©
2003 www.SpiritAndTruth.org[1]
I. Prayer
II. Purpose of Today’s Class: to understand...
A.
[Show schedule, timeline]
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B. The revelation of God to the Gentile nations through Israel (Eze. 39:27).
C. The revelation of God to Israel through supernatural intervention (Eze. 39:7, 22, 28).
1. “The display of God’s glory and judgment is linked with the restoration of Israel to a right relation with their Maker ( Ezk 39:25-29 ).”[2]
D. The revelation of God to the Gentile nations through supernatural intervention (Eze. 38:16, 23; 39:21).
E. The sovereignty of God, especially in regard to controlling Gog (Eze. 38:4, 10, 16; 39:2).
F. An illustration of the potential danger for any nation which stands in opposition to God’s work of restoring Israel (Isa. 29:5-8).
III. A Word of Caution about Prophetic Teaching
A. The “cake” vs. “frosting” analogy
1. Many teachers you will hear today on prophetic issues are going beyond the scriptures.
2. The temptation: popularity, ‘insider knowledge,’ and itching ears of the sheep.
3. Serving up ‘cake’ (God’s Word), but with a thin layer of ‘frosting’ on top (their own interpretation or spin).
a) The frosting makes the cake sweeter to the taste…
b) But they aren’t clear about where the cake ends and the frosting begins.
c) Such teaching becomes dated very quickly. Just listen to their tapes from a year or more ago. Why? Because it is based more on opinion and less on the statements of scripture.
d) If God’s Word regarding these prophecies has been relevant for over 2000 years, ask yourself why these teachers have to keep ‘updating’ their teaching every 6-12 months?
B. The tendency to want to fit all prophetic scripture into our own era.
1.
The antidote: let God manage
HIS-story!
Hab 2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make
[it] plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision [is] yet
for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not
tarry.”
IV. A Word about Prophetic Imagery
A. Identifying Peoples and Nations in unfulfilled prophecy.
1. Example of Constantinople
a) Byzantium (657BC-330 AD)
b) Constantinople (330-1930),
c) Istanbul (1930-present)
2. Names of peoples or regions relate to the time at which the vision is given
3. In cases where fulfillment is yet future, the region or race correlating to the historic vision must be meant, even if the names have changed.
a) Otherwise, how could we have any chance of making sense of the details given?
B. Prophetic visions and Implements of War
1. "Some have ground great difficulty in the references to armor, buckler, shield, sword and helmet, but even in our day of advanced weapons of warfare it is interesting to learn that in some parts of the world conflict is going on with primitive weapons. (And how else could an ancient writer have described warfare? They knew nothing of planes and guns.)"[3]
2. The second coming of Christ as an example:
a) Re 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
b) Re 19:14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
V. Identity of Participants
A.
Map of region
israel_02_11_map.jpg
B. Gog: a title
1. A 7th-Century B.C. Lydian King?
a)
“Various attempts have been
made to explain the origin of the name Gog. Some scholars have looked for a
historical figure as the source of the term. Among the many suggestions which
have been proposed, the most convincing historical referent is the 7th-century b.c.e Lydian king Gyges. Other
scholars have explained the name mythologically, derived from the Sumerian word
for darkness or from the name of the Akkadian god Gaga.”[4]
b)
“He has been identified with
Gugu, known in his own land of
Lydia as Gyges, and mentioned in
the records of Ashurbanipal. The phonetic similarity is too uncertain for
positive identification, however.”[5]
2. “Who Gog will be can only be determined at the time of the invasion for ‘Gog’ is not a proper name but a title for the ruler of Magog just as the terms pharaoh, Kaiser, and czar were titles for rulers and not proper names.”[6]
3. Russian connections?
a)
“It has been supposed to be
the name of a district in the wild north-east steppes of Central Asia, north of
the Hindu-Kush, now a part of Turkestan, a region about 2,000 miles north-east
of Nineveh.” [7]
b)
“the actual invasion of Palestine
by a great northern confederacy, ostensibly headed by Russia.
The scene depicts a gigantic outburst of anti-Semitism and a colossal attempt
to overrun Palestine and annihilate
the Jews. Russia
and the northern powers have been persecutors of dispersed Israel,
and it is consonant with the covenants and promises of Israel,
which are yet to be fulfilled (cf. Gen. 15:18-21 ; Deut. 33 ), that divine
destruction should be precipitated at the climax of the last attempt to destroy
the remnant of Israel
in Jerusalem and Palestine.”[8]
c)
Russian identification
questioned.
