Biblical Prophecy
-In the book of Ezekiel, there are two chapters devoted to describing the battle that will occur between Magog and Israel. In the two chapters of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the Lord says that He is against Gog, and he will eventually defeat it. “I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army,” is part of what God threatens. This passage shows how God has complete control over Gog, like an animal with a leash on, and it will be impossible for it to receive any sympathy. In verse 10, chapter 38 of Ezekiel, it is prophesized that Gog will invade “un-walled villages,” and attack “peaceful and unsuspecting people.” Further on in the chapter, Israel is named as the nation being attacked, and the people have been identified as the Jewish people of Israel.
-Throughout the whole chapter, God speaks to Gog, prophesizing their attack on the people of Israel, and their defeat and ruin by God after they attack. God will strike their bows and arrows from their hands, and lay ruin to them. There will be a burial site in the hills of Israel for Gog, and God will send down hailstorms and burning sulfur to show his greatness over Gog. God will make Israel’s enemies turn on themselves, and they will fight between each other.
-This type of descriptive destruction continues on for another chapter, but does not give us a sense of time to expect this attack, but it will preceed the coming of Jesus. The scripture does say however, that Gog is a nation to the North of Israel, and that many great nations will attack Israel along with Gog. Gog will advance over Israel like a cloud at first, and then be defeated. Verse 39:11 reiterates the destruction God will bring to the enemies of Israel by saying it will take “seven months for the house of Israel [to bury] them in order to cleanse the land.”
-It is made clear that God will utterly destroy the invaders. However, what is not clear is who the invaders are, or exactly where they will come from. There are many theories that try to explain who Gog and Magog are, but there is still a lot of speculation and unanswered questions.
Identifying Magog and Gog
-In Genesis 10:2, Magog is named as the son of Japheth, who is the son of Noah. That makes Magog Noah’s grandson. According to Genesis, the sons of Noah went out into the world and populated it with their different offspring. Magog was possibly the father of the Scythian people who in habited the Caucasus and adjacent regions southeast of the Black Sea. This area is north of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and west of the Caspian Sea, in modern day Russia.
-In support of the theory that Gog and Magog refers to Russia, the Hebrew word “rosh” in verse three of Ezekiel, chapter 38, has been identified with Russia, and the word “Meshech,” with Moscow. Another support cited from verses six and fifteen say invasion will come from the north of Israel, where Russia is located. From these points, biblical scholars have come to think that perhaps Russia is the nation that is prophesized to attack Israel.
-Another possibility is that the name Gog may only be a figure or generalization of all the enemies of Israel, or a term to denote a leader, like “president” or “pharaoh,” and not a specific nation or kingdom. Others say that Gog and Magog are the sons of Japeth, and therefore the originators of the European races. People who believe this theory think that the invasion will come from nations like England, France and Spain, and not the northern countries of Russia and Siberia.
It seems most likely that the area of land the book of Ezekiel is referring to is actually Russia, if not a made up land. The amount of evidence provided in the scripture definitely points to the area of Magog and Gog being located in present day Russia, and it seems that most Biblical scholars agree that Russia seems to be the land in discussion. Although there is not a time period given for this attack, when the attack takes place, that will signify the impending Tribulation, and the following Apocalypse.
-In conclusion, Gog and Magog somehow represent Russia, or the land in that particular area. If the scripture is correct, and the prophecy is true, Israel will be attacked by an army comprised of Russia, and other enemies of Israel. God will thwart this attack, and Israel will be no worse for wear in the end. This attack will bring about the beginnings of the Tribulation, and will indicate the second coming of Jesus, or the coming of the Messiah.
-By Denise Scotti