Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 114:456 (Oct 1957)
Article: Where Do the Events of Ezekiel 38-39 Fit into the Prophetic Picture?
Author: J. Dwight Pentecost

BSac 114:456 (Oct 57) p. 334

Where Do the Events of Ezekiel 38-39 Fit into the Prophetic Picture?

J. Dwight Pentecost

The rise of Russia in a comparatively few years from an insignificant nation to a power feared because of her avowed purpose of global dominion, whose sway has been extended over a majority of the earth’s population, whose political philosophy is rapidly dividing the world into Communist and anti-Communist camps, has given a renewed interest in and importance to the prophecy concerning Gog and Magog in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of Ezekiel. Consistently students of prophecy have understood that these chapters depict the invasion that sets off a global war. In the light of current events, when the populace of our nations hope for peace but expect and plan for war, it becomes a pressing question as to when the events described in those chapters will take place.

It is the purpose of this study to attempt to set forth the time at which the events in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will transpire. We shall do this by relating parallel Scriptures to this prophecy to formulate the complete picture of these events as given by revelation. We shall confine our investigation to this one question. We shall not concern ourselves with the identification of the nations described as participants, but assume the identification held by most Bible students and ably presented by Bauman (Louis S. Bauman, Russian Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy, pp. 17-38). In brief, the powers represented in these two chapters are: Magog, which is Russia, also referred to as Rosh; Meshech and Tubal, which are ancient tribal names, as Moscow and Tobolsk; Persia, as Iran; Cush and Put, possibly as Ethiopia and Libya in North Africa, but

BSac 114:456 (Oct 57) p. 335

better as portions of Assyria; Gomer, as Germany; Togarmah, as Turkey; Sheba and Dedan, as Arab tribes or states surrounding Palestine; Tarshish, as Spain or possibly Great Britain.

Further, we shall not be primarily concerned with the events that are described in this portion, except as they will throw light on the problem of the time of the invasion. There is general agreement among Bible students concerning the outline of events. Russia is seen to make an alliance with Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Germany, and Turkey (vv. 2, 5, 6). Because Israel seems like easy prey (v. 11), this confederation decides to invade the land for the spoil (v. 12). A protest is made at...