THREE WARS
&
ONE PEACE TREATY
Part VI – The Prophetic Sequence
(Non-graphic)
By
Doug Krieger
Once we saw “men as trees” – we viewed the world “through a glass darkly” – but the age has changed – Daniel “Go your way . . . for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end . . . many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand . . . but you (Daniel), go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at THE END OF THE DAYS” (Daniel 12:9-10, 13).
THREE WARS, THE HASIDIC JEWS OF THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE & “NOAHIDE GENTILES”
As the fog of prophetic foreknowledge clears—when the “need to know” becomes imperative—then, and then only, does the “prophetic sequence” and the myriad of questions surrounding the END OF THE DAYS become imminently clarified. The above subheading brings us to a rehearsal, a reexamination of the three conflicts awaiting Israel, the Church, and the gentiles (the nations). Specifically, it probes the depth and meaning of the mysterious GOG of both Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 20:7-10—tragically, this read is designed, by its nature, to be tedious—only the most determined will survive!
Disciples of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, amongst Orthodox Jewry, speak of Israel’s nemesis, Amalek, whose “gematria (numerical equivalent) in Hebrew means doubt, signifying that Amalek uses every possible method to create uncertainty, confusion, paralysis, and despair. Amaleki propaganda and deceit is designed to immobilize the Jewish people and induce compromise and surrender. But no amount of negotiation ever appeases the Amaleki, who simply exploit every sign of weakness to step up the attack.” (http://www.noahide.com/finalwar.htm)
These Hasidic Jews are vehemently anti-Communist—to the max! They see in the current, but moribund, “peace process” a communist conspiracy afoot for the past several decades. It is most definitely within communism that Amalek finds fertile soils to grow and spread his deceit:
“Torah teaches us that the literal descendants of Amalek have survived to the present day, hidden amongst the gentile nations, and that the passage of time has by no means weakened their hatred or their intent to erase Jewish influence from the world. They have been forced to bide their time, waiting for an opportunity to strike again; only Moshiach (the coming Messiah) will be able to annihilate these wicked people.” (Ibid. 1998 by the Committee for Israeli Victory, The Hasidic Gentile Movement Home Page)
And, just how will today’s inheritors of “the flesh” (i.e., the Amalekites) destroy their ancient foe?
“The Tanach prophets and the oral traditions speak of Amalek’s resurfacing in the days shortly before Moshiach arrives. The Amaleki would be empowered by G-d to spread their subversive influence secretly throughout the nations and governments of the world, involving them in a SERIES OF THREE WORLD WARS known as the ‘WARS OF GOG AND MAGOG.’ The unsuspecting gentile nations would fall prey to the growing confusion and allow themselves to be mobilized against the Jewish people. In the third and final of those wars, Amalek (tentatively identified with ‘King Gog’ in the oral traditions) would lead those forces to invade Israeli soil and lay siege to Jerusalem; the traditions also refer to numerous spies in Jewish ranks, attempting to betray Israel to the enemy. Unable to take the city, the forces under Amaleki control would suddenly panic; slaying each other in the process, for evil always self-destructs in the end. At that moment, Moshiach would be revealed.” (Ibid)
Now, the “Hasidim” are convinced that “these prophetic traditions are being fulfilled today, down to the most precise detail, by the international Communist conspiracy and its well-placed allies in Western governments . . . Note: “Individual Amaleki cannot be identified until Moshiach appears. However, Communism undoubtedly represents the external organization into which Amalek recruits members of all the nations to implement its schemes.)” (Ibid)
There are several fascinating ingredients embodied within these “oral traditions” of the Orthodox Jews—the rise of the Amalekites, the encroaching THREE WARS, and the exposure of these Amalekites by the Messiah.
Of course, as one explores the foundations of gentiles living under the Seven Noachide Laws, it becomes abundantly obvious that the impossibility of such preparation amongst the gentiles to Messiah’s coming is all but improbable, given the ascendancy of the Amalekites and the pressing wars which await Israel proper.
The desire by fundamentalist Jews to “first create a new Noachide society as an international network of communities and organizations functioning inside, but separately from, the surrounding society. . . (and) to teach gentiles about their responsibilities according to Torah. . . (wherein) functioning programs and institutions are prepared to absorb these vast numbers of ex-Christians and immediately involve them in efforts to bring (forth) Moshiach” (of course, by “using only peaceful, lawful means—in the capitals of the Western nations”) appears ludicrous and laughable!
That does not stop the “Noahide Gentiles” in their article: Is America Ready for Judgment Day?
“As the Bible prophecies are being fulfilled, their meaning becomes clear. Magog, the land to the furthest north of Israel, seems to be the Soviet Union; indeed, its capital, Moscow, is almost directly north of Jerusalem. ‘King Gog,’ the alien force that infiltrates and takes over the land of Magog, is apparently Communism . . . Communism has waged a war to destroy all civilization—a war against God’s Law.” (Bryan J. Ellison, Help Save America & Israel, 2000)
One thing the Rebbe and the Noahide Gentiles got right: THREE WARS; the rise of the Amalekite (himself); and the coming of the Messiah—at which time he will destroy the Wicked One and his followers.
Whether the Hasidim affirm World Wars I and II, the Cold War, and the ultimate Gog-Magog conflagration is unknown to this author; however, the abiding sense that three wars will press in upon a regathered Israel in their land (Eretz Israel) is abundantly clear.
Again—we affirm those three wars to be: THE ORACLE OF DAMASCUS; the GOG-MAGOG WAR; and, finally, the CAMPAIGN OF ARMAGEDDON—each successive; each more encompassing and lethal than its predecessor; and each centered in the Holy Land, yet involving more and more of the gentile nations into its expanding vortex.
ANTI-COMMUNISM OF THE REBBE AND EVANGELICALS
Again, of interest to this author is the undying patriotism of both fundamentalist Jews (e.g., the followers of the Lubavitcher Rebbe) and evangelical fundamentalist here in America and their unwavering consternation towards communism and its denunciation as the prime suspect (even beyond radical Islam) in the War on Terror.
In our previous article, Part V, The American Patriotic Prophets, the insistence that Gog’s resources, and the armies which he shall arm and amass against Israel in the last days, are first and foremost domiciled in the former Soviet Union, and reach their zenith in Mother Russia! It is this Cold War interpretation by American Evangelical Patriots—this absorption with atheistic communism—which propels all eschatological hermeneutic, all commentary regarding the end of days relative to the Gog-Magog War and events leading up to Armageddon (including, as well, the initial Oracle of Damascus—i.e., the communists are behind it as well).
