his armies... to destroy them in a moment. It is never good to harden one’s heart against the Lord and His anointed.

“Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.” Ezekiel 38:7-9

“After many days,” this is prophecy which will be fulfilled in the future, not in Ezekiel’s days.

“Thus says the Lord God: on that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: you will say, I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates—to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?” Ezekiel 38:10-13

According to Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary, these co-conspirators with the descendants of Japheth are merchants, who “though not taking an active part against the cause of God, are well pleased to see others do it. Worldliness makes them ready to deal in the ill-gotten spoil of the invaders of God’s people. Gain is before godliness with them (1 Maccabees 3:41).”

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: on that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus says the Lord God: are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?” Ezekiel 38:14-17

The fact that Revelation 20:8-9 corresponds with Ezekiel prophecy means that his “latter days” refers to the end of this present world’s existence before the Lord creates a new heaven and new earth.

“It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” A majority of Japheth’s descendants will not hallow God. They will blaspheme His Name. They will war against professors of Christ, but God is going to humble them in the sight of all people before Christ returns. This act of God will fulfill the prophetic words of many of God’s prophetic servants in the Bible.

“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains, says the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 38:18-23

In that day, there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel so that the creatures of the air, land and sea quake in God’s presence. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. God will break down their unity during the heat of the battle. There will be pestilence and bloodshed. There will be cataclysmic events like flooding, great hailstones and brimstone – fire from heaven.

Jesus Christ revealed both in the Gospels and in the Book of Revelation such events coming to pass in the days before He returns.

The events of Israel’s defeat and exile by Babylon followed by their return to the Promised Land are a type of what is to come in the last days. A great world empire that consists of those who oppose Christ and His people will arise. For a time, they will seem to be greater than God, but as in the days of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, there will be prophets saying to the people, “No, don’t believe the lies of this evil empire referred to as “Babylon” in the Book of Revelation, stand for the “Testimony of Jesus and the Word of God.”

During his last days on earth, the Apostle John bore witness to the testimony of Jesus and the Word of God. In Revelation 1:9, he wrote, “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

According to Revelation 12:17, the devil is at war with those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

According to Revelation 12:11, God’s people overcome the devil “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” By abiding in Christ, they do not concede defeat to the enemy of human souls.

According to the angel who speaks to John in Revelation 19:10, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Therefore, no matter what kind of technology the nations develop... no matter what kind of amazing signs they create on earth, in the sky, in the sea, and on our screens... we should hold to the testimony of Jesus and to the Word of God.

All things shall end as Jesus Christ revealed to His servants in Revelation 11:15: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Amen! Hallelujah!