Joel Richardson
The primary purpose of this article is to catalogue a partial list of historians, Bible scholars, commentators, and teachers, both Jewish and Christian, whose interpretations of “Gog of Magog” of Ezekiel 38-39 support the view that Gog is one and the same with the Antichrist / Beast of the New Testament. We will also identify the scholars who identify Gog and his hordes as coming from the region of modern day Turkey or the Turkish border in Syria, as opposed to modern day Russia. In this survey, it will become apparent that the widely popular modern view of Gog as an eschatological character distinct from the Antichrist, who comes from Russia, is largely a modern novelty, representing a significant minority position within Church history.
Pliny the Elder was a first-century Roman military commander, author, naturalist, and philosopher. He spoke of a city called, “Bambyce, otherwise called Hierapolis; but of the Syrians, Magog [or Mabog].” Ancient Heirapolis sat on the border of modern-day Turkey and Syria. Thus, according to Pliny, Magog, the home of Gog, was on the modern day of Turkey and Syria.
Hippolytus of Rome, (170—235), an early Christian theologian, in his Chronicon, written in the early third century, rejected the now well-known claim by Josephus, who identified Magog with the Scythians north of the Black Sea. Instead, Hippolytus connected Magog with the Galatians in Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey.
Moses Ben Maimonides, (aka., Rambam) (1135—1204), the revered Jewish sage, in Hichot Terumot, also identified Magog as being on the border of Syria and modern day Turkey.
Rabbi David Kimchi, (aka., Radak) (1160–1235), another famous medieval Jewish rabbi, commenting on Zechariah 14, says this portion of Scripture—which virtually all Christians affirm refers to the Antichrist—is a reference to the war of Gog of Magog.
Nicholas of Lyra (1270—1349), a Franciscan scholar of Hebrew, and renowned Biblical exegete from the University of Paris. Lyra’s works were greatly influential among the reformers. Lyra believed that Gog was another title of the Antichrist. Lyra argued that Gog means “covered” which is a reference to the Antichrist as Satan covering himself with the shape of a man. According to 17th century exegete John Mayer, Lyra’s view of Gog as the Antichrist “is most generally received”. Lyra also affirmed that the religion of the “Turks”, a term used to refer to Muslims in general, was the religion of the Antichrist.
Martin Luther (1483—1546), the German monk, priest and iconic reformer, understood Gog to be a reference to the Turks, whom God had sent as a scourge to chastise Christians.
Franciscus Junius (1545—1602), a French Huguenot scholar and theologian. Junius saw Gog as a people from Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey, who would persecute the Jews in the latter days.
Sir Walter Raleigh (1554—1618), in his History of the World, also placed Magog in Asia Minor or modern day Turkey:
“Yet it is not to be denied, that the Scythians in old times coming out of the north-east, wasted the better part of Asia the Less, and possessed Coelesyria, where they built both Scythopolis and Hierapolis, which the Syrians call Magog. And that to this Magog Ezekiel had reference, it is very plain; for this city Hierapolis, or Magog, standeth due north from Judea, according to the words of Ezekiel, that from the north quarters those nations should come.”
John Mayer (1583—1638), an Anglican priest and biblical exegete, agrees with Nicholas of Lyra, understanding Gog to be a reference to the Antichrist.
John Wesley (1703—1755), in his Explanatory Notes on Ezekiel 38 and 39, identified the hoards of Gog and Magog with “the Antichristian forces” who would come from the region of modern day Turkey.