Meanwhile, America and either its growing Noachide leadership (whoever and wherever they may be), along with Evangelical Zionists (who may not be Noachide types, but we’ll take them anyway—a far more visible lot compared to the Noachide “crowd”), are as vehemently anti-communist in both their eschatology, as well as their political policy; thus, an alliance of theological and pragmatic convenience is made.
Part VI of the Prophetic Sequence, then, is a desire to delineate both the Three Wars and the Peace Treaty wrought by the Antichrist with Israel and “the many” – as well as examine the true identity of Gog and of the Gog-Magog War(s). Remembering this—the anti-communism of American Evangelicals, and its similar outrage amongst many Jews—accomplishes two things: (1) Enables both to reinforce their American patriotism; while (2) Giving unwavering support to American ambitions in the Middle East; and, in particular, solidarity with the Jewish state; hence, GOG’S ULTIMATE IDENTIFICATION WITH COMMUNISM AND SPECIFICALLY, RUSSIAN COMMUNISM.
BILL KOENIG – ANOTHER AMERICAN PATRIOT?
American prophets—some, like Bill Koenig, operate as White House correspondents from Washington, D.C. Koenig, a member of the Dallas First Baptist Church, travels the circuits with a cadre of loyal Americans who tout the respectability of the American New World Order System, while remaining unwavering in their solidarity with Israel.
Now, don’t get me wrong here—I am a firm believer in the regathering of the diasporic Jews to their ancient homeland as one of the most significant fulfillments of Bible prophecy; however, my fellow brethren who so vociferously claim such solidarity, are normally the most vehement anti-communists and ipso facto, the most pro-American in policy and platform of virtually all Americans.
Consequently, and not accidentally, they normally are resolute in their identification of Gog with Russia and normally are adamantly pre-tribulation in their exodus from this planet, prior to another Jewish Holocaust which will make Hitler’s look like Jacob’s headache, not Jacob’s Trouble.
The Cadre—brethren all—Dave Hunt, Tom Al & Tommie Cooper McMahon, David Hocking, John Higgins, Roger Oakland, Jonathan Bernis, Marcus Lamb, John Hagee, Dave Reagan, Wayne Hilsden, Ray and Sharon Sander, Chuck Missler, Randall Price, Grant Jeffrey, Todd Strandberg, Gary Fisher, Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, Mike Gendron, Paul Van Noy, Mike Riddle, Andy Day, Ed Gaines, Pastor Mike Spaulding, Paul Wilbur—are but the tip of the evangelical iceberg in solidarity with the other aforementioned evangelical proponents of America’s aggressive foreign policy on behalf of Israel . . . while at the same time nearly all see Mother Russia the unalterable eschatological source of Gog’s vindictive . . . awaiting the Almighty’s destruction! (Note: A multitude of nuances distinguish most; however, their antagonism toward “Communist or anti-Israel Russia” and its identification with Gog overwhelms.)
Allow me to quote their forecasts:
“So in all likelihood, the Gog and Magog war will occur in Israel after Daniel 9:27 treaty is manifested. Russia is currently and actively reestablishing military agreements with Arab nations so the extra time will meet their prophetic role more effectively in the Middle East. Just last week a joint Russian and Iranian military and business agreement was revealed . . . with that in mind, I think the Isaiah 17:1 destruction of Damascus could be the most likely event leading to a peace treaty (agreed). It would be so devastating the Arabs would say, ‘enough is enough,’ and ‘let’s give peace a try,’ only to side with Russia later on in the Gog and Magog war. At that time, the world leader (Antichrist) would come to the peace table with the Daniel 9:27 solution . . . God will allow these nations, including Russia, to come against Israel in great numbers, so that He may show them His holiness and power” (Koenig’s Recent Commentary, Ezekiel 38 – Bill Koenig, March 18, 2001)
Wikipedia targets the Scofield Reference Bible’s footnotes to Ezekiel as a key source in popularizing Russia’s role as Gog:
“According to a tradition of dispensationalist Biblical hermeneutics, Gog and Magog are supposed to represent Russia. The Scofield Reference Bible's notes to Ezekiel claim that "Meshech" is a Hebrew form of Moscow, and that "Tubal" represents the Siberian capital Tobolsk. During the Cold War this identification led Hal Lindsey to claim that the Soviet Union would play a major role in the End Times. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the retreat of Russia from the role of a military superpower, some commentators have attempted to cast Iraq or some other country in the role of Gog.”
The actual 1917 revised note—shortly after the Bolshevik’s successful revolution and the commencement of Euro-communism as a state—reads as follows:
“That the primary reference is to the northern (European) powers, headed up by Russia, all agree. The whole passage should be read in connection with Zechariah 12:1-4; 14:1-9; Matthew 24:14-30; Revelation 14:14-20; 19:17-21, ‘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 See Scofield ‘Revelation 19:19’ but includes also the final revolt of the nations at the close of the kingdom-age. Revelation 20:7-9.”
Predating Scofield is Arno C. Gaebelein in 1890 who wrote regarding Ezekiel 38: “This (Gog) is Russia, Moscow, and Tobolsk.”
It appears, and is generously quoted by the above, that credible identification of Gog’s location can be had by turning to the writings of two ancient historians, Herodotus and Josephus—both of whom give veiled allusions to Gog and the Scythians:
“No one confronting them (i.e., the Scythians in Southern Russia/Ukraine) can escape on foot, and if they wish not to be discovered it is impossible to engage with them. The reason is that they do not build towns or fortresses, but all of them are mounted archers and carry their homes with them… How can they fail to be invincible, and immune from attack?” – Herodotus, 5th Century B.C.
“Magog founded the Magogians, thus named after him, but who were by the Greeks called Scythians . . . But even the Scythians, who delight in murdering people and are little better than wild beasts, nevertheless think it their duty to uphold their national customs.” Flavius Josephus, 1st Century A.D.
Again, substantiating Russia’s role as Gog, especially in reference to the “regathering of Israel” to their ancient homeland:
“We have a biblical confirmation that the ‘north country’ is indeed Russia: Jeremiah 23:8: ‘But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.’” (KJV)
“Jeremiah 31:8: ‘ Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, [and] with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.’” (KJV)
“Isa 43:6: ‘I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;’ (AV) Since the largest immigration of Jews in history ever past was from Russia we have a confirmation that Russia is ‘the land of the uttermost north’ ‘north country’.
