God's Prophetic Blueprint
Chapter 6
THE NORTHERN CONFEDERACY MEETS THE WRATH OF GOD
"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, 0 Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth and all thine army . . ." (Ezekiel 38:1-4a).
In Ezekiel 39:2, God declares that He will bring a mighty army to "the mountains of Israel" and will also "turn them back." With God's hooks in its jaws, this army will invade the land of Israel and will experience its greatest military defeat. As we consider this portion of God's prophetic plan, I would like to ask four questions:
*Who leads the invasion?
*Why is there an attack?
*When will it occur?
*What is the result?
WHO LEADS THE INVASION?
First, who leads the invasion of Ezekiel 38? Most students of Bible prophecy are convinced that verse 2 is a reference to the land of Russia: "Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him." In Genesis 10, the generations of Noah are listed. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 10:1). Notice that among the sons of Japheth are mentioned "Magog ... Tuba], and Meshech" (Genesis 10:2). Scofield is accurate in stating, "From Magog are descended the ancient Scythians, or Tartars, whose descendants predominate in the modern Russia." Meshech and Tubal were also progenitors of those peoples who moved in a northward direction and, in turn, became the fathers of those who later established what we know today as Russia. It is believed that the city of Moscow derived its name from Meshech and Tobolsk received its name from Tubal.
The Russian Bear will not be alone in its effort to devour the little nation of Israel, for its allies are presented in verses 5 and 6: "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee." It is interesting to note that the first nation mentioned which will unite its forces with Russia in this attempt to destroy Israel is Persia. The name Persia was changed in 1932 to Iran. Dwight Pentecost writes: "Allied with Russia will be Iran (Persia), certain Arab states (Put or Ethiopia), Germany, and some Asiatic peoples known as Togarmah, which may include an extensive coalition of Asiatic powers. That this is not an exhaustive list is seen from Ezekiel 38:6: '. . . and many people with thee.' "I Once again the leader of this mighty northern confederacy will be Russia.
Time magazine, dated October 8, 1979, printed these words from Henry Kissinger's book, The White House Years: "He (Dobrynin) lost his cool only once when I asked him how the Soviet Union would react if the 15,000 Soviet soldiers in Egypt were in imminent danger of being captured by Israelis. Dobrynin became uncharacteristically vehement and revealed more than he could have intended: 'First of all, we never put forces somewhere who can't defend themselves. Second, if the Israelis threaten us, we will wipe them out within two days. I can assure you our plans are made for this eventuality. ' "
WHY IS THERE AN ATTACK?
The second question is, "Why such an attack?" Part of the answer is a common hatred for the Jews. There have always been men on the scene like Haman, who would have slain all of the Jews in Medo-Persia if God had not intervened. Twenty-five hundred years after Haman's time a mad ruler by the name of Hitler decided to kill as many Jews as possible within his empire. Not long after the conflict between Iran and Iraq began, Iran sent a communique to Iraq which encouraged a united war against Israel instead of fighting each other. But more than hatred for Jews enters into the picture before us. May I suggest that hunger for material gain will also excite Russia and its allies.
In Ezekiel 38:12, it is written that this great army will come "to take a spoil." Israel is the "gateway to three continents." It has been called "the navel of the earth." The Dead Sea is known as "the jewel box of the Orient." There is no way of computing the total wealth of that sea with its vast mineral resources. But beyond the actual worth of Israel is the fact that the day may come when the oil of the Middle East will be available only to those nations that position themselves against Israel. Time magazine, August 20, 1979, carried an interview with Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization. One question was, "Is Arab oil committed to the Palestine cause?" His answer, "Definitely, and do not forget ... the socialist countries will be in need of oil." The fact is, they are in need of oil now.
Former CIA director, Stanfield Turner, told Congress, "The Soviet Union faces an extremely painful drop in oil supplies and soon will be competing with other buyers on the world market for oil that is already in short supply." He went on to say that he could not rule out a Russian attempt to come up with more oil through " forceful action such as covert subversion or even military action." In a Readers Digest article dated June, 1980, entitled "The Real Stakes in Afghanistan," by William Griffith, a Digest editor introduces the article with these words: "Encouraged by American indecisiveness, the Russian Bear is once again on the prowl. Unless we take a strong stand now, says this expert, control of the vital Middle East oil spigot could end up in Soviet hands." The day will come, according to God's Word, when Russia will move against Israel "to take a spoil. "
WHEN WILL IT OCCUR?
Our third question is, "When will Russia come against Israel?" Obviously, the invasion of Ezekiel 38 could not take place until a nation called "Israel" existed. It is clear from the context that Russia will not only be interested in a piece of Middle-Eastern real estate called Israel, but will be even more desirous of destroying a nation of people. The prophecy is clear: "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 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: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel . . . ." (Ezekiel 38:14-16a). In the past, liberal theologians have scoffed at this prophecy by citing that Russia would have great difficulty destroying a nation that did not exist. It is true that since 605 B.C. the Jews have been unable to claim the land of Israel as their own (except briefly during the days of the Maccabean revolt). They were always under the heel of foreign Gentile empires. Even when Jesus was here, the land was under Roman control.
