2. God will dramatically intervene, routing the invaders in a devastating defeat of a magnitude never seen in military history. Even Russia’s homeland and headquarters will face devastating destruction.
3. The war will radically reorder world power. Here are a few of the more important ways this war will shape prophetic events:
It will cripple Islamic influence in the Middle East. Many Muslims live outside the Middle East, even the most populous nations such as Indonesia, but the annihilation of armies from Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, Libya, Sudan, and probably the near nations around Israel will deal a debilitating blow to Muslim power, effectively neutralizing this power bloc.
It will crush Russian aggression. The end-times king of the north will fall, never to rise again.
It will create a giant power vacuum. With the Russian-Islamic coalition taken out, the Western leader, whom we know as the Antichrist, will catapult onto the world scene. I’ve often wondered if the Antichrist might take credit for the destruction of the Russian horde, claiming possession of some secret weapon that enabled him to wipe them out. However events unfold, we know that by the middle of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will seize control of the world economically and politically (see Revelation 13). The destruction of the Russian-Islamic coalition will propel Antichrist’s rise to global domination.
4. Through this victory, God will demonstrate his greatness and holiness to such an extent that all nations will be forced to acknowledge he alone is King of kings and Lord of lords. God will use this war to bring many Gentiles to faith in himself.
5. Likewise, the nation of Israel will come to a turning point, recognizing there is no one like the Lord their God.[14] The ultimate result of this war will be the national repentance and restoration of the Jewish people under the reign of their Messiah in the Kingdom.
We can learn many lessons for our lives today from the War of Gog and Magog, but two stand out: God is sovereign. And God is our only Savior.
Nothing is more important for us to hold on to than these two truths.
Chapter 8: How Close Are We?
THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL PREDICTS THAT A LARGE FORCE, IDENTIFIED AS “MAGOG,” FROM THE NORTH OF ISRAEL WILL ATTACK THE NATION…. THERE IS A LOT GOING ON IN OUR CURRENT HEADLINES THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE IT COULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. AND WHEN IT DOES, IT WILL TRANSPIRE IN RAPID SUCCESSION, LIKE DOMINOES CLOSELY STACKED TOGETHER.
The Russian bear continues to flex its muscle against its neighbors and in the Middle East. The Bear’s footprint is expanding with a swelling presence in Syria, an increasing alliance with Iran, and strengthening ties with Turkey. As we’ve seen, all of this is headed toward a colossal conflict in the Holy Land led by Russia. One of the principal questions concerning this coming Middle East war is, When will it occur? How much longer until the first great war of the end times breaks out? Ezekiel 38 sheds light on the all-important timing question:
Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war [NASB, “the sword”] and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. You will say, “Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence!” …
Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the LORD.
The mention of swords and cavalry in Ezekiel 38 has led some commentators to conclude that this battle occurred sometime in the distant past. The weapons mentioned in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 are ancient weapons made out of wood such as bows, arrows, shields, war clubs, and spears (see 39:9). The means of transportation is horses (see 38:15). So how do we account for these ancient weapons if this invasion is in the end times? There are two plausible solutions to this problem.
First, it could be that by the time this event is fulfilled, nations will have reverted to archaic weapons and means of transportation due to oil shortages and other wars that have depleted these nations’ resources, or possibly there will be some comprehensive disarmament treaties. Albert Einstein reportedly said, “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” He could be right. John Walvoord favors this view of Ezekiel 38:
[One possible] solution is that the battle is preceded by a disarmament agreement between nations. If this were the case, it would be necessary to resort to primitive weapons easily and secretly made if a surprise attack were to be achieved. This would allow a literal interpretation of this passage…. Whatever the explanation, the most sensible interpretation is that the passage refers to actual weapons pressed into use because of the peculiar circumstances of that day.[1]
A second interpretation is that Ezekiel spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in language that the people of his day could understand. If he had spoken of planes, missiles, tanks, and rifles, this text would have been nonsensical to everyone until the twentieth century. As Paul Enns notes, “It is not necessary to suggest the final battle will be fought with horses. How would Ezekiel describe future warfare? Since he had no terminology for modern warfare, he would use the terminology of his time—horses and swords.”[2] Walter Kaiser notes, “No doubt, we must understand here perhaps the modern equivalent for the use of horses, such as tanks and the like, for they would otherwise have had no meaning to those of Ezekiel’s day. There is, however, the possibility that weather conditions and strategic reasons may force the use of horses where mechanized equipment would be impossible.”[3]
Either way, the main point of Ezekiel’s great prophecy is that a specific group of nations will attack Israel intent on completely destroying it. The emphasis is not on the specific weapons that will be used by these invaders. The point Ezekiel is making is that the invaders will wield weapons of destruction and that there will be all-out warfare. Understanding the weapons in light of their modern counterparts is not symbolic interpretation but rather situating God’s Word in its historical context as understood by the original audience. The Holy Spirit speaks to people in their own context and culture in ways that communicate God’s truth meaningfully and understandably.
Accounting for all the details of Ezekiel 38 and 39 leads to the conclusion that these chapters cannot have been fulfilled at any point in the past. No invasion of Israel even remotely similar to Ezekiel 38 has ever occurred in Israel’s history, despite the claims of some who place the fulfillment of all or most biblical prophecy in the past.[4] John Walvoord states the issue accurately and succinctly: “There has never been a war with Israel which fulfills the prophecies of Ezekiel 38–39.”[5]
1
John F. Walvoord,
2
Paul P. Enns, ed.,
3
Walter C. Kaiser Jr.,
4
Preterists, who view most biblical prophecy as already fulfilled, hold that the events in Ezekiel 38–39 have already occurred. Gary DeMar, a partial preterist, believes Ezekiel 38–39 was fulfilled in Esther 9. Citing various parallels between the battles in Ezekiel 38–39 and Esther, he claims the two events are “unmistakable” in their similarities. Gary DeMar,