“Indeed the very Moscow is straight north of Israel. Drawing a straight line north of Jerusalem on the map almost hits Moscow.” (Asian Internet Bible Institute on Ezekiel 38, 39)
After an elaborate synthesis of opinions regarding Gog’s identity, the Asian Internet Bible Institute concludes:
“The Gog and Magog invasion is an invasion by Indo-European nations descended mainly from Japheth and from ‘the land of the north’ - which would be Russia, the Caucasus, Iraq, and the Islamic republics of Central Asia. There is no mention of nations from the ‘west’ so I do not think Western Europe is involved and that so the B.I. all-Europe option weakens. Historically the Caucasus/Turkey has been ‘where Satan's throne is’ and wild, lawless and anti-Christian. The long dwelling spirit of anti-Christ in their midst will move them to this action. My guess - an Arab or Russian Islamic leader leads a ‘jihad’ coalition of Arab nations and Muslim republics, plus Georgia and southern Russia and the Black Sea area into Israel out of sheer spite and hubris and is vanquished when his own biological or nuclear weapons go wrong and destroy him and his army. But this is only a guess.” (Asian Internet Bible Institute: Research On The Identity of Gog And Magog In Ezekiel 38 and 39 - Raw Data)
Pat Robertson, who visited with Israel’s PM Olmert at the height of the recent Lebanon crisis, is quoted as saying:
“There was a prophet Ezekiel in the time of the Bible who wrote that in the last days there would be an invasion of Israel by a coalition that would include Iran, Russia, Turkey and the Sudan and Libya. God himself is going to defeat that great army that had come against his people. That is a prophecy of one of the Jewish prophets that has yet to be fulfilled. It said that it would be in the later days when Israel has been brought from the nations of the earth and are living in peace in their land.” (DefCon Blog)
Dr. Gary Fisher / Evangelist for Lion of Judah Ministry wrote in Randall Price’s web site:
“Twenty six hundred years ago, the prophet Ezekiel predicted that a powerful army would rise up north of Israel. Ezekiel called the leader of this power, Gog of the land of Magog. The prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39 have been very puzzling to prophecy students over the centuries. Thanks to archaeology and good scholarship the task of identifying who is represented by these names, Gog and Magog, has become very easy in recent years. Today their names can be found in the back of many Bibles in the map section. If your Bible has a map of resettlement of people after the flood of Noah, you will be able to find the names Gog and Magog in the region we now know as the former Soviet Union.” (Russia in Bible Prophecy)
To substantiate this “Russian claim to Gog” any further would “wear out the saints” – suffice it to say: The overwhelming majority of Premillenarians amongst the American evangelical church are confirmed in their identity of Russia as the chief proponent of Gog agitating the Islamic world and galvanizing them for the Gog-Magog War recorded in Ezekiel 38-39.
GOG’S IDENTITY—LOGISTICS
“The Word of Ha Shem came to me, saying:
‘Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog,
the head prince of Meshekh and Tuval, and prophesy against him.’
Persia, Kush and Put are with them,
All of them with shield and helmet,
Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarmah from the far north
And all his bands, many peoples with you.’”
In our e-book entitled, ANTICHRIST AND THE GOG-MAGOG WAR, many of the exposures of Gog were covered; however, a more in-depth analysis of the topic seems pertinent at this time. In the above series we distinguished the Oracle of Damascus and its war from that of the Gog-Magog conflagration—both are exceedingly distinct; both have completely different nations involved in their alliances.
Prior to discussing the timing of the Gog-Magog War, let’s once again probe these ancient designations with as much historical research and comparative linguistics as possible. To equate modern English to the original Semitic terms is altogether superficial—the Hebrew Prophets were not writing to the American public. These terms must be interpreted from their original historical import—vowels may change, but the consonants remain the same. Here is where personal and political bias must part. The Word of God must be discerned honestly. In sum—let me prejudice my remarks from the outset—references to Russia and her allies is just plain wrong and misleading; even disingenuous on the part of the aforementioned de facto alliance of many Orthodox Jews and Premillenarian Evangelical (mostly American) Christians.
My deep appreciations are extended to IM NIN'ALU and the research afforded to me on their web site, from whence the following commences our study:
“The first term to be carefully examined is a very common Hebrew word that has been often mistranslated, maybe in order to give more support to the tendentious interpretation: the Hebrew transliteration of the verse is N’SYI ROSH MESHEKH V’TUVAL, that means exactly ‘Prince RULER of Meshekh and Tuval.’ ‘Rosh’ is not a proper name, but it means ‘ruler,’ ‘head,’ ‘chief,’ ‘principle’; this is the same word used for ‘Rosh HaShanah,’ ‘Head’ of the Year, meaning ‘New Year,’ and other similar terms. Nevertheless, this word is such an easy and simple interpretation, has been often written as a name like Meshekh and Tuval, obviously intending to equal this term with Russia. The first problem is that there is absolutely no place on earth known by this name, Rosh. Of all the occurrences of Meshekh and Tuval in both Scriptural and historical writings, they are never associated with a place called ‘Rosh’ as the mistranslation would suggest.”
Imninalu continues the clarification of this “term” …
“The equation Rosh=Russia is only presumptive, as there is not any real link between both words. The ‘Russia’ came into existence one and a half millennium after the Prophet Yehezqel (Ezekiel) wrote his prophecy, and has not root in any Hebrew term but in the name given to Scandinavian settlers, who founded the kingdom of ‘Ros’ or ‘Rus.’ A further evidence is that the transcription of such term into Hebrew is ROS [Resh+Alef+Samek], not ROSH [Resh+Alef+Shin].”
Echoing these same linguistic sentiments is the fine work of Carl Ludwigson on www.gospelcom.net regarding Gog’s identity:
“Ezekiel's Gog / Antichrist is the enemy from the north. In the Old Testament, the king of the north has reference to the areas of Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. The word north is used of Syria or the Old Seleucid Empire six times, of Babylon sixteen times, of Assyria one time, and of Iran one time. These are the lands once occupied by Magog, Gomer, Togarmah, Meshech and Tubal. These lands clearly define the north. The fact that some scholars equate the names of ancient Middle East cities with modern English cognates is appalling. Meshech is NOT Moscow; Moscow just had its 850th birthday.”
Ludwigson gets very technical—but if we must be persuaded . . .
“Some have interpreted the Hebrew word 'rosh' in Ezekiel 38:3, which is translated 'chief', to be a reference to Russia. In the Massoretic text the words 'chief prince' carry the accents Tiphha and Zaqeph-gadol.
The Tiphha appears under the resh of the Hebrew word 'rosh'; the Zaqeph-gadol appears on top of the sin of the Hebrew word 'nish'.
