War of Ezekiel 38-39
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The War of Ezekiel 38-39 is an important event in eschatology. It is central to the bestselling novels Left Behind and The Ezekiel Option. It is depicted in Apocalypse and the Left Behind movie.
This prophesied war involves Israel being attacked by Magog and Persia. These enemies are supernaturally destroyed and Israel spends seven months burying the corpses in the valley of Hamon-gog.
On the May 9, 2006 edition of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson spent a large segment about how the current conflict between Iran and Israel could lead to this war. He had an elaborate map made up with the nations mentioned in Ezekiel on it.
This is also sometimes called the War of Gog and Magog.
[edit] Description in The Ezekiel Option
This is based on the following verses in Ezekiel (Chapter 38):
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; 'I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
Joel C. Rosenberg interpets this in his book as follows:
- It is referring to the present-day Israel which contains Jews gathered from all the nations.
- It is referring to a time when Israelis are dwelling securely (within his book, The Ezekiel Option, it is referring to the peace treaty between Palestinians and Israel).
- It is referring to the "last days" - a period before the coming of Messiah
- The nations involved are as follows:
There is a genealogical tree of the events of this world. It is incontestable that the inhabitants of Gaul and Spain are descended from Gomer, and the Russians from Magog, his younger brother: one finds this genealogy in so many fat books!
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- Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus, Book 1, Chapter 6 (the scythians are from areas in and near Russia):
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Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians
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- Rosh - referring to Russia based on:
- Gesenius dictionary where it is idenfied as Russians
- Meschech - idenfitied as Moscow based on:
- Gesenius dictionary where it is idenfied as Moschi
- Tubal - referring to the Tobol river
- Persia - refers to Iran (self evident)
- Cush - Ethiopia and Sudan
- Put - Libya
- Gomer - Spain and France
- Beth-Togarmah
- Rosh - referring to Russia based on:
