The Coming War: Current Events Leading Up to It?

According to Forbes.com, Israel has hinted at invading portions of Lebanon. On a political front, this is significant in taking the war to a whole new level. Biblically, however, it is land that was deeded to Israel by God Himself.

Russia, however, has recently entangled itself as the story reports:

Russia sharply criticized Israel over its onslaught against Lebanon, now in its ninth day, sparked when Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Israel’s actions have gone “far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation” and repeating calls for an immediate cease-fire.

With the elimination of Hezbollah from active participation in the Middle-Eastern wars, Israel must now only face Hamas and eliminate their leadership before a secure peace can be achieved. But Russia will not be so appeased.

The Coming War: Aftermath

Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons.  They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plunder them, declares the LORD God.  On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea.  It will block the travelers for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried.  It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog.  For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.  All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the LORD God.  They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it.  Until the end of seven months they will make their search.  And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. (Hamonah is also the name of the city.) Thus they shall cleanse the land. -Ezekiel 29:9-16

The Coming War: What Happens When Gog Attacks?

But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the LORD God, my wrath will be roused in my anger.  For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.  The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth shall quake at my presence.  And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall and every wall shall tumble to the ground.  I will summon a sword against  Gog on all my mountains, declares the LORD God.  Every man's sword will be against his brother.  With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations.  They they will know that I am the LORD. [...] Then I shall strike your bow from your left hand and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand.  You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you.  I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.  You shall fall in the open field for I have spoken, declares the LORD God.  I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the LORD. -Ezekiel 38:18-23, 39:3-6

The Coming War: Does No One Challenge Gog?

Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil?  Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock, and goods, to seize great spoil?’ -Ezekiel 38:13, ESV

The Coming War: Why Does Gog Attack Israel?

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land. -Ezekiel 38:10-12, ESV

The Coming War: Who Does Gog Come to Attack?

Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them.  After many days you will be mustered.  In the latter years, you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste.  Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.  You will advance, coming on like a storm.  You will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you. -Ezekiel 38:7-9, ESV

The Coming War: Who Stands with Gog?

Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer
and all his hordes;Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all
his hordes — many peoples are with you. Ezekiel 38:5-6, ESV

Magog (Russia) will not be alone in its military ambitions. In fact, as we see from the words of the prophet Ezekiel, quite a coalition of nations are allied with them and present in military force: Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah. These five nations form the heart of a deadly alliance that threatens the world as it is. Consider who these nations are:

• Persia - Iran
• Cush - Sudan
• Put - Libya
• Gomer - Cimmerians, originally inhabited the area around the Caspian Sea and later driven out by the Elamites (Persians) to “the uppermost parts of the north.” Scholars and various traditions have identified his descendants as being the Gauls - which places France quite squarely in the alliance.
• Beth-togarmah - traditionally, Armenia (their original homeland) - meaning the ancient Armenia which was located more centrally in what is now Turkey.

A close examination of each of these nations will demonstrate one thing they have in common: a significant Islamic population. In the cases of Iran, Sudan, Libya, and Turkey, Islam is THE official religion, making up the religious belief, in the smallest proportion, 70% (Sudan) of the people. In France, the CIA has estimated that as much as 10% of the French population is Muslim - a minority that is growing more vocal as the days go by. Consider, also, their current military strength:

• Iran: 15,665,725 men (18-49) are fit for active military duty (this count excluding any volunteers under 18 and 2,653,820 other men that can be called up if the need arises). 862,056 men reach the age of military service every year.
• Sudan: 5,427,474 men (18-49) are fit for active military duty (this count excluding 2,864,221 other men that can be called up if the need arises). An estimated 426,320 men reach the age of military service every year.
• Libya: 1,291,624 men (17-49) are fit for active military duty (this count excluding 214,051 other men that can be called up if the need arises). 62,034 men reach the age of military service every year.
• France: 11,262,661 men (17-49) are fit for active military duty (this count excluding 2,413,848 other men that can be called up if the need arises). 389,204 men reach the age of military service every year.
• Turkey: 13,905,901 men (20-49) are fit for active military duty (this count excluding 2,850,422 other men that can be called up if the need arises). 679,734 men reach the age of military service every year.
• Russia: 21,049,651 men (18-49) are fit for active military duty (this count excluding all men 17 years of age and 14,197,398 other men that can be called up if the need arises). 1,286,069 men reach the age of military service every year (excludes draft registration for every 17 year old).
• TOTAL (active): 68,603,036 + (all Iranian volunteers aged 16-17)
• TOTAL (entire): 93,796,796 + (all Russian draft registrants aged 17)
• ESTIMATED TOTAL +1 YEAR: 97,502,213 + (all Iranian volunteers aged 16-17 and all Russian draft registrants aged 17).

