Looking at what Ezekiel 38 tell us?

To many Christians, the book of Ezekiel is just as enigmatic and difficult as the books of Daniel and Revelation. They pop in any country they see issues with rising up, and you can look back and see in history many that were put in and have now faded. Years ago it was the Ottoman Empire or Turkey, that was one of the central points of interest among the public. Then we saw Russia seemed to occupy the interest of many as it grew into a world power. And then, of course, Hitler came along, and world attention was focused upon him. Lately with the war in Ukraine, Russia seems to have many Christians like to find a prophetic setting for that country. So what does Ezekiel 38 tell us, to understand one has to look at the last three verses of chapter 37:

Ezekiel 37:26-28
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

This passage tells about God setting up His sanctuary in the midst of His people forever and note there would even be heathen nations, or Gentiles who would witness the fulfillment of God's purpose. With that in mind lets look at the start of Ezekiel 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:
Ezekiel 38:1-3

So who is Gog? It has confused many and taken them to private interpretations that take them down a path away from what Gods Word shows us.

Here is good study on the issue...
"some students of Bible prophecy were certain that the former Soviet Union would play a major role in last-day events. Identifying the communist behemoth with the Old Testament powers of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38–39), they believed that it was going to attack Israel. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, that identification quietly fell away—that is, until now.

One doesn’t have to be a diligent student of end-time Bible events to look around at the world and think, “Wow! We are living in exactly the kind of times the Bible has warned about.” The people of the world have been hit with increasing natural disasters, pestilence, political turmoil, and “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6), just as the Bible has predicted.

Earlier this year, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine; the world got a lot messier. That ongoing war, which reached its 100th day on June 3, does not look like it’s going to end soon.

Then, on July 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin took a “rare international trip to Iran,” causing a flurry of media activity, including this CBN News article entitled, “Are the Biblical End Times Upon Us? The Shocking Russia-Iran Moment That Just Caused Ezekiel 38 to Trend on Social Media.”

Gog and Magog​

So how in the world did these Bible students conclude that Gog and Magog represented Russia? Proponents of this view hinge on the assumption that the current nation-state of Israel and the hostile nations around it remain the focal point of end-time events. As follows, of deep interest to these scholars are Israel’s wars.

In a nutshell, Ezekiel 38 identifies a certain foe of Israel as “Gog, of the land of Magog” (v. 2): “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes”’” (vv. 14–16).

And since, soon after modern Israel’s inception as a nation-state in 1948, the Soviet Union became one of Israel’s main antagonists and is geographically in “a straight line north of Israel,” these Bible scholars posited that “Magog” stands for the Soviet Union itself and “Gog” for a great leader of the Soviet Union. In fact, book after book has been written from this viewpoint.

There were even predictions that Iran, a long-established enemy of Israel, would join the fray. Author Joel C. Rosenberg claimed in a blog post in 2015: “The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in the ‘last days’ of history, Russia and Iran will form a military alliance to attack Israel from the north. Bible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict, described in Ezekiel 38-39, as the ‘War of Gog & Magog.’”

No wonder, then, that some are on the edges of their seats at a Russian leader’s excursion to Israel’s foremost aggressor in the Middle East.

On the Other Hand​

Not all students of Bible prophecy, however, buy into this interpretation of Ezekiel 38.

For starters, post-Soviet Russia is not a known enemy of Israel. On the contrary, today’s Russia sees Israel as an ally against the common threat of Islamic terrorism. And no nation in the world right now supports Islamic terrorism more than the Iranians do.

All this, of course, could change. Putin’s recent visit to Iran was touted by The Washington Post as “a show of deepening ties between the two nations, united in their isolation from the West.” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, was quoted as saying “that improving relations with Iran was ‘a long-term line of our foreign policy.’”

But earthly politics still does not negate the second, more foundational issue. There are Old Testament prophecies, of which the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 is one, which are conditional; that is, they are prophecies which would have happened had other events taken place. If the nation of Israel would have remained faithful to their covenant obligations, Ezekiel 38 and 39 would have occurred. But Israel did not remain faithful; they forsook God. Thus, the conditional prophecy did not take place.

The Bible actually records when Israel broke their covenant with God; the nation of Israel removed itself from representing God’s people on this earth. It was then that literal Israel became Spiritual Israel. Learn all about the significance of this progression in our free online resource.

Following this viewpoint would mean that events in and surrounding the literal nation-state of Israel are not crucial to the last days. However, it is not unbiblical to think that Gog and Magog are.