“The Tiphha to the right, underneath the initial consonant of the word 'rosh', or chief, is prepositive and does not mark the tone syllable. See Kautsch and Cowley's *Grammar*, page 61 item 9. The word 'nish' or prince has the accent Zaqeph-gadol which is disjunctive and indicates a pause. See Kautsch and Cowley's *Grammar*, page 60 item 4b.
“So Ezekiel 38:3 should be read as follows: "Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the prince, {pause} chief of Meshech and Tubal:" Rosh is not Russia. The Hebrew word 'rosh' is translated head or chief 423 times in the Old Testament. Again, it is absolutely appalling how some scholars can equate the English cognate 'rosh' with Russia. Rosh is not Russia.” (Compliments of the Internet Asian Bible Institute)
Now, regarding this RULER, HEAD, CHIEF, and PRINCIPLE—this ROOF above all others . . . let us examine “Who is Gog?”
“Gog is known to be an Anatolian name (Asia Minor). It is reasonable to identify him with Gogis (seventh century b.c.e.), king of Lydia, who is called Gugu in the chronicles of Ashurbanipal. Such personage was known to the Prophet (Ezekiel), who took him as reference in order to point out a determined geographic area: Asia Minor. Precisely such is the area (Anatolia, Asia Minor) that Yehezqel’s prophecy under five names (Magog, Meshekh, Tuval, Gomer and Togarmah) intends to make clear. These people were well known to the Prophet, and this seems clearly to be the exact interpretation.” (Imninalu.net)
An astute observation is now interjected into clarifying Gog’s identity by Imninalu:
“It seems unusual that such an irrelevant king would be taken to symbolize a future chief of a great coalition of powerful nations. It is not unusual in the Scriptures, indeed. For example, in Bemidbar (Numbers) 24:20 it is said of Amalek ‘Reshit Goyim Amalek,’ that means, ‘Head of Nations is Amalek’ – and here ‘Reshit,’ a term related to Rosh, head, is not taken as a proper name. Obviously, Amalek was an insignificant people to be qualified as ‘head of nations,’ but the Scriptures apply such (a) term in order to convey a precise teaching. The same happens in Yehezqel 28:1-19, where we find an exaltation of the king of Tyre (a wealthy city but certainly not an empire) in order to represent Satan, the king of all wicked forces of the universe.”
So, dear friends, lest you malign the insights of the Lubavitcher Rebbe relative to the rise of the Amalekites in the latter days . . .
INSIGHTS OF MEREDITH G. KLINE – ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN & DONALD GREY BARNHOUSE
We are on the trail of Gog—thence, this is no diversion—I shall borrow from two Presbyterians, one Amillenarian (Kline) and the other Premillenarian (Donald Grey Barnhouse) in our efforts to expose the true character of Gog. Kline’s exposition centers in Zechariah and his prophetic allusions to “the land of the north” in Zechariah 6:
“Ezekiel 38-39 is also part of the allusive background of ‘the land of the north’ in Zechariah 6:1-8. There again the world to the north of Israel is drawn upon for the figurative depiction of the ultimate outbreak of evil. As in Daniel 11, an individual leader of the world power comes into view, Gog by name, a king of kings whose more immediate domain is the nations to the north in the Asia Minor area (Ezek. 38:2, 3, 6; 39:1). There too Magog is located, Gog’s imperial base, which is called ‘your [Gog’s] place’ (38:2, 15; cf. 39:6). Of key import is the identification of Gog’s place as the YARKETE SAPON, ‘heights of (Mount) Zaphon’ (38:6, 15; 39:2). We have seen that yarkete sapon is har mo-ed/magedon, ‘the mount of assembly’ (Isaiah 14:13).
“We have also seen that Mount Zion represents this celestial court; it is the true yarkete sapon (Psalm 48:2 [3]). That means that Gog’s establishing of Magog as a yarkete sapon was the erecting of a pseudo-Zaphon (a kind of Esagila tower of Babel) in the land of the north. Ezekiel thus presents the remarkable picture of a coming of Gog with his hordes from pseudo-Zaphon/Magedon to challenge the Lord on Zion, the true Mount Zaphon/Magedon.” (Meredith G. Kline, MARANA THA)
Notwithstanding Klein’s subsequent meanderings from this brilliant exposition of Gog’s identity—for in his later commentary he utterly confuses Antichrist with Gog and, furthermore, merges the post-millenarian confrontation of Gog-Magog in Revelation 20:7-10 with the Gog-Magog conflagration found in Ezekiel 38-39 (a wholly separate and unique distinctive . . . which we shall explore later in this missive).
Notwithstanding, Gog now takes on a “cosmic” consequence—an entirely, if you would, extraterritorial significance and meaning.
Accuse me of “picking and choosing” – fine, I’m guilty, however—the commentary of many an Amillenarian is full of rich and lucid insights that we Premillenarians should oblige from time to time, remembering that the Holy Spirit is not confined to our frame of reference!
It is at this juncture that the formidable interpretations of the legendary Donald Grey Barnhouse, who in the 1950’s thundered from the pulpit of Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church and left us a generous legacy of scriptural inspiration . . . now, let him cut to the chase:
“We do not think that the portion of Dr. Scofield’s note which would make Gog the prince and Magog the land will stand the test of careful scrutiny after reading the chapters. The phrase ‘the land of Magog’ no more means that Magog is land than the phrase ‘the land of Hitler’ would mean that Hitler was the land. We believe that both Gog and Magog must be looked upon as personalities, whether human or of the spirit realm remains to be seen.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Revelation, an Expositional Commentary, pp. 385-389, Revelation 20:7-10, Zondervan Publishing, 1971)
Previous to this, Barnhouse delves into this mysterious phrase . . .
“The nations are called ‘Gog and Magog.’ Who are these beings? We must eliminate any correspondence between this Gog and the man of that name in the line of Reuben (I Chron. 5:4). But we must look at the character who is mentioned nine times in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapter of Ezekiel. In like manner, Magog’s identity may not be too closely linked with that of the grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:2), though there may be some connection here that has been lost to history. We must turn to the Magog mentioned twice along with god in these same chapters of Ezekiel.”
In line with Kline, Barnhouse refuses a superficial commentary of Gog and Magog . . .
“Gog and Magog in Ezekiel clearly refer to personages who are active a thousand years before this scene in the Apocalypse (i.e., Revelation 20:7-10). There can be no doubt whatsoever that the great struggle in which they are involved in the Old Testament prophecy is that which leads up to the battle of Armageddon. This is clearly indicated by the statements that after the destruction of the armies of these leaders, ‘The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward’ (Ezek. 39:22). The thousand years most certainly follow the incidents concerning Gog and Magog in Ezekiel’s prophecy.” (Ibid., p. 387)
Barnhouse does NOT necessarily equate the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39 directly with the “battle of Armageddon” – he clearly states that the Gog-Magog conflagration “leads up to the battle of Armageddon.” The “disclosure” of Israel’s preparation for their coming Messiah during the Seventieth Week of Daniel’s prophecy is not expounded by Barnhouse—but this author firmly believes this shall be the case: THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD THEIR GOD FROM THAT DAY AND FORWARD!
“But we also see, in Ezekiel, that Gog and all his multitude is buried (Ezek. 39:11) at the time he is destroyed. This would give clear indication that there is a human being involved. But we believe that there is more than this. Not from speculation but from legitimate inference we can discern one or two other details. In Ezekiel we have two beings, Gog and Magog, who are leaders in the revolt against God and His people. They come under the wrath of God and their forces are destroyed. But a thousand years later, in the end of the final test of man, we find Satan loosed from his prison and somehow involved with characters with these same names.
“We believe, therefore, that just as Satan entered into Judas (John 13:27), whether personally or through one of his mighty principalities and powers we do not know, and as Satan clothed the human being called the wild best, with his power, his throne, and great authority (Rev. 13:2), thus making him the Antichrist, so Satan possesses some princeling, perhaps named Gog, through one of his mighty angels who own his sway. A more striking example may be found elsewhere in Ezekiel where we see a being who is clearly a man, the prince of Tyre, leading us on to a description of another being, the king of Tyre, who is clearly Satan.
“That, then, which has satisfied our minds in this matter, is that some of Satan’s mighty angels, principalities, or powers which rule the darkness of this world (Eph. 6:12), take hold of earth dictators, use them for their ends, and are defeated by God.” (My emphasis, Ibid., p. 387)
Klein alludes to the confrontation of authorities: MOUNT ZION vs. THE GREAT MOUNTAIN of Zechariah 4:7. Here, in abject clarity he decisively concludes that Gog’s PLACE in the north is that Great Mountain juxtaposed to MOUNT ZION. The source of Israel’s consternation is the Satanic personage who Barnhouse delineates, along with the Evil One’s minions (i.e., “principalities and powers”), and their implacable hatred and animus towards Israel—both in the Ezekiel 38-39 and in Revelation 20:7-10.
MAGOG, MESHEKH, et al
In so far as Magog concerns us—these are under the headship of Gog. Again, Imninalu sheds light on their persona:
“We have already considered which peoples were originated in Magog, whose present descendants are mainly the Turkic nations; some of them were confederated with Russia in the Soviet Union, but they are separated now. Also the Balkanic branch of peoples coming from Magog have broken their links with Russia, by which this son of Yepheth (Japheth) cannot be associated with that nation in any way. The Turkic minorities still living in the Russian Federation are irrelevant and now there are larger Turk communities in Germany and America than there; besides this, Turkey has been historically closer to Germany and is a solid ally of the western states, while in perpetual rivalry with Russia.”
“The identity of Meshekh has also been clearly exposed, yet it is pertinent to this chapter to confirm that Meshekh is not related to Moscow, neither linguistically nor historically, geographically or in any other way. We have already proved that the name sMeSHeKH and MoSKVaH in Hebrew are two completely different words, and that the consonants cannot be exchanged to convert one word into another.
“The descent of Meshekh in present times is to be found in western countries and partially in Transcaucasia, and still in the land that Yehezqel clearly intended to show in his times, Asia Minor (i.e., Turkey). ” (Ibid., Imninalu)
Finally—let’s put these preposterous associations found in Ezekiel 38-39 to rest, once and for all:
“A similar and equally preposterous meaning has been given to he name ‘Tuval,’ whose identity has been on purpose transferred from the real people and place to the most unlikely ones. The tendentious theorizers have hypothesized that this name would be equal to Tobol’ or Tobol’sk, in Siberia (why not Tuvalu, in the Pacific Ocean?). It is evident that such assertion is not supported by history. First, there are not any people called after the river by which they live, and Tobol’ is a river, not a people.
“The descent of Tuval, originally settled in Anatolia, then in the Caucasus, migrated westwards to Europe, not northwards. Besides, the peoples living in Tobol’ area are the Khantys and Mansys, also known as Ostyaks and Voguls, that are an irrelevant minority regarding the population of Russia. These peoples are closely related to Hungarians, which excludes them from any relationship with Tuval.
“Whoever intends to mention Russia by her main cities, will not say ‘Moscow and Tobol’sk,’ but rather ‘Moscow and Petersburg,’ or else Novgorod, Vladimyr, Kazan’ or any other city either important or at least historically relevant. The Prophet (Ezekiel) did not know anything about Tobol’sk (as he did not know about Moscow either), but he was speaking of a land and people with which he was well acquainted.
“The last member of this coalition is Togarmah, whose identification is also widely acknowledged as well as the geographical location, that in Yehezqel’s times was in the Eastern Anatolia, around Mount Ararat, the historic Armenia. There is a remarkable detail regarding this land: the Prophet states clearly that Togarmah is coincident with ‘the far north,’ and this excludes any land beyond Armenia towards north. Scriptural terminology must not be forced into a present-day map, and expressions must not be taken isolate out of the context. To Yehezqel the ‘farthest north’ was Asia Minor, and to extend the Prophet’s frame of reference any further, without exegetical warrant, is not correct. Togarmah is exactly the southernmost boundary of Russia, not the northern part. It is once more demonstrated that, if there is a nation that has not anything to share with Gog’s coalition, that is Russia . . . it is clear (then) that the Prophet is referring to Japhetic peoples settled in the area of Anatolia (Magog, Meshekh, Tuval, Gomer and Togarmah).
“The conclusion is very evident: would anybody who intends to point out Russia avoid mentioning the main components of that nation, the Rus (Ashkenaz) and the Slavs (Riphat)? Obviously not, as nobody would omit the Anglo-Saxons if the subject is England, or refer to Italy by mentioning the Germanic minority of the Sudtirol and neglecting Italians.