For 2600 years, the Jews have not been in their own land, or if they were, it did not belong to them. In other words, since Nebuchadnezzar led Judah away into
Babylonian captivity at the beginning of "the times of the Gentiles," the Jews have not been able to claim the land that God gave them as their own. Then came God's prophetical announcement that a great northern confederacy would some day come "against the mountains of Israel" (Ezekiel 38:8) to destroy or conquer the "people of Israel" (Ezekiel 38:16). The question of liberal theologians was, "How could Russia come against a nation that did not exist?" Imagine the confusion in liberal circles when in 1948 the United Nations created a home for Jews in the land of Palestine. On May 14 of that year, British control came to an end; and for the first time in 2600 years, the Jews were in their own land ruling their own affairs.
Of course, God said it would happen. Consider for a moment the following passages from Ezekiel 37: "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, 0 my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel" (verses 11, 12).
One of the most significant prophetical developments of our day has been the return of the Jews from all over the world to the land of Israel. They have returned from no less than 120 nations, speaking at least 83 different languages. I grant you they are returning, for the most part, in unbelief. That is, they are not aware of the truths of Ezekiel 37 and 38, nor are they willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah, but the day will come when the scales will fall from their eyes. They will see that God caused them to come together (Ezekiel 37:7) as the dry bones in Ezekiel's vision came together. They will recognize God's power in opening their "graves" (a reference to the Gentile nations of earth) and bringing them "into the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 37:12). The prophecy will be fulfilled that declares: "And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, 0 my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord" (Ezekiel 37:13, 14).
Our question is, "When will the invasion occur?" Obviously, it could not occur until Israel is a nation. That miracle has now taken place and Israel is, at last, an independent, self-governing nation. It should also be noted that the invasion out of the north cannot take place until Israel is "at rest." "And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates" (Ezekiel 38:11). I must take exception with those who believe the invasion of Ezekiel 38 is imminent. There are those who believe the next major prophetic event will be the destruction of the armies of Russia against the mountains of Israel. They believe this must happen before Antichrist will be revealed in the world. In reality, the only prophetic event that is imminent is the coming of Christ for His Bride. This event (the Rapture of the Church) could take place before you finish reading this chapter. But there are several events that must precede the invasion of Israel by the northern confederacy. In proper sequence, they are:
*The Rapture of the Church
*The coming of Antichrist
*The signing of his covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27)
*The Jews' belief that their long-awaited Christ is ruling over them, that they are actually living in Kingdom days.
*The establishment of Israel as "the land of unwalled villages ... at rest . . . dwelling safely" (Ezekiel 38:11)
It is obvious that Israel is not dwelling safely today. It is not the land of "unwalled villages." On the contrary, in 1983, Israel's national budget was 31 billion dollars, and one-third of that amount (over 10 billion) went for national defense. The invasion of Israel can-not take place today because Israel is not at peace. Israel is not at peace because the covenant of Daniel 9:27 has not been signed. The covenant has not been signed because Antichrist has not yet been revealed, and Antichrist has not been revealed because the Church has not been raptured. Certainly, the coming of Christ for His Bride is near.
WHAT IS THE RESULT?
Our final question is, "What will be the results of the invasion?" Beginning at verse 18, we read: "And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 38:18, 19). God will begin His judgment on the northern armies by sending an earthquake. Notice, t4a great shaking." This will, no doubt, create such panic within the ranks that "every man's sword shall be against his brother" (Ezekiel 38:21b). To add to the confusion and destruction, we read: "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone" (Ezekiel 38:22). It is interesting to compare God's judgment upon Egypt prior to the Exodus with His judgment in Ezekiel 38. "So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail . . ." (Exodus 9:24). When fire and ice come out of Heaven at the same time, you can be sure God is at work! Ezekiel 38 concludes with these words: "Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 38:23).
In 1960, Nikita Krushchev gave his Christmas message to his country. In part, he said, "Our rocket has passed the moon. It is already approaching the sun, and we still haven't discovered God. We have now snuffed out lights in the heavens that no man will be able to rekindle. We are engaged in breaking the yoke of the Gospel, the opium of the masses. Let us proceed, and Christ will speedily be relegated to mythology." In essence, he said that in Russia's probes into spaces they "haven't discovered God." The fact is, nobody finds God by probing into space. Man cannot reach God by rockets. We find Him revealed through His blessed Word, the Bible, and those who seek for Him there with a "whole heart" will surely find Him (Psalm 119:2, 10; Deuteronomy 4:29).
The great Northern Bear has admitted he has looked for God and cannot find Him. The day is coming when he will not be looking, but God will manifest Himself. The destruction will be hard to fathom. The account in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is not the Battle of Armageddon. We will come to that part of the prophetic plan in the chapter that follows.