The apocalyptic book of Revelation plainly prophesies: “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea” (20:7, 8). The difference is that these names are symbols. ",,,

Greetings Hobie,

Hobie said:

So how in the world did these Bible students conclude that Gog and Magog represented Russia? Proponents of this view hinge on the assumption that the current nation-state of Israel and the hostile nations around it remain the focal point of end-time events.

Click to expand...

Not very difficult at all. I hold the view that Ezekiel 38 depicts events soon to occur and that it seems that the NASB rendition "Prince of Rosh" represents Russia. Your article does not mention this alternate reading, also given in the RV and ASV. Ezekiel 38 depicts the regathering of the Jews to the Holy Land before this event and before the return of Jesus, and as such they have returned in unbelief of Jesus as their Messiah.

It is interesting that one meeting in my fellowship held a public address a few weeks ago near Cooranbong, the Australian SDA centre, of EGW fame where her cottage is preserved, and about 15 SDA young people attended, including a trainee pastor. The report I heard was that while our speaker advocated Russia and Iran are mentioned in Ezekiel 38, the SDA view was presented in discussion after the meeting that Gog and Magog was speaking concerning the end of the 1000 years. I suggest that the detail of Ezekiel 38 does not match this concept.

As far as what will be the focal point of end time events, I find no reference to the SDA view advocated by EGW in her book "The Great Controversy" that the focal point will be a National Sabbath Law and that the SDAs will be singled out for persecution but will be rescued and plucked up to heaven and the earth and its non-Sabbath keeping inhabitants will be burnt by fire and then the earth will be desolate for the 1000 years.

Kind regards
Trevor

TrevorL said:

It is interesting that one meeting in my fellowship held a public address a few weeks ago near Cooranbong, the Australian SDA centre, of EGW fame where her cottage is preserved, and about 15 SDA young people attended, including a trainee pastor.

Click to expand...

Just to be clear so there is no confusion going forward, Seventh-day Adventism and the teachings of Ellen G. White hold no authority on this forum. They are not treated as valid sources of truth here and are regarded as false teaching when they go beyond or contradict what is written.

This forum operates on Scripture alone as the final authority. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God… That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” ~2 Timothy 3:16–17. That means no extra revelations, no prophetic claims outside of what is written, and no system built on a person’s visions or writings.

Scripture also gives a clear boundary: “That ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written” ~1 Corinthians 4:6. Any teaching that adds to or reshapes what God has already said must be rejected, no matter how sincere or organized it appears.

Greetings David,

David said:

This forum operates on Scripture alone as the final authority. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God… That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” ~2 Timothy 3:16–17. That means no extra revelations, no prophetic claims outside of what is written, and no system built on a person’s visions or writings.

Click to expand...

I agree with this standard. I was mainly responding to what Ezekiel 38 actually states, and was speaking against the SDA view on Ezekiel 38 represented by the comments by @Hobie

Ezekiel 38 depicts an invasion of the Land of Israel headed up by a northern nation and I have a strong belief based on what Ezekiel 38 actually states that this is before the 1000 years, for example before the Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy, Ezekiel 40-48 is established. See also Isaiah 2:1-4 and Micah 4:1-8. Ezekiel 38 prophesied the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel before these events.

Do you have any comments on Ezekiel 38.

Kind regards
Trevor

Hobie said:

To many Christians, the book of Ezekiel is just as enigmatic and difficult as the books of Daniel and Revelation. They pop in any country they see issues with rising up, and you can look back and see in history many that were put in and have now faded. Years ago it was the Ottoman Empire or Turkey, that was one of the central points of interest among the public. Then we saw Russia seemed to occupy the interest of many as it grew into a world power. And then, of course, Hitler came along, and world attention was focused upon him. Lately with the war in Ukraine, Russia seems to have many Christians like to find a prophetic setting for that country. So what does Ezekiel 38 tell us, to understand one has to look at the last three verses of chapter 37:
Ezekiel 37:26-28
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
This passage tells about God setting up His sanctuary in the midst of His people forever and note there would even be heathen nations, or Gentiles who would witness the fulfillment of God's purpose. With that in mind lets look at the start of Ezekiel 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:
Ezekiel 38:1-3
So who is Gog? It has confused many and taken them to private interpretations that take them down a path away from what Gods Word shows us.
Here is good study on the issue...
"some students of Bible prophecy were certain that the former Soviet Union would play a major role in last-day events. Identifying the communist behemoth with the Old Testament powers of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38–39), they believed that it was going to attack Israel. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, that identification quietly fell away—that is, until now.
One doesn’t have to be a diligent student of end-time Bible events to look around at the world and think, “Wow! We are living in exactly the kind of times the Bible has warned about.” The people of the world have been hit with increasing natural disasters, pestilence, political turmoil, and “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6), just as the Bible has predicted.
Earlier this year, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine; the world got a lot messier. That ongoing war, which reached its 100th day on June 3, does not look like it’s going to end soon.
Then, on July 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin took a “rare international trip to Iran,” causing a flurry of media activity, including this CBN News article entitled, “Are the Biblical End Times Upon Us? The Shocking Russia-Iran Moment That Just Caused Ezekiel 38 to Trend on Social Media.”