Jonathan Edwards (1703—1758), one of American history’s most renowned intellectuals, philosophers and theologians who was highly instrumental in forming the First Great Awakening. Edwards also viewed modern day Turkey as the nation from which the coming Gog Magog invasion would come forth from:
“We do read in Pliny that the city in Syria (the region of ancient Syria included much of modern day Turkey) was called Hierapolis, was by the Syrians called Magog”
C.F. Keil (1807—1888), the renowned German hebraist and commentator, also identified Gog of Magog as the ultimate and final enemy of God’s people before the return of Christ. In his classic Commentary on the Old Testament, Keil states:
“…in the destruction of Gog and his gathering of peoples, the last attack of the heathen world-power upon the kingdom of God will be judged and overthrown, so that from that time forth the people of God wil no more have to fear a foe who can disturb its peace and its blessedness in the everlasting possession of the inheritance given to it by the Lord. Gog is… depicted as the last foe…”
John Nelson Darby (1800—1882), The British-Irish evangelist and a father of modern Dispensationalism and Futurism, in his Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, views Gog as the final antichristian forces that God will bring against Israel:
“Gog is the end of all the dealings of God with respect to Israel, and that God brings up this haughty power in order to manifest on earth, by a final judgment, His dealings with Israel and with the Gentiles, and to plant His blessing, His sanctuary, and His glory in the midst of Israel.”
C.I. Scofield (1843—1921) an American theologian, minister and author of the Scofield Reference Bible, viewed the oracle of Gog of Magog in Ezekiel 38, 39 as speaking of the Battle of Armageddon, led by Russia and including European, north African and Middle Eastern nations. Scofield, spoke of Ezekiel’s oracle thusly:
“[T]hat 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)”
Arthur W. Pink (1886—1952), the English author and biblical expositor, referred to Gog as one of the titles of Antichrist.
G.H. Lang (1874—1958), one of the foremost latter plymouth brethren / dispensational biblical scholars of his day, spent much time arguing that Gog and the Antichrist were one and the same. Of Gog, Lang stated that he was: “…the last head of the fourth kingdom of the image of Dan. 2, the little horn of the fourth beast of Dan. 7…”
F.F. Bruce (1910—1990), the celebrated biblical scholar, who greatly contributed to the modern evangelical understanding of the Bible, in the forward to G.H Lang’s above mentioned commentary on Daniel, wholeheartedly endorsed Lang’s Middle Eastern interpretation and emphasis. Writing only two years after Israel become a new nation, Bruce commended Lang’s work thusly:
“It would at any time be my pleasure to commend this work… [Lang’s] exposition of the prophetic chapters is largely new, forming as original and independent contribution to their study… Mr. Lang’s emphasis on the eastern Mediterranean in prophetic geography loses none of its force in view of the increasing importance of that region today.”
Walther Theodor Zimmerli (1907—1983), the German expositor, in the Hermeneia Commentary series on Ezekiel, identifies the Gog of Magog oracle with the final and ultimate judgment against the enemies of God’s people.
Finis Jennings Dake (1902–1987), an American Pentecostal minister and evangelist known primarily for his writings on Premillennial Dispensationalism, in several of his writings, including the Dake Annotated Reference Bible, refers to Gog as the Antichrist.
Charles Lee Feinberg (1909—1995), a prominent Dispensationalist, Messianic Jewish expositor in his commentary on Ezekiel, The Glory of the Lord, states that: “The armies of chapter 38-39 would appear to be included in the universal confederacies seen in Zechariah 12 and 14.” Feinberg goes on to state that the oracle of Gog of Magog is the same as that which was predicted in Psalm 2:1-3; Isaiah 29:1-8; Joel 2:2:20; 3:9-21; Zechariah 12:1 ff.; 14:2-3)
Robert D. Van Kampen (1938–1999), the author of The Sign and The Rapture Question Answered, repeatedly refers to Gog as “Ezekiel’s name for the Antichrist”.
James Montgomery Boise (1938—2000), Reformed theologian, Bible teacher, pastor, in his commentary on Daniel affirmed the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 & 39 as a parallel prophecy to Armageddon as described in Revelation 16 & 19.
Charles Ryrie, the well known Dispensationalist scholar, in his Ryrie Study Bible views Gog and his hordes as one and the same with the Antichrist and his armies:
“The consummation of the battle involves birds and beasts eating the flesh of warriors , a scene similar to the description of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation (39:17-20; Rev. 19:17-18). Also, at the conclusion of the conflict the nations will understand the judging hand of God, and Israel will know that the LORD (YAHWEH) is their God (Ezek. 39:21-22). Perhaps the first thrust will begin just before the middle of the Tribulation, with successive waves of the invasion continuing throughout the last part of that period and building up to Armageddon.”
