Who Is Coming Against Israel?
In Ezekiel 38:1-6, the Hebrew prophet gives a list of obscure names that will form a united coalition. After I read these six verses listen to the historic records, geographic locations, and modern day countries that reside in those exact places described—and how they are all slowly aligning themselves against Israel.
Ezekiel 38:1-6
Now listen to how the historic records, geographic locations, and modern day countries that reside in those exact places described—and how they are all slowly aligning themselves against Israel.
The list in Ezekiel 38:5-6. It is actually quite amazing, almost like this mornings newspaper. Here are the players in one of the greatest conflicts of all time:
1. Gog is described as being "of the land of Magog" and as the “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.” Most Bible scholars believe Gog is not a name but a title, like Pharoah or Czar. He is a dictator who will hatch an "evil plan" (38:10).
2. Magog according to the first century historian Josephus wrote in his classic work, Antiquities of the Jews, that the "Magogites" are the people that the Greeks refer to as "Scythians." Study the history of the ancient Scythians and you will quickly discover that these were a brutal and bloodthirsty people that settled north of the Black Sea in the area we now call Russia and the former Soviet republics.
3. Rosh is probably Russia. True, Ezekiel never uses the word Russia. Instead, he says a dictator referred to as "Gog" will arise in the land of "Magog," and will be the "prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal." Other Bible scholars note that when Ezekiel mentions "Rosh" he is using the root word for Russia. Others believe "Meshech" refers to Moscow and "Tubal" refers to the Tubal River in Siberia and the Siberian city of Tobolsk.
4. Meshech is possibly as some Bible scholars say is Moscow, but others believe it refers to Turkey; MESHECH is the 6th son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2). Assyrian inscriptions locate this group as dwelling in Phrygia and Anatolia (which is modern Turkey). Herodotus the Greek historian calls these same tribes the Mushki, and says they came down from the Black Sea mountains which is NE of Turkey. Josephus in the 1st Century says that Meshech dwells in Eastern Turkey.
5. Tubal as some Bible scholars say this refers to the city/region of Tobolsk in Russia along the Tobol River; others say it refers to a section of modern-day Turkey. (Interestingly, in 1964, massive reserves of oil and gas were discovered in the Tobolsk region of Siberia and people now refer to the region as the "energy center of Russia.") Tubal is the 5th son of Japheth whose descendents migrated to the same general area. In the war records of the Assyrians these tribes are called Tibareni and Moschi and locate them on the SE shores of the Black Sea. Again all in southern modern day Russia.
6. Persia was the official name of Iran until 1935, so PERSIA or Iran as we call it today. In the Bible, this is the family of Elam, the firstborn of Shem. Remember that Abraham comes through the third-born son (Genesis 10:22), Arphaxad, not Elam.
7. Cush is Sudan and Ethiopia; CUSH is modern black Africa, which originated in the ancient world between the 2nd and 3rd cataracts of the Nile.
8. Put is modern Libya, as they used to be called the Putites. This would include the Algerians, Tunisians, Moroccans and Mauritanians or what we call today North Africa. They all come through this third son of Ham, named Put in Genesis 10:6.
9. Gomer could be Turkey, but also possibly Germany and Austria. GOMER or the Cimmerians are identified in the Babylonians Talmud (written during the Jews’ exile to Babylon and then Persia in Daniel’s time and after), where they are called Germania, or Germany. These tribes settled and flourished between the Rhine and Danube River Valleys.
10. Beth-Togarmah is Armenia and the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia; TOGARMAH is the next group, and these are the tribes of Turkey, namely modern Armenia and Turkey.
11. SHEBA and DEDAN are the grandsons of Abraham in Genesis 25:2 by his 3rd wife, Keturah. These are not from Ishmael but are separate lines. These may be the classic Arabic desert dwellers. They are seen in Ezekiel 38:13 as watching from the sidelines.
12. TARSHISH was the grandson of Japhath, the second son of Javan, the father of Greece (Genesis 10:2).
From EBI-11 – Ex 38 & 39 & Gog & Magog, And The Fight For Jerusalem (130908PM) – https://youtu.be/ifSo6kgjfSM
Join the LAND OF THE BOOK channel to access weekly video releases over the next year totaling 50+ EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS featuring weekly in-depth Bible Study lessons with John & Bonnie.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVK6dN-9kLDnQhYBFuES09A/join
Donate to the ministry: https://dtbm.org/donations/partnership/
For more of Dr. John Barnett’s Bible teaching messages, go to: https://dtbm.org/
https://youtu.be/_O04fzGxi9o