Gog and Magog​

So how in the world did these Bible students conclude that Gog and Magog represented Russia? Proponents of this view hinge on the assumption that the current nation-state of Israel and the hostile nations around it remain the focal point of end-time events. As follows, of deep interest to these scholars are Israel’s wars.
In a nutshell, Ezekiel 38 identifies a certain foe of Israel as “Gog, of the land of Magog” (v. 2): “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes”’” (vv. 14–16).
And since, soon after modern Israel’s inception as a nation-state in 1948, the Soviet Union became one of Israel’s main antagonists and is geographically in “a straight line north of Israel,” these Bible scholars posited that “Magog” stands for the Soviet Union itself and “Gog” for a great leader of the Soviet Union. In fact, book after book has been written from this viewpoint.
There were even predictions that Iran, a long-established enemy of Israel, would join the fray. Author Joel C. Rosenberg claimed in a blog post in 2015: “The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in the ‘last days’ of history, Russia and Iran will form a military alliance to attack Israel from the north. Bible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict, described in Ezekiel 38-39, as the ‘War of Gog & Magog.’”
No wonder, then, that some are on the edges of their seats at a Russian leader’s excursion to Israel’s foremost aggressor in the Middle East.

On the Other Hand​

Not all students of Bible prophecy, however, buy into this interpretation of Ezekiel 38.
For starters, post-Soviet Russia is not a known enemy of Israel. On the contrary, today’s Russia sees Israel as an ally against the common threat of Islamic terrorism. And no nation in the world right now supports Islamic terrorism more than the Iranians do.
All this, of course, could change. Putin’s recent visit to Iran was touted by The Washington Post as “a show of deepening ties between the two nations, united in their isolation from the West.” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, was quoted as saying “that improving relations with Iran was ‘a long-term line of our foreign policy.’”
But earthly politics still does not negate the second, more foundational issue. There are Old Testament prophecies, of which the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 is one, which are conditional; that is, they are prophecies which would have happened had other events taken place. If the nation of Israel would have remained faithful to their covenant obligations, Ezekiel 38 and 39 would have occurred. But Israel did not remain faithful; they forsook God. Thus, the conditional prophecy did not take place.
The Bible actually records when Israel broke their covenant with God; the nation of Israel removed itself from representing God’s people on this earth. It was then that literal Israel became Spiritual Israel. Learn all about the significance of this progression in our free online resource.
Following this viewpoint would mean that events in and surrounding the literal nation-state of Israel are not crucial to the last days. However, it is not unbiblical to think that Gog and Magog are.
The apocalyptic book of Revelation plainly prophesies: “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea” (20:7, 8). The difference is that these names are symbols. ",,,

Click to expand...

This is an interesting read, and resonates with my thinking, thanks for posting it : )
Tis good to see how Scripture verifies "Israel broke the Mosaic Covenant":

Scriptures explicitly record that Israel broke the Mosaic Covenant through idolatry and evil conduct, leading to their scattering and removal from representing God as a unified nation. This breaking is most directly cited in Jeremiah 11:10 and Jeremiah 31:32, which state that "the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers."

Some more Scriptural text on this:

The narrative of this breach begins early in the wilderness, where Exodus 32 describes the people breaking the covenant by worshiping the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai. This act of spiritual adultery caused God to refer to them as "your people" (Moses') rather than "My people," signifying a forfeited right to their covenantal status until Moses interceded.

The consequences of breaking this covenant are detailed in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, which foretold that violation of the commandments would result in the curses of scattering among the nations. Historical accounts in 2 Kings 17:15 and 1 Kings 11:11 confirm that because Israel rejected God's statutes and followed other gods, the Lord tore the kingdom from them and allowed their dispersion.

Key biblical references to this event include:

• Jeremiah 31:32: Explicitly mentions the covenant broken by the fathers in the day God led them out of Egypt.
• Joshua 7:11: Records Israel sinning and transgressing the covenant by stealing banned items.
• 2 Kings 17:15: States they rejected His covenant and followed vain things, leading to their exile.
• Zechariah 11:10: Describes the breaking of a covenant of "favor" with all peoples, often interpreted as the dissolution of protection or unity.
• Hosea 6:7: Compares Israel's transgression of the covenant to that of Adam.

Chronic Disobedience and Prophetic Warnings​

The golden calf was not an isolated incident but the beginning of a pattern. The covenant was continually broken through:

• Idolatry: Worshiping Baal and other gods of the surrounding nations (Judges 2:11-13, Jeremiah 11:10).
• Moral Corruption: Violating the commandments against murder, adultery, and theft (Jeremiah 7:9).
• Rejection of Prophets: Ignoring God's messengers who called for repentance.

TrevorL said:

Greetings David,

I agree with this standard. I was mainly responding to what Ezekiel 38 actually states, and was speaking against the SDA view on Ezekiel 38 represented by the comments by @Hobie

Ezekiel 38 depicts an invasion of the Land of Israel headed up by a northern nation and I have a strong belief based on what Ezekiel 38 actually states that this is before the 1000 years, for example before the Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy, Ezekiel 40-48 is established. See also Isaiah 2:1-4 and Micah 4:1-8. Ezekiel 38 prophesied the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel before these events.

Do you have any comments on Ezekiel 38.

Kind regards
Trevor

Click to expand...

I appreciate how you’re trying to stay grounded in the text and not follow speculative systems.

Ezekiel 38 does clearly describe a real invasion. It speaks of a leader, “Gog, of the land of Magog,” coming with a confederacy of nations including Persia, Cush, and others ~Ezekiel 38:2,5–6. It also says this force comes “from the north parts” against a regathered Israel dwelling in the land ~Ezekiel 38:8,15.

So your point about a regathered people in the land is coming straight from the text itself. That much is solid.

Some have pointed out that Magog is described as coming from the far north, and geographically that does line up in a general sense with regions that include parts of modern Russia and surrounding areas. That’s why many have made that connection.

At the same time, Scripture itself never names Russia. It gives us ancient names, and while there may be geographic overlap, the exact modern identification is not stated directly in the text. So it’s possible, but we should hold it with an open hand rather than as a certainty.

What is certain is what God says He is doing through it:

“I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me” ~Ezekiel 38:16
“I will be known in the eyes of many nations” ~Ezekiel 38:23

That is the emphasis the passage keeps bringing us back to.

On timing, I understand why you see it before the 1000 years, especially tying it to Israel being regathered and dwelling in the land. That does fit the immediate reading of Ezekiel 38.

At the same time, Revelation also uses “Gog and Magog” after the 1000 years ~Revelation 20:7–8, which means we have to be careful not to lock the timeline too tightly in one direction without acknowledging that connection.

Greetings again David,

David said:

At the same time, Scripture itself never names Russia. It gives us ancient names, and while there may be geographic overlap, the exact modern identification is not stated directly in the text. So it’s possible, but we should hold it with an open hand rather than as a certainty.

Click to expand...

I appreciate your clear assessment. I have seen some scholars that have attempted to identify the "Rosh" (RV, ASV, NASB) as the ancient name for Russia.

David said:

On timing, I understand why you see it before the 1000 years, especially tying it to Israel being regathered and dwelling in the land. That does fit the immediate reading of Ezekiel 38.

Click to expand...

Yes, and although there is some similarity of events at the end of the 1000 years, I suggest that the following and the rest of the context is ONLY applicable to prior to the 1000 years:
Ezekiel 38 (KJV): 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.

We each have different experiences, but back in the 1980's one of my working mates who holds much the same views as myself had some discussions with a JW who I respect very much, part of which was that he helped me much when I got into difficulty due to my own folly. My mate had suggested to him Russia as the King from the North and this was at a time before the dissolution of the USSR. On his retirement soon after in the 1980's the JW said to me that he had stirred my mate by saying to him, where is your King of the North now with the USSR now breaking up. In response I asked him as to whom he considered to be the King of the North of Ezekiel 38 and Daniel 11:40. I received no answer as the restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land before their conversion at the return of Jesus to establish His Kingdom on the earth does not fit in with JW theology in a similar way as it does not fit in with SDA theology. Both look to the destruction of the nations including Israel.

Since his retirement in the 1980's I have seen him again only on two occasions. Once about 20 years ago with his Pentecostal wife when we were shopping and she insisted that the shopping should not be interrupted. The only other time was about two months ago again when we were shopping, and I did not recognise him at first, but he approached me. He is now in his 90's. What surprised me was he asked me "Who do I consider to be the King of the North" and I gave a brief answer. Again he listened but he did not give any further comment.