Dave Hunt, apologist, author, radio commentator, identifies the Gog of Magog Battle with other antichristic prophecies and views it as a reference to the ultimate battle of Armageddon:
“Ezekiel 38 and 39 refer to Armageddon and not to some earlier World War III… There is no doubt, from both Zechariah 12 and Revelation 1 and 19, that this personal coming of Yahweh to rescue His people and to destroy Antichrist and his armies takes place at Armageddon. It is significant, then, that similar language concerning the personal presence of God is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39, thus identifying the event described there as Armageddon also” (pp. 414-415, Dave Hunt, “Cup of Trembling”).
Sverre Bøe, the Norwegian theologian and author of the exhaustive and authoritative monograph, Gog and Magog, recounts numerous connections between Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 19, commonly referred to as “the Battle of Armageddon”.
Ralph H. Alexander, a biblical scholar from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, and the contributing commentator on Ezekiel in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary identifies the invaders of Ezekiel 38-39 with the prophecy of Revelation 19 (Battle of Armageddon) and other antichristic prophecies.
Lamar Eugene Cooper, Sr., the Senior Professor of Old Testament and Archeology and Graduate Dean Emeritus at Criswell College and the author of the New American Commentary on Ezekiel, identifies Gog and his hordes with the Antichrist and his hordes and also places them in Asia Minor.
Daniel I. Block, Old Testament scholar and perhaps the world’s leading expert on the Book of Ezekiel, in the New International Commentary on Ezekiel, says,
“It seems best to interpret Magog as a contraction of an original māt Gūgi, ‘land of Gog,’ and to see here a reference to the territory of Lydia in western Anatolia [Turkey].”
The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary states, “Magog, possibly meaning ‘the land of Gog,’ was no doubt in Asia Minor [Turkey] and may refer to Lydia.”
The IVP Bible Background Commentary lists Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and Togarmah as “sections or peoples in Asia Minor” [Turkey].
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, under the entry for “Magog,” states, “It is clear that Lydia [Turkey] is meant, and that by ‘Magog,’ we must understand, ‘the land of Gog.’”
The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary places Magog in Anatolia, or modern-day Turkey.
The Catholic Encyclopedia states,
“It seems more probable that . . . Magog should be identified with Lydia [Turkey]. On the other hand, as Mosoch and Thubal were nations belonging to Asia Minor, it would seem from the text of Ezechiel that Magog must be in that part of the world. Finally, others with Josephus identify Magog with Scythia, but in antiquity this name was used to designate vaguely any northern population.”
The Holman Bible Atlas places Magog in Turkey.
The New Moody Atlas of the Bible places Magog in Turkey.
The Zondervan Atlas of the Bible places Magog in Turkey.
The IVP Atlas of Bible History places Magog in Turkey.
The Modern View:
The most popular view today among many students of prophecy is that Gog is a Russian leader whose invasion of Israel is other than the invasion of the Antichrist. But having now surveyed a broad range of sources spanning Church history, it is clear that the popular modern view, when weighed against this larger historical backdrop, is largely a novelty, and certainly a minority view.
37 Responses
A comparison of Gen. 25:3 and Daniel 2:41-42 is too similiar to dismiss:
“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you SHALL BE DIVIDED; THE ONE SHALL BE STRONGER THAN THE OTHER, and the older shall serve the younger.” (Gen. 25:3 ESV)
“And as you saw the feet and the toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, IT SHALL BE A DIVIDED KINGDOM, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with soft clay, SO THE KINGDOM SHALL BE PARTLY STRONG AND PARTLY BRITTLE.” (Daniel 2:4142
The feet and toes of Dan. 2 are a separate and different empire than the four previously listed and becoming the seventh empire listed in Rev. 17 and indeed today Muslim. It is the nation now being revived with Turkey taking the lead.
As far as ‘is largely a modern novelty’ goes, there are other examples.