(1)
“The popular identification of
Rosh with Russia,
Meshech with Moscow and Tubal with
Tobolsk in Siberia has nothing to commend it from the
standpoint of hermeneutics, though some of the wilder Russian tribes would fit
into the explanation given.”[9]
4. A symbolic name designating the enemy of Messiah?
a) “Gog symbolic name beside Magog (Ezk 38 and 39 ; cf. Sib. Or. 3, 319; 512), to designate the enemy to be conquered by the Messiah Rv 20:8”[10]
5. “king of the locusts?”, Amos 7:1 and the Septuagint[11]
a) Am 7:1 Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop; indeed [it was] the late crop after the king's mowings. (NKJV)
b)
One of the four versions of
the Septuagint translates Amos 7:1 as "Thus
has the Lord God shewed me; and behold, a swarm of locusts coming from the
east; and, behold, one caterpillar, king Gog." [Οὕτως ἔδειξέν μοι κύριος καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπιγονὴ ἀκρίδων ἐρχομένη ἑωθινή, καὶ ἰδοὺ βροῦχος εἷς
Γωγ ὁ βασιλεύς][12]
c) Elsewhere, scripture records that normal locusts have no king. This lends credence to the possibility that Gog is understood in Amos 7:1 as the leader of a devouring horde, not a real insect.
(1)
Pr 30:27 The locusts have no
king, Yet they all advance in ranks;
6. Other appearances of the name
a) “A Reubenite, descended from Joel ( 1 Chr 5:4 ). Gog is second in the list of the sons, or descendants, of Joel. The list may represent a line of Reubenite chieftains…. Apparently Gog was a member of the clans of seminomadic herdsmen who roamed the desert frontier E of Gilead, from Moab to the Euphrates”[13]
C. Magog: Scythians
1. “land of Magog” eretz ha-magog, אֶרֶץ הַמָּגוֹג
a)
Some see the name itself as
denoting land of Gog
“Magog is probably equivalent to a phrase in the Akkadian language, mat Gog
(‘land of Gog’).”[14]
2.
“Magog is one of the sons of
Japheth, whose descendants occupied lands from Spain
to Asia Minor, the islands of the Mediterranean
to southern Russia.
Some connect Magog with the Scythians.” [15]
3.
“Jerome stated that the Jews
of his day held that Magog was a general designation for the numerous Scythian
tribes.”[16]
4.
“Josephus … said: ‘Magog
founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who by the Greeks were
called Scythians.”[17]
5.
Scythia
a)
“An ancient region of Eurasia
extending from the mouth of the Danube River on the Black Sea to the territory
east of the Aral Sea.”[18] This would be north and east of Turkey
and include parts of the Russian Federation,
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
6. Other appearances of the name
a) “One of the sons of Japheth according to Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5.”[19]
D. Identity of Rosh
1. Russian connection?
a)
the American Standard
Version translates this expression, “the prince of Rosh” which some connect
with the root consonants of the modern term “Russia.”
They were an ancient people located to the north of Israel
( Ezek. 27:13 ; 32:26 ).[20]
b)
the invaders, especially Gomer
and Magog (vv. 2-3 ), invade the land from the “far north” (vv. 6 , 15 ; 39:2
). The only nation that the description “far north” would fit would be Russia
which, of course, is immediately to the north of Israel,
with Moscow being directly north of
Jerusalem. Though some attempt to
question the identification, because Russia
extends more than six thousand miles east and west any reference to a nation to
the far north of Israel
would have to be Russia
because of the geographic facts involved.[21]
c)
The phrase “from the extreme
[side, extreme edge, border] north” (miyareketiy tsaphon, מִיַּרְכְּתֵי
צָפוֹן) only appears in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and would imply a people
further afield than Assyria. Certainly the people at the extreme north
from the point of view of Israel
would include a Russian contingent.
d)
“Some expositors have taken
this word as a reference to a country known as Rashu (or Reshu), an ancient
land along the Tigris River
often mentioned in the Assyrian Annals. Others have identified rōsh
with a people known as the Rus who were connected with the Scythians and lived
in the region of the Taurus Mountains in what is
present-day Turkey.
Some have associated the word with Russia,
but this is accomplished only through resemblances in spelling or sound.”[22]
e)
“Rosh was in what is now
northern Russia.
The name Rosh is the basis for the modern name Russia.”[23]
2. Non-Russian Identification
a) Rosh means “head” or “chief” (e.g., rosh Hashanah = “head of the year” or new year).
(1)
The “prince of Rosh, Meshech,
and Tubal” (NKJV, NASB)
or…
the “chief prince of Meshech and
Tubal” (AV, RSV, NET)
(2) In support of the idea that Rosh means chief here, “it should be noted that Meshech and Tubal are coupled together, in secular as well as biblical writings ( 27:13 ; 32:26 ; Gen 10:2 ).” [24]
(3)
“Should be translated ‘chief
prince of Meshech and Tubal … ‘ because: 1) Rosh (more than 600 times) in the Heb. OT
is an adjective, “chief,” often in references to the “chief priest” ( 2 Kin.
