WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
Part 2: An Invasion of Israel is Being Planned
by Max Frazier, Jr.

From the May 2007 Philogian

In August 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected as the sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  The Western World had taken little notice of this amateurish politician during the election process.  But, Ahmadinejad was not to remain quiet for long, nor would the world continue to ignore him.  He rekindled Iran’s interest in becoming a nuclear power in the Middle East and he restated Iran’s desire to “wipe Israel off the map.” 

This, now famous speech, was delivered in October 2005 before a student conference in Tehran.  Nazila Fathi, a reporter for the New York Times, quoted Ahmadinejad as saying, Our dear Imam (referring to Ayatollah Khomeini) said that the occupying regime must be wiped off the map and this was a very wise statement.  We cannot compromise over the issue of Palestine…I have no doubt that the new wave that has started in Palestine, and we witness it in the Islamic world too, will eliminate this disgraceful stain from the Islamic world.  Immediately this speech stirred international outrage.  What did Iran’s President mean with those words?  Was he encouraging the Islamic world into an act of genocide against the Israeli people?  And, how did this statement relate to his almost maniacal intent to have nuclear capabilities?  And, one more interesting question, what is the role of Russia and its President Vladimir Putin in all this?

I would have us turn to a very interesting prophecy of Ezekiel that almost seems to leap from the pages of today’s newspapers.  I believe this passage ties together the ambitions of the Russians, the goals of the Iranians and the radical Islamists, and the existence of the State of Israel.  And, upon its conclusion, the world will certainly know that there is a God in Israel.  So, let’s turn to Ezekiel 38 and 39 and invite God to show us “what in the world is going to happen?”

Who Is This Northern Coalition?

In the first six verses, Ezekiel mentions several names, some of which are very difficult for us to positively identify today.  But, let’s wrestle with the text and see if we can gain some understanding of who the invaders of Israel will be.

1. Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (verse 2).  Now, Gog seems to be identified as being the leader of the nation known as Magog with its important cities of Meshech and Tubal.  Joel Rosenberg says of Gog: Based on the textual, linguistic, and historical evidence, we can, therefore, conclude with a high degree of confidence that Ezekiel is speaking of Russia and the former Soviet Union in chapters 38 and 39.  We can also be confident that the figure known as Gog will be a powerful political leader who commands a vast amount of territory, people, natural resources, and armies.  This leader will use his time in office to get his military forces and political alliances prepared for the coming war with Israel (Epicenter, p. 87).

Might Vladimir Putin be the leader known as Gog?  It is a possibility.  As Joel Rosenberg documents in this book Epicenter, Putin certainly has been courting the Islamic world.  In welcoming the Saudi crown prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to Moscow in September 2003, Putin said, We view the Arab and Islamic world through the greater part of modern history in their being our closest partners and associates (Epicenter, p. 135).  If Putin is not Gog, then he is setting the precedent from which the future Gog will act.

2. Persia (verse 5).  Until 1935, the nation of Iran was known within the world community as Persia.  As we have already seen, the Iranians are the archenemies of Israel and have vowed to see Israel “wiped off the map.” 
3. Cush (verse 5).  In the Bible Cush is often referred to as the area south of Egypt.  Today that would include the nations of Ethiopia, Sudan, and perhaps even what is known as the Horn of Africa.  We do know that radical Islamists either control  or are attempting to control those nations.
4. Put (verse 5).  Put is identified as being the area west of Egypt, being today’s nation of Libya.  Libya has been a sponsor of terrorism and has refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist.  This might also refer to a coalition of nations along the North African coast.
5. Gomer and Beth Togarmah (verse 6).  The exact location of these two people groups is not clearly known.  Historical evidence would seem to place them in what is known today as Turkey and the Islamic Republics of southern Russia: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. 

So, let’s see if we can summarize this coalition.  The leader will be a ruler from Russia who brings together some Islamic nations who already have a bent to destroy Israel.  And Ezekiel indicates that the size of the armies of this coalition will be so large that it will appear “like a cloud covering the land” (verse 9) 

What Will Draw This Coalition to Israel?

Verse 12 states the reason for this invasion of Israel: 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.  Now, what kind of possessions does Israel have that might entice Russia to covet her lands?  At least at the present moment, there is no oil under Israel’s rocky soil.  Yes, the land is productive, but so are vast portions of the former Soviet states.  I am not sure Russia will invade Israel for its olives and oranges. 