I used to side with the pre-tribulation rapture side, but what is so bad about Jesus and the rest in heaven guiding those whom are his, through the Great Tribulation?
Dang.. just.. Wow. Joel you have done it again 🙂
The above article is very interesting– especially in light of Charles Krauthammer’s article about the war with Gaza and Erdogan’s involvement http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/333904/why-was-there-war-gaza-charles-krauthammer#comments
I understand the dangers of pre-trib expectancy, but I must admit there are a couple of verses that seem to support this – two in particular are Luke 21:36, and 1 Thess 4:17 – this verse says that there are three groups of Christians here: “Those that remain” , “the dead in Christ” and “them in the clouds”. Here is how I understand it:
1) that people are already with Jesus beforehand, who have had the rapture experience and who are coming with him on the clouds,
2) then there are also Christians still around on earth who were not saved at the time of the rapture, who prolly picked up a Bible straight after they saw the crazy christians get whisked away and became believers themselves afterwards – they were earmarked for the Tribulation – “those that remain” would later see “them in the clouds”.
3) And finally, the Christians who have been dead for yonks and yonks, and had a normal life/death/funeral. They’re in for the resurrection experience.
Having said this, I do still lean towards post-Tribulation expectancy cos like whats been stated, its better to expect the worst. But thats how I make sense of 1 Thess 4:16-17. If I’m going wrong here, I’m all ears 😉
PS, what does 2 Thess 2:7 mean?
The Göbekli Tepe finding is dated the oldest settlement ever found and it is in Turkey and not too far from Ararat. Turkey could claim a form of universalism due to this.
That is an awesome list! When I was first studying Bible prophecy over 20 years ago, Finis Jennings Dake, The Dake Annotated Reference Bible, also stated that Gog is the Antichrist and also Jimmy Swaggart in his books and study guides also states that Gog is the Antichrist.
Although, there are some issues with which I do not agree with Dake, he is quite a commentator and gets a lot more correct than many other popular commentators in my opinion.
Giles, I encourage you to do two things. First of all, place 2 Thess. 2:7, and the other verses you cite, into a larger context by placing it amongst the verses that surround it.
Secondly, place it in a larger context as to what the Apostle Paul would have been familiar with. Parousia would have been more familiar to him, than to us, because more was invested in it, back then, than now.
There is also the matter as to how Orthodox Christians take the matter of the last days.
I copied this from page 198 of “A Second Look at the Second Coming” by T.L. Frazier
When our Lord came at His First Advent, He defeated Satan in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (e.g. Gen. 3:15) Satan is now “bound” and his power limited so the gospel can be spread; people are free either to accept it or reject it of their own free will. We are consequently living in the millennium and Christ is reigning at the right hand of the Father. (Daniel 7:13, Mark 16:19, Acts 7:56, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22). The millennium will end with Satan’s release and the Tribulation.
Scripture indicates that the Church, the fulfillment of Israel, will suffer persecution and tribulation as long as it is in the world (John 15:20, 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3; 1 Thess. 3:3; Rev. 1:9, 2:10). This will get worse and it culminates in the Great Tribulation, when Satan will be released for a short wile to empower the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 20:3). Our Lord, however, will protect the Church throughout the coming hardship and persecution (John 17:15; 1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 20:9).
At the end of this Tribulation, our Lord will come suddenly and in a visible manner. There will be a resurrection of the righteous and a catching up of the saints still living. The Lord will then come bodily in great glory accompanied by His saints and the hosts of heaven. Upon His return, Christ will cast Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet into the lake of fire. Simultaneously, there will be the “resurrection of condemnation” followed by the general judgment, which will forever separate the righteous from the wicked. After the righteous have received their rewards, and the wicked their condemnation, Death and Hades will be destroyed and a new heaven and a new earth will be brought forth. This will be a transfiguration of the old creation, cleansed by fire. Then the Kingdom promised by our Lord and depicted in Revelation 21 and 22 will become fully manifest, and the Church will enter eternity.
ah, gotcha….cheers 😉
JOEL,
Yes, Magog (Lydia) was in Asia Minor which is now Turkey, but this does not mean that Turkey will be the invader spoken of in of Ezekiel 38/39. Since Gog of Lydia (Magog) and their confederates in Asia Minor no longer exist, Ezekiel 38-39 uses them as “historical types” of those who are to be involved in the end times battle described in Ezekiel 38-39. Ezekiel uses the historical Gog as a “ historical type” of the antichrist to come in the exact same way that Ezekiel uses the historical King David as a historical type of Jesus the Christ’s Second Coming.