25:18 ); 2) most ancient versions took it to mean “chief “ or “head”; and 3) in
all places other than chaps. 38 and 39 where both Meshech and Tubal are
mentioned, Rosh is not listed as a third people ( 27:13 ; 32:26 ; Gen. 10:2 ; 1
Chr. 1:5).”[25]
b)
“Gesenius suggested Russia,
but this name is not attested in the area, and a very distant people named thus
early is unlikely in the context. Most follow Delitzsch in identifying Rosh
with Assyr.
Rašu on the NW border of Elam
( i.e. in Media).”[26]
c)
“May refer to a Lydian king in
west Asia Minor in the seventh century b.c.”[27]
3. Other mentions
a) First mention, Gen. 46:21, as one of the sons of Benjamin, but probably unrelated in any significant way.
E. Meshech and Tubal: Russia or Turkey
1. “Some also point to the fact that Meshech has some similarity to the modern name of Moscow in its consonant structure, and Tubal is similar to one of the prominent provinces of Russia-Tobolsk.”[28]
2.
“Meshech is to be identified
with Mushke, which is located in northwest Asia Minor,
not modern-day Russia’s
Moscow. Also, there is no
linguistic affinity between the terms.”[29]
3. “Meshech and Tubal are generally connected with people who were known to have lived in ancient Anatolia, modern Turkey. Thus, Tabal (Tubal) lay north of Cilicia in eastern Anatolia and Meshech names the ancient Mushki who lived in central Anatolia. Both kingdoms are known to have opposed the Assyrian forces of the eighth century b.c. The king of the Mushki, Mita, has been linked with the famous King Midas, whose touch turned everything to gold.”[30]
4.
“Two peoples were recognized
in ancient Assyrian monuments: one called Mushki (Mushku) and the other Tubali
(Tabal). Both were in Asia Minor, the area of Magog, modern-day Turkey.”[31]
5.
Tubal ( 38:2 ) was also
mentioned as a son of Japheth ( Gen. 10:2 ; 1 Chron. 1:5 ). Though originally
located south of the Holy Land area, they
eventually went north and have been identified as the ancient Scythian tribe
which at one time occupied Asia Minor.[32]
6.
“Meshech and Tubal were
between the Black and Caspian Seas
which today is southern Russia.
The tribes Meshech and Tubal later gave names to cities that today bear the
names of Moscow, the capital, and
Tobolsk, a major city in the Urals in Siberia. Rosh was
in what is now northern Russia.”[33]
7.
“Meshech and Tubal have been
identified as Phrygia and Cappadocia.
They appear to be the Moschi and Tibareni of the classical writers (see Gen.
10:2). They lived in the neighborhood of Magog.”[34]
F. Persia: Iran
1. Most commentators see this as the area of modern-day Iran.
G. Cush: Ethiopia or an area in Arabia.
1.
“The identity of Cush
(v. 5 ) is uncertain, but it has often been referred to as the area east of Egypt
and west of the Red Sea.”[35]
2. “Ethiopia or Cush, being an Arabic nation contiguous to the northern powers”[36];
3. “There were two places that had this name. One was in Mesopotamia (Genesis 2:13). But all other usages of this word refer to Ethiopia.”[37]
4.
“This name is used in
Scripture nine times, according to Young’s concordance, to refer to the area in
Africa, and eleven times to refer to the land of Cush, a portion of Arabia.”[38]
H. Put: Libya… or south of Cush in Arabia
1.
“The identity of Put (v. 5 )
also is uncertain, but some have placed it immediately south of Cush
in Africa.”[39]
2.
“Libya
or Put being not the North African nation, but also an Arabic nation contiguous
to the northern powers”[40];
3.
“Put is mentioned next which
is not Libya
for which the name Lub would be used, but Somaliland or Somalia.
Somalia borders
Ethiopia.”[41]
4.
“Put may be located as
adjacent to Persia or Iran.”[42]
I. Gomer: Germany or Armenia
1.
“Gomer (v. 6 ) was usually
associated with the ancient Cimmerians, some who were located in Asia
Minor and others in Eastern Europe”[43]
2.
“Gomer, being modern-day Germany”
[44]
3.
“Gomer [is] located in
present-day Germany,
half of which is already under Russian domination.”[45]
4.
“Today the area is Armenia,
which also was known as Cappodocia, having a people called Gomer in Assyrian
inscriptions.” [46]
5.
“The people of Gomer were the
Cimmerians, a people from what is now southern Russia.”
[47]
6.
“Valuable information is given
in the Talmud; Gomer is there stated to be the Germani, the Germans. That the
descendants of Gomer moved northward and established themselves in parts of
Germany seems to be an established fact.”[48]
J. Togarmah: Armenia
1.
“Beth Togarmah (v. 6 ) has
been identified with Armenia
located to the north of Israel.”[49]
2.
“Togarmah, being what is named
in modern times as Turkey
or Armenia.”[50]
3.
“Beth-Togarmah is identified
with Armenia
in NE Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey.”[51]
K. Sheba - SW Arabia
1.
“The kingdom
of Sheba. The kingdom of the Sabeans
(which see), which, according to some, embraced the greater part of the Yemen,
or Arabia Felix. When the fame of Solomon came to the ears of the queen of Sheba
(Saba), she undertook a journey to Jerusalem
to convince herself of the truth of the report that had reached her. She
proposed to test his wisdom by posing “difficult questions” ( 1 Kings 10:1-13 ;
2 Chron. 9:1-12 ). A large number of inscriptions have been found in SW Arabia
written in the so-called Sabean characters.”[52]
L. Dedan - Located on the shores of the Persian Gulf
1.
“The passages in the Bible in
which Dedan is mentioned (besides the genealogies above referred to) are
contained in the prophecies of Isaiah ( 21:13 ), Jeremiah ( 25:23 ; 49:8 ), and
Ezekiel ( 25:13 ; 27:15 , 20 ; 38:13 ) and are in every case obscure. The
probable inferences from these mentions of Dedan are (1) that Dedan, son of
Raamah, settled on the shores of the Persian Gulf,
and his descendants became caravan merchants between that coast and Palestine….”[53]
M. Tarshish - probably southern Spain
1.
“Probably Tartessus, a city
and emporium of the Phśnicians in the south of Spain,
represented as one of the sons of Javan. Gen. 10:4 ; 1 Kings 10:22 ; 1 Chron.
1:7 ; Ps. 48:7 ; Isa. 2:16 ; Jer. 10:9 ; Ezek. 27:12 , 25 ; Jonah 1:3 ; 4:2 .
The identity of the two places is rendered highly probable by the following
circumstances: 1st. There is a very close similarity of name between them,
Tartessus being merely Tarshish in the Aramaic form. 2d. There seems to have
been a special relation between Tarshish and Tyre,
as there was at one time between Tartessus and the Phśnicians. 3d. The articles
which Tarshish is stated by the prophet Ezekiel, Ezek. 27:12 , to have supplied
to Tyre are precisely such as we know, through classical writers, to have been
productions of the Spanish peninsula. In regard to tin, the trade of Tarshish
in this metal is peculiarly significant, and, taken in conjunction with
similarity of name and other circumstances already mentioned, is reasonably
conclusive as to its identity with Tartessus”[54]
2.
“the Mediterranean
itself was once known as the 'Sea of Tarshish'."[55]
3. the merchants of Tarshish and all their young lions
a) may refer to leaders
b) may refer to nations that have come out of Tarshish
(1) “This phrase is a Hebrew idiom meaning nations that have come out of Tarshish. The Revised Standard Version translates the idiom as all its villages and is close to the mark.”[56]
(2) If Tarshish is Spain, the young lions could be countries of Central and South America
(3) If Tarshish is England, young lions could be USA, Canada, Australia, and other present-day western democracies. (Although the identification of Tarshish with England would seem to be tenuous at best.[57])
(a)
“Tarshish has been identified
with Great Britain,
but not on good grounds.”[58]
VI. Timing of the Conflict
A. History past?
1. “Those who have attempted to refer these chapters to specific conflicts in the past have arrived at widely different results. One view places it in the conflict of the Maccabees with Antiochus; another in the invasion and overflow of the Chaldeans; and still another in the temporary victories and final overthrow of the Turks. All these are equally unsatisfactory because the passage is clearly set in the future, in the time of Israel’s consummation.”[59]
2. The plain reading of the text precludes previous fulfillment. Moreover, the context indicates the restoration and spiritual awakening of Israel which has not yet occurred.
B.
An important key:
“These seven months of burying and seven years of burning are crucial in
determining when this invasion occurs. For any view to be correct it
must satisfy the requirements of these seven months and seven years.”[60]
C. Preconditions
1. “the latter years” or “latter days” (Eze. 38:8, 16)[61]
2.
Israel
gathered again (Eze. 38:8)
The invasion assumes the reestablishment of a Jewish state. Prior to
1948, this invasion would not have been possible.