(All facts provided courtesy of the Central Intelligence Agency via The World Factbook).

Judging from these figures, were this war to occur next year, the armies would number a force that could very well exceed 100 million men! That force exceeds the United States available manpower by 40 million! One could not face them in open battle without great loss. No, the only way to defeat such a force would be nuclear holocaust - an instant death for 100 million souls. Yet, whom shall this force attack and how shall they be defeated?

The Coming War: Who Is Gog?

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of
the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against
him and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief
prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your
jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of
them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield,
wielding swords. - Ezekiel 38:1-4, ESV

The prophet Ezekiel, a priest in exile received some of the most amazing visions ever given to prophets. Isaiah stood before the throne, an eyewitness to the majesty of God while Ezekiel, upon the banks of the Babylonian rivers, saw visions of God’s great power - the raising up of Israel and the reunion of its people (fulfilled in part in 1948), the final temple of God (not yet built) and the Kingdom of the Prince (not yet fulfilled). Yet, it is not for these that Ezekiel is most well-known, but for his prophecy against Gog. Who is Gog? From the information given, there is no solid answer save to say that he is the “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” Yet, it is obvious we can identify certain things about his location and position.

The first term is the “land of Magog.” In the entire Bible there are five references in total to Magog. Of these, two are in Ezekiel. The others are Genesis 10:2, 1 Chronicles 1:5, and Revelation 20:7-8 (ESV):

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

In the first two references, information is given that Magog is a son of Japheth - the forefather of one of the “seventy nations” of the earth according to Hebrew tradition (a quick count of the genealogies will demonstrate that there are, indeed, seventy groups represented). Josephus, in his Antiquities, details the Hebrew traditions:

For Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now call Galatians, [France/Belgium] but were then called Gomerites. Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians. Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the Greeks; but from Javan, Ionia, and all the Grecians, are derived. Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes [Spain/Portugal]; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch; now they are Cappadocians. There is also a mark of their ancient denomination still to be shown; for there is even now among them a city called Mazaca, which may inform those that are able to understand, that so was the entire nation once called. Thiras also called those whom he ruled over Thirasians; but the Greeks changed the name into Thracians. And so many were the countries that had the children of Japhet for their inhabitants.

Now, on a few points, I certainly disagree with Josephus - for quite a few reasons. For one thing, critical Biblical scholarship has noted that other nations (most notably the Egyptians and Assyrians) have made the following correlations:

• Gomer - Cimmerians, originally inhabited the area around the Caspian Sea and later driven out by the Elamites (Persians) to “the uppermost parts of the north.”
• Magog - Magogites, originally denominated separately but with the Scythian hordes constantly marauding the borders, any northern tribe soon earned the distinction of being a Scythian.
• Javan - Greeks
• Tubal - The Iberes of the Caucasus (modern-day Georgia), founders of the city of Tobolsk
• Meshech - The forefathers of the Moscovites of later Russia.
• Tiras - Tyrsenoi, originally inhabited the coasts of Asia Minor (Troas), later moved westward to become the forefathers of the Etruscans.

Note, however, the location of Magog - to the north of the Levant. Only one great land stands there: Russia. Bible scholars are near universally agreed that the only nation to which Magog could apply is Russia. God has sworn to Russia that He will “put hooks” in its jaw and pull it out - with its large army - for war. Such a war as that they have pulled every single man of their army and readied it. What nation, then, would require such a force?