For example, Ezekiel 34:23 says “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David(Jesus); he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.” And Ezekiel 37:22-24 says “And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David (Jesus) my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.”* It will be Jesus who will have the government on his shoulder after the end times not David.
As Ezekiel uses King David as a type of the Messiah, Gog is used as a type of the antichrist. The Bible says this battle is to take place in the mountains (Ezekiel 38:8, 21 and Ezekiel 39:2, 4, 17) where God fights for Israel and reveals Himself to Israel. Moreover, the Bible’s books of Daniel and Revelation both indicate that a revived Roman Empire (in essence) will be involved in such a battle. You can’t have the Bible contradicting itself with Turkey being the invader in the battle of Ezekiel 38/39 and Daniel saying that the invader will be the final expression of Roman Empire. (Ironically there is a connection between Rome and Lydia (Magog) which Herodotus writes about in The History section 1.93-1.94. Migrantes from Lydia (Magog) called the Etruscans helped found Rome. This relationship has recently been confirmed by extensive DNA evidence, but space does not permit a full explanation. To learn more about these things please see http://www.thecometsofgod.com. which has many free downloads and links] Also see my blog http://www.newscientificevidenceforgod.com
* Similarly, Jesus uses Elijah as a historical type in Matthew 11:14 (also see Malachi 4:5) and Matthew 17:10-13 (“if you will receive it”). So “Gog and Magog” (in Akkadian “Magog” means the land of Gog) in their most basic meaning, are taken to be types or references to any “antichrist” and “the land of this antichrist”; just as I John 2:18, 22, 4:3, and II John 7 all make it clear that “there are many antichrists.”
Jeffrey,
Thanks for your comments. I disagree that these are mere types. I discuss this in substantial detail in my latest book, MIdeast Beast. I also reject the notion that Daniel or Revelation speaks of a “revived” Roman Empire, despite common opinion to the contrary. Concerning “the mountains of Israel”, this is simply an expression referring to all of Israel (cf. Eze 36). I would encourage you to check out Mideast Beast. I genuinely think it will help to resolve some of these perceived tensions.
Bless you!
hi again,
Sorry to keep asking questions unrelated to the article (this is a site where people seem to make sense of the Scriptures). I was wondering if anyone can explain the “New Jerusalem” in Revelation…the Giant Cube. I’m of the opinion of “Zionist Christians” (i think we’re called? i.e. Israel still has a very important role), but each time a discussion comes up about this, the answer is always from the replacement side of things. Each time I show them bits where it speaks of Jerusalem in the future – Micah 4:2, Zech 14, Is 60, etc – they always revert back to this “New Jerusalem”, that its no more the actual original Jerusalem than New York is the actual original York.
Does anyone have any insights into the Revelation “Jerusalem”? cheers
Joel,
As a wider comment to this thread, I cannot tell you how happy many of us here are so glad you make time for your interactive blog! I am so thrilled you carve time out for us and answer our questions as time permits in your very busy schedule. It was very sad when you closed down your comment section for your blog followers for quite a bit of time. We missed it very much because it is a valuable source of relevant prophetic biblical information. I do know it is a sacrifice for you as it takes valuable time away from your precious family time and work commitments. But do know that your bloggers are very thankful and appreciative of the time you devote to maintaining one of the very best prophetic blog spots on the Web. You have been such a blessing to so many of us and as we grow closer to what surely will happen, it will be vital that this site be available, current and active for source checking.
Blessings!
G4U,
The appreciation is mutual. Genuinely.
Bless you.