So, what is the attraction?  The most valuable pieces of real estate in the world are the not the oil fields of Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.  No, that distinction belongs to the sands along the Dead Sea.  John Hagee writes: The mineral deposits in the Dead Sea are so great they can’t be properly appraised on today’s market.  It is estimated that the Dead Sea contains two billion tons of potassium chloride, which is potash needed to enrich the soil that is rapidly being depleted around the world.  The Dead Sea also contains twenty-two billion tons of magnesium chloride and twelve billion tons of sodium chloride.  The wealth of the Dead Sea has the Russian bear salivating at the mouth (Jerusalem Countdown, p. 141).  When I was in Israel in 1979, our group was told that the estimated wealth of the Dead Sea at that time was in excess of thirteen trillion dollars.  

There is also a second reason for Russia’s interest in Israel.  Russia needs a warm-water ocean port, one that is never subject to freezing over during the winters.  Israel provides such a major port in Haifa and auxiliary ports in Ashkelon and Eilat. 

If those are the interests of the Russians, why are the Islamic nations involved?  The answer is very simple.  They see this invasion of Israel as their opportunity to accomplish what they failed to accomplish in 1948, 1967, and again in 1973.  To use the words of the Iranian President: The occupying regime (Israel) must be wiped off the map. 

When Will This Invasion Occur?

The Bible is unclear as to the exact timing of this invasion by Russia and its Islamic coalition.  The text does give a few hints.  Verse 8 states: After many days you will be called to arms.  In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate.  They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.  And, in verse 11 we read: 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.”  Let’s see if we can make sense of what Ezekiel has just written.

1. Israel will be a land that has recovered from war.  That fact could be said of Israel at almost any time in her history.  There was the War of Independence (1947-1949), the Suez Canal War (1956), the Six-Day War (1967), the Yom Kippur War (1973), the First Lebanon War (1982-2000), and the Second Lebanon War (2006).  In addition, there have been at least two declared intifadahs with the Palestinians.  So, Israel is always in a recovery mode from war.

2. Israel is a people gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel.  Following the Holocaust of World War II, millions of Jews have immigrated to Israel from all over the world.  Ethnic groups dot the Israeli landscape.  What unite these people are their Jewish roots. 

3. Ezekiel said that the mountains of Israel had been desolate.  Prior to the arrival of the Jews to Israel, much of the land was either uninhabitable swamps or arid deserts.  But the Jewish ingenuity drained the swamps and irrigated the deserts producing some of the most productive agricultural lands in the world.  From bananas to strawberries, from flowers to olives, Israeli agricultural products are known around the world for their quality. 

4. The people will be living in unwalled villages.  Now, the prophet Ezekiel had never seen a village without a security wall.  But, if you have traveled in Israel in recent years, you will remember the security presence at every turn.  Israeli villages have no walls because the people rely upon one of the most dominate security forces in the world.  And, although they live under a constant threat of attack, the Israeli people have confidence that their world-class military will keep them safe. 

Now, with those descriptive phrases from the ancient prophet in our mind, we ask ourselves the question of “when will it happen?”  Historically there have been several suggestions taught.  Let me just state them briefly.

1. The attack of Gog and Magog will occur at the end of the Millennium.  The strength of this argument is based upon: 1) the people living in unwalled villages because of the peaceful reign of Christ; and 2) the mention of Gog and Magog in the battle that occurs at the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:7-8).  Dr. Ralph Alexander, in his commentary titled Ezekiel, published by Moody Press, gives an in depth argument for this position (pages 127-129).

2. The attack is part of the Battle of Armageddon that occurs at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 19:17-21).  For years, I must say, I have held to this interpretation.  But I was troubled because of two statements Ezekiel made with regard to time.  First, Israel would use the weapons from the battlefield as fuel for seven years; and second, it would take seven months to bury the dead (Ezekiel 39:9, 12).  Even though I could not reconcile the times, the Bible seemed to indicate that there would be only one great battle of the nations in Israel and that God would show Himself to be strong at that battle. 

But I have come to understand that the possibilities exist for the Battle of Gog and Magog to occur prior to the beginning of the Tribulation.  That takes care of the timeline troubles I was having.  But, I believe it goes even further than that.  For what I am about to share, I am grateful for the writings of Grant Jeffrey (The Next World War) and Joel Rosenberg (Epicenter). 

1. Ezekiel does not mention the antichrist or any European coalition in his descriptions of the Battle of Gog and Magog.  Is this just an oversight on his part, or could it be that the antichrist is not yet on the world’s stage?  I am coming to believe that it is the latter.  And why would the Europeans not be interested in a Russian and Islamic invasion of Israel?  Perhaps they will have grown tired of the wars in the Middle East.  Perhaps they will secretly hope for Israel’s destruction.  History recalls that most Europeans were not terribly interested in the Jews receiving a homeland after World War II. 