“A further historic analysis demonstrates that Russia not only is not related to Magog and Meshekh but also that has always been opposed with hostility towards them. Before Russia came into existence, Scythians, Avars, Alans, Huns and other peoples of the stock of Magog and Meshekh were indeed settled in the Eurasian plains, until Slavic peoples replaced them and the Rus displaced and fought them. In a subsequent period, the Kievan Rus fell under Tatar hordes that ruled over Russia for more than two centuries, when Russians achieved in shaking off the Tatar domination and even conquered all the lands beyond the Urals. Paradoxically, if there is a nation that has never reached any agreement with the descent of Magog, that nation is Russia! The historic rivalry with Turkey is a further proof.” (Ibid., Imninalu)
In summary, what Imninalu suggests is precisely what we have confirmed . . . what Ezekiel prophesied that this end-time battle involves the following nations coming against Israel: Turkey (Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Togarmah); Iran (Persia), Sudan (Kush), and Libya (Put). “At present, only the last three states are openly against Israel, while Turkey is the main military settlement of the Western Alliance in the Middle East . . . Turkey is the main ally of these countries in the Middle East. Their apparent ‘friendship’ with Israel should not be misleading, as the ‘evil one’ is also the betrayer that seals an agreement to break it later. Of course, the present political evolution does not discard the possibility that Russia may join them in the future, but according to the prophecy she will not.” (Ibid. Imninalu.net)
DEMISE OF GOG-MAGOG – AND ARMAGEDDON
It, therefore, is the commentary of this writer, given the abundance of proofs (and there is much more evidence that would bore you to tears) that Gog and those under his roof (Magog) is naught but the Chief Prince (i.e., Satanic Principality), who influences or demonically possesses the peoples of these regions to oppose Israel in the latter days.
Furthermore, the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38:1 through Ezekiel 39:16 is NOT the same conflict rehearsed in Revelation 20:7-10 when Satan is loosed at the end of the Millennium and gathers Gog-Magog from the four corners of the earth to once again come up against Jerusalem. Nor, for that matter, is the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38:1 through Ezekiel 39:16 the same conflict mentioned in Ezekiel 39:17-20!
Finally, the Ezekiel 38:1-39:16 Gog-Magog War is not the “Battle of Armageddon” found in Revelation 16:12-16 and concluded in Revelation 19:17-21 at the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 19:11-16)—let me explain all of this:
At the conclusion of the Gog-Magog War found in Ezekiel 38:1-39:16 (and I purposefully conclude this conflict at this immediate juncture) there is the amazing description of Gog’s burial, along with allies:
“It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog” (i.e., “the multitude of Gog”) (Ezekiel 39:11).
Immediately following the conclusive nature of this contestation and burial—there appears out of nowhere, these amazements which are normally announced by biblical editors as: A Triumphant Festival (NKJV).
First of all, Gog and Magog (his allies) have been buried! Now, we hear this:
“And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble yourselves and come; gather together from all sides to MY SACRIFICIAL MEAL which I am sacrificing for you, A GREAT SACRIFICIAL MEAL on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. You shall eat fat till you are full, and drink blood till you are drunk, at MY SACRIFICIAL MEAL which I am sacrificing for you. You shall be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mighty men and with all the men of war,’ says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:17-20).
Let me be abundantly straightforward with you: This is NOT the Gog-Magog War—this is ARMAGEDDON! This is a complete and separate confrontation or campaign—it is at its very best only tangentially connected with the initial Gog-Magog War. Gog and Magog have ALREADY been buried—this is not a FLASHBACK to what has already happened. No, this is an immediate projection into a yet future confrontation which occurs in history yet future, so close to Gog-Magog that it appears to almost “blend” with the previous confrontation—yet, it does not!
Armageddon’s campaign, commencing immediately following the events of the Gog-Magog War (Daniel 11:40-45) wherein Antichrist who has participated in the Gog-Magog War—and in spite of God’s miraculous destruction of Gog-Magog—will, nevertheless, clothe himself in the mantel of the anti-Messiah and commence, “with great fury to destroy and annihilate many” for “news from the east and the north shall trouble him.” And, this, after the destruction of both the King of the North (under Gog’s direct leadership) and those nations to the north of Israel—involved in Gog’s “Constellation of peoples” (the peoples of modern-day Turkey and Iran); and, Gog’s allies of the south—i.e., the King of the South (including Egypt, Put (North Africa—Libya) and the Sudan (ancient Ethiopia))—all having been destroyed by God’s direct intervention (Ezekiel 39:6—“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands.”).
Furthermore, the events in Revelation 9:13-21 wherein “Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million” (the Kings of the East) will gather to oppose the armies of the Beast “to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16).
The events leading up to this world-wide conflagration, after the defeat of the Kings of the East by the armies of the Beast, move from the plains of Megiddo into the Valley of Jehoshaphat (“Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations . . . put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow—for their wickedness is great.” (Joel 3:12-13; Revelation 14:17-2).
Even so, does not Zechariah record the same?
“For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem . . . then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle . . . and in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west” (Zechariah 14:2a, 3, 4a).
Let the Revelation mirror the words used to describe this final confrontation; first, the introduction of the coming King of kings and Lord of lords, the Messiah Who will destroy the “works of darkness” and the forces of the Antichrist-Beast who have now turned their fury upon the TWO OLIVE TREES and the TWO LAMPSTANDS (Israel and the Church) during he final three-and-one-half days of Daniel’s 70th Week (Revelation 11:7-14).
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:11-16; cf. Revelation 11:15-18).
Yes, now listen to John’s use of Ezekiel’s metaphors and symbolisms as I emphasize certain words and phrases:
“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun: and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God (or “great supper of God”), that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:17-21).
It is without equivocation—that THE WEST is the power base of the forces of Antichrist in this entire prophetic drama—the King of the North, King of the South, and Kings of the East have been vanquished—now, the Antichrist-Beast concentrates his full fury against Jerusalem, against all those whose designs by the Almighty shall shortly comprise the New Jerusalem:
“. . . gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel; . . . now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:12b, 14).
The ORACLE OF DAMASCUS leads to the pseudo Peace Treaty and introduction to both the Seventieth Week of Daniel and the revelation of the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, the Willful King, the ANTICHRIST! It is he that shall enforce the international peace settlement upon a vulnerable Israel and a compliant world longing for lasting peace among nations.
We have extensively covered the composition and perplexities of this, “Your covenant with death, your agreement with hell” (Daniel 9:27; Isaiah 28:15, 18)—please see: Parts I-IV of The US-Israel Strategic Alliance.
Now, the words of Isaiah resound:
“The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again. It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; after many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously” (Isaiah 24:19-23).
WHY CONFUSE GOG-MAGOG WITH ARMAGEDDON?