Giles,
Contact me through my site (http://mynfatrust.net) on the contact page with a phone number, email, etc and date and time I can call you after December 1st (I am on vacation this week) and I will explain it ALL to you. I will explain how Joel comes to identify a Middle East antichrist and I can explain the revelation and the New Jerusalem, et al.
Joel, one thing a bout Finis Dake. He saw The Antichrist coming out of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. He not only saw him as Gog, but The Assyrian and the King of Babylon. In his terminology he said the 7th Empire was The Revised Roman Empire ( not revived as it was under the ten kings) and then the 8th Empire he saw as The Revived Grecian Empire which would be under The Antichrist. Which many of the nations listed were under the Grecian Empire.
Bo,
Dake’s perspective is much closer to the opinions of the early Church than many modern popular teachers. Where he is most unusual are his views on the rapture. He is essentially mid-trib. But his knowledge of Scripture is very reminiscent of Clarence Larkin. I enjoy studying his stuff.
An interesting assessment of Syria’s army by Erdogan, et al.
http://www.mail.com/int/news/world/1736240-turkey-syrian-regime-resembles-armed-militia.html#.1272-stage-hero1-2
I’ve studied prophecy for 27 years and most of that time believed Gog was the Antichrist. Like Finis Dake, I see The Assyrian as the Antichrist but not as Gog who is the end time prince of the sons of Japheth (Gen. 10:1-3). They settled in Asia Minor (Turkey) after the flood. Searching for “the antichrist” at http://www.biblegateway/keyword/ in the OT prophets reveals the Assyrian will invade Israel and be destroyed along with Gog on the mountains of Israel as describe in the latter part of Eze. 38 and 39.
Daniel 11:2-32 tells of the historical conflicts between the king of the south (Egypt, Ptolemies) and the king of the north (Syria, Seleucids) that borders Israel to the north. The location of Gog, in relation to Israel, is the “far north” (Eze. 38:6, 15; 39:2) or north of Syria, the king of the north. Turkey is the land of Magog where Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Beth Togarmah become the “great horde” invading Israel at the beginning of Jacob’s Trouble. PM Erdogen is presently doubling the size of Turkey’s army of 500,000 men, in several years a million Turkish solders will invade Israel from the “distant land” (NIV)of Turkey (Jer. 4:15-17).
When you interviewed adan octar ( harun yahya ) about the mahdi and he said that the mahdi will spread islam threw peace, does he have scripture to back that up or does the traditions say otherwise?
Giles,
I don’t know if you had all of your questions answered, but I thought I might offer some thoughts, now days after the last posting.
Luke 21:36 speaks of having “strength to escape” what is coming. The rapture is not accomplished through our strength. Additionally, “escape” is something which one does through trouble, not before trouble. “Avoiding” the tribulation would be more accurate for a pre-tribulation perspective. Escape is what one does from prison, a trap, a hostage situation, etc. Avoidance is what one does to not get in trouble in the first place.
1 Thessalonians is not speaking of three groups of people; only two. Those who are dead in Christ rise FIRST, then we who are still alive will join THEM in the clouds. The text is not speaking of a previously “raptured” group, only the dead in Christ and the alive in Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 is completely botched in translation. I do not for the lIfe of me know why it is so universally mistranslated, but the Greek DOES NOT indicate anything being removed out of the way. The Greek speaks of something ARISING and coming to be. When this is understood, the idea that this verse is speaking of the Holy Spirit and/or the church being removed to make way for the Antichrist is completely unfounded.
Hope this helps.
Blessings.
you know how in the holy Bible, major events often have a foreshadowing, i.e. Abraham almost sacrificing isaac, and substituted witht he ram (Jesus on cross), or the king of north/south wars, or Joseph being betrayed and sold for thirty pieces of silver in order to ultimately save everyone, or the abomination by Antiochus going to be repeated….
Well, consider Isaiah. Its mostly about the showdown between the Lord and the “Assyrian,” the AC, up until the middle segment when it suddenly switches from prophecy and tells a little story about 185,000 men getting slotted by the Lord, saving Jerusalem. From then on, the book is mostly the better side of prophecy – Jerusalem being rebuilt, lions with lambs, etc.