Kind regards
Trevor

TrevorL said:

Greetings again David,

I appreciate your clear assessment. I have seen some scholars that have attempted to identify the "Rosh" (RV, ASV, NASB) as the ancient name for Russia.

Yes, and although there is some similarity of events at the end of the 1000 years, I suggest that the following and the rest of the context is ONLY applicable to prior to the 1000 years:
Ezekiel 38 (KJV): 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.

We each have different experiences, but back in the 1980's one of my working mates who holds much the same views as myself had some discussions with a JW who I respect very much, part of which was that he helped me much when I got into difficulty due to my own folly. My mate had suggested to him Russia as the King from the North and this was at a time before the dissolution of the USSR. On his retirement soon after in the 1980's the JW said to me that he had stirred my mate by saying to him, where is your King of the North now with the USSR now breaking up. In response I asked him as to whom he considered to be the King of the North of Ezekiel 38 and Daniel 11:40. I received no answer as the restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land before their conversion at the return of Jesus to establish His Kingdom on the earth does not fit in with JW theology in a similar way as it does not fit in with SDA theology. Both look to the destruction of the nations including Israel.

Since his retirement in the 1980's I have seen him again only on two occasions. Once about 20 years ago with his Pentecostal wife when we were shopping and she insisted that the shopping should not be interrupted. The only other time was about two months ago again when we were shopping, and I did not recognise him at first, but he approached me. He is now in his 90's. What surprised me was he asked me "Who do I consider to be the King of the North" and I gave a brief answer. Again he listened but he did not give any further comment.

Kind regards
Trevor

Click to expand...

The Bible never says whether Ezekiel 38 occurs strictly before the millennium during a time of peace within the tribulation period or if it has some other association. When Scripture does not clearly address the timing connection we run the risk of reading into it if we say more than the text says. The safest course when Scripture is silent on a detail is to be silent ourselves. So let’s just say that Ezekiel teaches there will be a future attack against regathered Israel and Revelation teaches there will be a final rebellion against Christ after the 1000 years.

I’ll leave it at that. No need to press the point further. The main things, Christ’s return, the resurrection, the kingdom, and the clear gospel, remain untouched by this detail.

Greetings again David,

David said:

he Bible never says whether Ezekiel 38 occurs strictly before the millennium during a time of peace within the tribulation period or if it has some other association. When Scripture does not clearly address the timing connection we run the risk of reading into it if we say more than the text says.

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That is reasonably good advice and each of us are entitled to gradually put together the pieces and decide on some tentative sequence of events. Because of the difficulty we should be always ready to adjust as other explanations are given and sometimes also adjust as some of the events occur slightly or even largely different in detail and sequence.

Seeing the subject is Ezekiel 38 I would like to give my opinion that the following is another description of the Battle of Armageddon and is thus in part parallel to the latter part of the Sixth Vial where the word Armageddon occurs and the Seventh Vial of Revelation 16..
,
Ezekiel 38: 17-23 (KJV): 17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? 18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

David said:

The safest course when Scripture is silent on a detail is to be silent ourselves.

Click to expand...

One of the most remarkable examples of prophecy is the slight hint in Micah 5 that the Messiah would have a humble birth in Bethlehem. How this was to be achieved could not be determined before the event, but God moved at the appropriate time and this humble birth was fulfilled in the events by God's providential oversight and care.

Kind regards
Trevor

TrevorL said:

One of the most remarkable examples of prophecy is the slight hint in Micah 5 that the Messiah would have a humble birth in Bethlehem. How this was to be achieved could not be determined before the event, but God moved at the appropriate time and this humble birth was fulfilled in the events by God's providential oversight and care.

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Appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this. I do think we all want to know these things and sometimes speculate a bit, but I for one do not want to say it as fact when Scripture itself does not clearly connect Ezekiel 38 to Armageddon or the sixth and seventh vials. Ezekiel doesn't mention Armageddon or the vials, and Revelation 16-19 doesn't link back to Ezekiel 38. Thanks for the discussion.

Greetings again David,

David said:

I for one do not want to say it as fact when Scripture itself does not clearly connect Ezekiel 38 to Armageddon or the sixth and seventh vials.

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I am not demanding that readers accept my personal assessment on this. I would be very happy if readers become aware of these two passages, and mainly because of this thread aware of the detail that I have quoted from Ezekiel 38. Having a partial understanding of both portions, Ezekiel 38 and the 6th and 7th Vials of Revelation 16, then we individually need to consider possibly tentatively when these will be fulfilled and in what sequence. I suggest that I have adequately replied to the different view presented in the OP.

Kind regards
Trevor