“This battle of Armageddon, at which the Lord intervenes to save His people, is described in some detail in Ezekiel 38 and 39. On this point again, however, there is disagreement among students of prophecy. The majority view is that Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe a devastating war that precedes Armageddon by several years and probably precedes even the rapture of Christ’s true followers. Numerous books and tapes by bible teachers specializing in prophecy have been declaring for years that an attack upon Israel by Russia and her Arab allies could come at any moment, leading to World War III and a devastating defeat for Russia in the land of Israel. This war is supposed to be the next event to take place in the Bible’s prophetic timetable.” (So says Dave Hunt in A Cup of Trembling, Jerusalem and Bible Prophecy, pp. 413-4).
He continues with his blending of these two conflicts . . .
“The failure of such interpretations to be realized on schedule has bred increasing skepticism, even in conservative evangelical schools such as Dallas Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. In their forthcoming book, Doomsday Delusions, Moody Bible Institute Professors C. Marvin Pate and Calvin B. Haines Jr. argue that ‘passages in Ezekiel that premillennialists say predict a future Armageddon probably refer to the invasion of Israel by Scythian hordes in pre-Christian times, according to the scholars. Imaginative doomsday preachers ignore this.’ Unfortunately, the professors also ignore the fact that these prophecies contain elements which could not possibly have applied in the past but which unmistakably point to a future fulfillment.” (Ibid. p. 414)
Listen, as Dave Hunt weaves a most unusual synopsis of Gog-Magog . . . we must ask why?
“There is no reason to believe that Ezekiel’s listing (of nations) is intended to name each and every nation that will be involved in the last-days attack upon Israel. Moreover, we find ‘Gog and Magog’ mentioned again in Revelation 20:8, representing all nations on earth coming against Jerusalem and Christ at the end of the millennium. Clearly that final battle is not the one mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39. If ‘Gog and Magog’ represent all nations in Revelation, then we may assume that the same is true in Ezekiel (tragically, a quantum leap which militates against Hunt’s literalism).
“There are two battles involving all nations: Armageddon just preceding, and the battle in Revelation 20 at the end of Christ’s 100-year reign. This is only one of several reasons for concluding that Ezekiel 38 and 39 refer to Armageddon and not to some earlier World War III.
“Another reason for this conclusion is the personal presence of God at the climax of the battle described in Ezekiel precisely as it will be at Armageddon” (Ibid. pp. 414-5).
Naturally, Hunt concludes that since the Jews will turn to the Holy One of Israel—there is simply no further need for revival amongst them, nor preparation for Messiah’s coming, nor any witness to the nations in the midst of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, for in that they are now ready to “look upon Him Who they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10); and, ipso facto, the Second Coming of Christ is upon us at the conclusion of the Gog-Magog/Armageddon War!
Hunt is adamant:
“The evidence that this (i.e., the Gog-Magog War) is Armageddon is simply overwhelming. The war described in these two chapters (Ezekiel 38-39) is one and the same and is clearly the cause of a climactic coming of God himself to this earth: ‘It shall come to pass...saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face....Surely... there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel...the fishes of the sea...fowls of the heaven...beasts of the field...all creeping things...and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence...the mountains shall be thrown down ...every wall shall fall...’ (Ezk. 38:18-20). The worldwide shaking at God's presence is almost impossible for us to imagine. This is climactic for planet earth!” (The Berean Call, Ezk. 38-39, Dave Hunt)
Clearly, Hunt has purposefully extinguished any need for Israel’s preparation and certainly any need for the TWO OLIVE TREES and TWO LAMPSTANDS to involve themselves in JOINT TESTIMONY against that Great City during the Seventieth Week of Daniel’s prophecy.
But why?
Aside from these improbable conclusions—there is another and more sinister reason why these two conflicts should becloud their true identities:
“Academically, the differentiation between the Gog/Magog War and Armageddon has long been made (Please see Dwight Pentecost’s THINGS TO COME, pp. 344-358, where elaborate distinctions between Gog-Magog and Armageddon are made.). Why then has this knowledge not filtered down from the seminaries—where it was first made—to the evangelical Church in general? The answer to this question reveals a lot with regard to the spiritual condition of the Church today. Why? Because when one finally admits to this difference, certain conclusions with regard to the United States and its involvement in the Middle East become inevitable—conclusions which the vast majority of American evangelicals are simply unprepared to accept.” (SR Shearer, The Beginning of the End, p. 175, 1986)
Shearer continues his insightful analysis why Hunt and scores of other once clearly-defined proponents of the “Two War theory” have purposefully reconsidered their theses:
“The failure of American evangelicals to face the cold, hard facts as to what America has today become, coupled with an inordinate fear of Communism [which the Scriptures plainly teach cannot possibly be the ground out from which Prophetic Babylon and the Antichrist will finally emerge] has clouded the American Church to the real danger it faces. American evangelicals are in danger of being ‘blindsided’ from an unexpected direction.” (Ibid. p. 175)
SR Shearer asserts that American evangelical Premillenarians are obsessed with Communism and boldly declare as one of its own has stated:
“The only thing that is preventing Russia from completing her plan for world domination is Almighty God and the military might of the United States” (Note: The emphasis was not so much upon “Almighty God” but upon the “military power of the United States.”).
Shearer’s final conclusion given to the aforementioned American evangelical scholar was this:
“The entire thesis that the author advanced was made possible only because he refused to differentiate between the Gog/Magog War and Armageddon. And the reason that he refused to make that distinction had nothing to do with the author’s intelligence (he is an extremely bright person); rather he refused to make that distinction because of the implications such a distinction would have with regard to America and America’s role in the Middle East. Like so many evangelicals today, the author has allowed himself to be blinded to the truth of God’s Word by a patriotism to an America that no longer exists.” (Ibid. p. 176)
Here, SR Shearer is absolutely right on the mark. By moving the Gog-Magog War into the environs of Armageddon—a campaign and/or event which is clearly prior to the coming of Christ—all bets are off in so far as American involvement in a separate confrontation; especially, if that confrontation precedes the 70th Week of Daniel: WHICH IT DOES NOT! It comes AFTER the Peace Treaty, and, ipso facto, it is within the environs of the 70th Week of Daniel’s prophecy. The confrontation which precedes the Peace Treaty is the Oracle of Damascus—and these Premillenarians know that!
To think that the United States of America could be excluded—given its Super Power Status and its immediate and ubiquitous presence in the Middle East—from the Gog-Magog War—is utter absurdity; thence, that war (and Hunt was very wise to do so) must be removed and encapsulated into the far reaches of the 70th Week of Daniel. The Church will be raptured, according to Hunt, from this awful conflict, in any event. But, to be on the safe side—American Christianity must not be here for such a tumultuous occurrence—and if she were (as so many of these American evangelical prophetic prophets “ignorantly” declare) . . . then where will she be in the ensuing conflict? SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF IT—that’s the only answer that can be given!