Do you think that the reason why those few chapters are right in the middle of Isaiah are also a sort of foreshadowing of whats to come? We know from other parts like Zecharaiah, Joel, Micah, Ez, etc that God will come and rescue Jerusalem, annihilating the AC and his army, and after that things will get better when Jesus rules the earth. It seems that Isaiah is structured in this way – things getting bad, nations like Egypt falling under a tyrant, Israel signing their death covenant, then getting invaded and on the verge of catastrophe only to be saved by the Lord – and then after that things getting much much better, arise shine, etc.
any thoughts?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/12/syrian-rebels-demand-islamic-caliphate-praise-bin-laden-and-taliban.html
This video shows the Arabs hate Russia and China as much as they hate us.This lends support to your teaching that Russia is not Gog and that Russia and the Muslims will not band together to attack Israel also China neither.
How can I like or post your articles on facebook? Do you not have the capability for privacy matters?
There is a “share this” widget on the side right bar. Does this work?
Joel,
I’m confused on this. If your assertion regarding Gog/Magog is correct, then please explain this map:
Sorry, here is that map, Joel:
http://i47.tinypic.com/313red1.jpg
Shawn,
First, the question one must ask concerning the map, is what time period is it referring to? Is it Ezekiel’s day or a different time period? Second, who says this map is correct? This map is well-known on the internet. But when one consults nearly any modern Bible Atlas, they do not agree with this map. I can find several errors myself with it.
Giles: Present day Israel has nothing to do with Isaiah 60. Israel was formed by zionist bankers blackmailing countries and creating 2 world wars and then forcefully taking it. Since it’s conception there has been nothing but war in Israel.
Isaiah 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
Micah 4:2 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148825.htm well if you look here, Giles, you will see that it is VERY HARD to preach the gospel in Israel. You face legal troubles and harassment if you do. http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/spiritual/home_study/feast_of_tabernacles.htm
Zechariah 14 is talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ and the new heaven and new earth and when it says feast of tabernacles it is not referring to the whole world realizing Judaism and their holidays were the only way of being. Any person who does not confess Jesus as the Christ is an antichrist and not to be given special treatment, as people are not saved by lineage from Abraham anymore but by belief in Jesus. 1 John 4:3 and Galatians 3:28. It is clear from Revelation that the New Jerusalem is not one that is presently on Earth.
Thanks for the vindication. I cut my prophetic teeth on Dake and Larkin and admire both, especially Larkin, but I never bought into the idea that Russia was ever the object of any prophecy. I look forward to reading your book. I will share with you a question I have asked many holding the Gog is Russia opinion and have yet to get an answer to, “If Gog is not antichrist, then of whom and of what prophecies does Ezekiel speak when when he says in Ezekiel 38: 17 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?…..
I also take the Vision of the dry bones to be a dual reference prophecy, one allegorical and one literal, the literal being the first resurrection. They will become a great army. This is not yet fulfilled, as following the regathering there has been no great army until modern times, but I think the recent wars fall short of the final fulfillment.
I find it interesting that The Etruscan origin was from Magog in Turkey and that their religion, itself deriving from the Babylonian Mysteries via Magog was as much in view when Ezekiel set his face against Gog, as was Gog himself, particularly in view of the Etruscan influence upon Rome and the Roman church.
On the comment that Dake is mid-trib on the rapture, this is not his position. He is pre-tribulational. He does, however, interpret the Manchild as the 144000 and being raptured mid-tribulation.
Joel,
I have been studying Zechariah 2 and it is a fascinating apocalyptic chapter. Verse 6 & 7 refer to the land of the north and the Daughter of Babylon. Could these allude to Gog/Magog (land of north) and the Daughter of Babylon as the same people/area of Mystery Babylon? Curious for your take on this.
My husband got me listening and watching all your video’s and I thank God for Joel Richardson because I finally connect and love the Holy Scriptures. Thank you Joel for helping me come to love the WORD!