2. The world will be destroyed someday, but not by the timetable of man, but of God.  A nuclear threat hangs over the Middle East.  Will the Iranians use a nuclear bomb to annihilate Israel, thus creating the second Holocaust?  I believe they will not.  And why?  It is because of their alliance with Russia and its strong military.  Why need a bomb and be threatened with retaliation, when you can use the military muscle of Russia to accomplish the same thing.

3. Finally Ezekiel makes no mention of any nation coming to the aid of Israel when this invasion occurs.  This seems most alarming to us in the light of our country’s strong position with Israel since 1948.  Will our nation desert Israel in her hour of need?  The biblical answer seems to be yes.  Why would we do this?  To answer this, all one has to do is to see what is happening within Congress today.  As a nation we have grown tired of war.  And, if we desire to leave Iraq, a nation with the second largest known oil reserves in the world – and our country does have an appetite for oil – why should be get involved in a war to help a nation that has nothing we need?  So, I believe we will chose to stay on the sidelines.  

So, if this Russian and Islamic invasion of Israel occurs at the beginning of the Tribulation, then one can easily see why there is no opposition to Israel’s building a temple on the Temple Mount.  The Islamic presence will have been removed from the land and Israel will freely worship at its most holy place.  Also, one can see that, following the war, the antichrist can come, with all his political charm, and persuade Israel that he will be their protector if another attack should come.  And, as Israel of old did on so many occasions, the modern nation of Israel will forget God and turn to someone else.  There does seem to be a logical sense in this argument that both Rosenberg and Jeffrey present. 

What Is the Result of the Invasion?

How you answer that question depends upon whether you are the ones doing the attacking or are the ones being attacked.  Ezekiel makes it very clear that God Himself will come to the defense of Israel.  I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.  And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations.  Then they will know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 38:22-23). 

What we must not miss is the fact that God is the very one who brings this army into Israel.  Ezekiel 38:4 and Ezekiel 39:2 make this very clear.  The purpose for which God brings this coalition into Israel is for its destruction.  And great will be the slaughter.  God will cause great earthquakes to occur (Ezekiel 38:19-20) such that every living thing in Israel will feel its impact.  God will also send torrents of rain, hailstones, and burning sulfur upon these armies (Ezekiel 38:22) reminiscent of God’s judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah.  And God will cause the armies to attack each other (Ezekiel 38:21), again reminiscent of how God brought judgment upon the armies that threatened King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:22-23).  And the carnage will be so great that God invites the wild beasts and carrion fowl to come and help in removing the bodies of those who have died.  It will take one entire valley to bury the dead and the skeletons of those whose bodies have been picked clean by the beasts and birds. 

I believe the Battle of Gog and Magog accomplishes two things.  First, it is God’s strong statement against the atheism of the Russians and the false religion of the Islamists.  I remind my students that the living God of Israel is not the same as Allah, the god of Mohammed. 

Second, and most importantly, the world will know that the God of Israel is the true God.  This is so critical to our understanding of God’s purposes that Ezekiel mentions it at least three times (Ezekiel 38:16, 23; Ezekiel 39:6-7).  And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations.  Then they will know that I am the Lord.  What a demonstration of God’s mercy toward Israel and his judgment toward sin!  How sad that neither Israel nor the world will long remember what God has done!  But we will save that story for our next issue.

Conclusion

Friends, exciting things are happening in your world even as you read this article.  God is orchestrating the events in the Middle East to accomplish His intended purposes.  I believe the relationship between Iran and Russia will grow even stronger in the coming days.  I believe the boldness of radical Islam will increase.  I believe that Israel will continue its search for peace with its neighbors who are bent on seeing Israel driven into the sea.  The pallor of nuclear threat will continue to hang over the Middle East.  Ahmadinejad will continue his diatribes against Israel.  Putin will continue secretly helping the Iranians.  And the world will come to the brink of war with Israel as its target.  But, just when it seems the darkest, God will step in and bring deliverance to Israel and a demonstration of His power to the world.  Don’t be filled with despair as you see these things happening.  Rejoice and lift up your head because your redemption draws near…and soon.  God is in control!  To that fact, we should all say a hearty “Amen!”

Recommended Resources

Hagee, John.  Jerusalem Countdown.  Lake Mary, Florida: Front Line.  2007.

Jeffrey, Grant R.  The Next World War: What Prophecy Reveals about Extreme Islam
and the West.  Colorado Springs, Colorado: WaterBrook Press.  2006.

Rosenberg, Joel C.  Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will
Change Your Future.  Carol Stream, Illinois:  Tyndale Publishers.  2006.

 

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