It is this blind-sided patriotism which drives the American Patriotic Prophets to adjudge the Gog-Magog War will occur BEFORE the revelation of the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, and the Peace Treaty; however, they simply have no way to explain Ezekiel, that if Gog-Magog is a separate conflict, apart from Armageddon, then why does this conflict demand that:
“You (Gog) 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 . . . on that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?” (Ezekiel 38:11, 14).
From whence does this peace derive? Is this post-Millenarian in its scope? Absolutely not—this is prior to the One-thousand Year Millennial reign of Christ—even Hunt recognizes the obvious! Notwithstanding, he refuses to acknowledge Gog’s demise prior to Armageddon, and he does so, I would concur with Shearer, because of his patriotism and his pro-American, pre-tribulation rapture of the Church (millions will be raptured from America) eschatology. To his credit—at least he realizes WHY this conflict has to be merged with Armageddon, lest America be left holding the prophetic bag!
The Peace Treaty of the Antichrist must, according to Tom Ice, come after Gog-Magog:
“I believe the invasion (i.e., Gog-Magog) will most likely take place before the tribulation officially begins, but after the rapture.[4] Such a view would help to explain a vacuum on the world political scene at the beginning of the tribulations left by the removal of the influence of Russia and her Muslim allies, and possibly even the United States due to the conflict. This would then prepare the way for the Revived Roman Empire (Western Europe) and the Antichrist to sign the covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:24-27).” (The Pre-Trib Research Center, Tom Ice – Is America in Bible Prophecy)
Wait a minute—isn’t the Peace Treaty (the “Covenant”) the commencement of the 70th Week of Daniel’s Prophecy? So, now we have BOTH the Oracle of Damascus, and the Gog-Magog War occurring BEFORE THE PEACE TREATY? Brother Ice, whatever it takes for American Christians to stay out of the 70th Week of Daniel and tribulation is what we’re after, right?
How in the world can you have it both ways? The rapture of the Church, you surmise, occurs before the Gog-Magog War and, consequently, before the Oracle of Damascus—because the next great event is the Rapture of the Church, right?
Somehow, the next major prophetic event, according to the American Patriotic Prophets is the Rapture—although most now concur that the Oracle of Damascus appears to be next in line (including Hal Lindsey 7/22/2006, Hal Lindsey Oracle)!
Splitting prophetic hairs, you say? Friends—the convolutions designed by the Pretribulation Rapturists (i.e., the Church escapes all tribulation during the 70th week of Daniel) are just that—they have little validity and offer little hope for the Israel of the flesh that they resolutely defend.
It is mandatory for pre-tribulation rapturists to conclude:
(1) The Rapture of the Church is the NEXT PROPHETIC EVENT!
(2) The Oracle of Damascus will undoubtedly occur after the Rapture (but it could occur before the Tribulation—just another occurrence prior to the Peace Treaty)
(3) The Gog-Magog War will occur before the Treaty of Peace or immediately after the Treaty of Peace and Revelation of the Antichrist.
If perchance the Oracle of Damascus occurs before the Tribulation Period, as Hal Lindsey affirms—then, all bets are off! Why or why not? Well, if the Church witnesses the Oracle of Damascus it might easily be construed to be the Gog-Magog War itself! Then, the Peace Treaty which will most definitely follow this conflict (for the whole earth will sue for a comprehensive peace agreement) would NOT be (because the Church will still be here) the forecasted Peace Treaty and, therefore, the Antichrist would not be revealed as the one behind such an agreement! Oh, what a tangled web we weave when once we threaten to deceive.
Imagine, the Gog-Magog War (a.k.a. the Oracle of Damascus) has concluded; the Antichrist enforces the comprehensive Peace Settlement/Strategic Alliance with Israel and the nations of the globe—but the Church is still here! Obviously, God is once again blessing America; since the fulfillment of the Oracle of Damascus and the Peace Treaty which follows it have concluded . . . there will be rejoicing in the streets of Babylon on the Hudson! And, how great will be this deception!
Why will the Oracle of Damascus be adjudged by the American Evangelical Church to be the Gog-Magog War fulfilled? Because when the comprehensive peace settlement descends upon the unsuspecting lot of humankind—and since the Church is still here—it can’t possible be the Peace Treaty spoken of by Daniel the Prophet in Daniel 9:27! No, what we are witnessing is American foreign policy, under the blessing of God, in solidarity with Israel—continuing her policies of protecting and promoting Zionism in the land of the patriarchs. BEHOLD: The man on the white horse—Revelation 6:2!
“Guess what. The American government is disappointed with the IDFs fighting abilities! Bush is disappointed with us! I could hardly believe my ears when I heard it a couple of days ago . . . both (the American and Israeli) sides have psychopaths who enjoy the situation, but the worst are those who really take delight in it, and these are those American Fundamentalists (Bush being one of them), who can hardly wait for the great War of Gog and Magog to take place on the land of Israel. That war which will bring us closer and closer, according to the Bible, to the Second Coming of Christ and will take all the believers in Him to heaven . . . with all due respect to this belief, the impatient awaiting of the American Evangelists for this great and dreadful war in the Holy Land, in Jerusalem, is freaking me out! Such Gentiles come here with their mad burning eyes, telling the media how much they love us, how much they back Israel, but their ugly Anti-Semite spirit pops out from within, only now it is wrapped with Pro-Israel attitude, and all this is done in order to hasten the Kingdom . . .
“President Bush, the most religious PM in this past half century is pressing the button, which in turn presses our Israeli PM to go ahead with the war. And what for? In order to promote interests which are at the core beliefs of 30% of the Americans. As far as I know, some of them happen to store arsenals at their cellars, meant to be used here in Israel, during that great Gog & Magog War. I have met several such men, mainly from the south, Texans and the like, who claim with a passion that they love us so much, but frankly, I could never get rid of that deep feeling that under this loving façade hides an Anti-Semitic heart, ready to use us, the Jewish people living in Israel, for its own purpose, namely to hasten the Kingdom. My impression is that they do not really want what is best for us, but simply wish to use us. If you truly loved us, the people of God, you would help us, you would try to save us from this pit instead of using Israel in order to promote your religious and political interests, leading us to a bloody war against psychopath terrorist’s organizations.
“The way things are at the moment, it seems that Bush simply wishes to escalate things here in order to justify his plan to