What & When is the Ezekiel 38-39 Invasion of Israel?

There is an invasion against Israel described in Ezekiel 38 & 39, led by a ruler named “Gog” who is said to be “of the land of Magog” (Ezek.38:2).  Ezekiel was written in the 6^th century B.C.  The Greek poet Hesiod identified the land of Magog with the Scythians in the 8^th century, as did the great Greek historian Herodotus, writing in the 5^th century.  Josephus, the first century AD historian, when describing what we now know today as the Great Wall of China, spoke of it as “the ramparts of Gog & Magog”, to hold back the northern Scythians invaders. If you go north from China today, past Mongolia, you come to Russia.  All historical indications equate the Scythians as the ancestors of the Russian people today.   Joining in this attack are a host of other nations including: “Meshech & Tubal” (Ezek.38:2) = Russia & Georgia, “Persia” (v.5) = Iran, “Cush” (v.5) = Ethiopia & Sudan, “Put” (v.5) = Libya, Gomer & Beth Togarmah (v.6) = Turkey. 

This coalition will invade Israel, “a land … whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel” (v.8).  This is an important detail.  Ezekiel 36:24 also reiterates the context of Israel’s regathering to the land, as the Lord says, “I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.”   When was Israel granted their own land? 1948. Until that date, Jews living in Israel, after the time of Ezekiel, even after the exiles of the 8^th and 7^th centuries, were ruled by others (Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc…).  Subsequent to the destruction of Jerusalem and the second temple in 70 A.D., Jews were truly scattered to “all the countries” of the world. But, when Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948, before and after that event, Jews returned en masse to the land of Israel. Today, approximately half of the global Jewish population lives in the land of Israel.

So, when will the battle of Gog and Magog take place? The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly when it will be, but an essential prerequisite has already been fulfilled, since 1948. Furthermore, many of the nations who join in the Ezekiel 38 & 39 attack have in recent years openly declared their animosity to Israel, or their support for those who do.

What happens to Israel when this attack occurs? God comes to her rescue, and she is supernaturally delivered.  The Lord says in Ezekiel 39:1,4,7, “I am against you, O Gog. … 4 On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. … 7 I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the lord am the Holy One in Israel.”

The nations that come against Israel will suffer a major defeat, and God will use “a great earthquake”, “hailstones and burning sulfur”, as well as “plagues and bloodshed” (Ezek.38:19-22) to accomplish this. After Israel is delivered, it says that, “Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up. … For seven years they will use them for fuel” (Ezekiel 39:9).

Given all this, the battle described in Ezekiel 38 & 39 likely takes place just before or at the start of the seven years of tribulation. Some think it may coincide with the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Interestingly, after the Lord fights for Israel, God says “I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel” (Ezek.39:29).  Perhaps the display of God’s glory and power is the means of a spiritual breakthrough and turning to Christ, which comes to fruition in the tribulation, where “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Keep in mind, the battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 & 39 shouldn’t be confused with another battle of the same name which takes place at the end of the millennial reign in Revelation 20:7-10. When that one ends, there is no seven years of burning weapons, rather it ends with Satan being thrown into the lake of fire.

The bottom line is, God’s Word will come to pass. We don’t know the exact timing of Ezekiel 38 & 39, but it will happen exactly as God said it will. Things are lining up for it to happen.

Knowing all about prophecy is important, but all that knowledge of the word of God can’t save you unless you surrender your life to the God of the Word. Ultimately, Jesus came to save you. He died for your sins and rose again from the dead and Scripture says this.

Romans 10:13 – “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Have you called on Jesus to save you? If you know all about fulfilled prophecy but don’t turn to Jesus for salvation, then you’re missing the point of it all. The whole point of the Bible is to lead us into a relationship with Jesus. He is the focal point of the Scriptures. You see, God who knows the future, is the one who rules the future. And so, you don’t need to know the future, you just need to know the God who knows and rules the future. The way to know God is to trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord.