Genesis - Genealogy

To get a better idea of our text, I thought it would be appropriate to list the Genesis genealogy of theses countries origins.

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, namely, of Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth (Gen. 10:1-8).

Now that we have a sense of how these nations where named, let’s take a look at who they represent in today’s world. As a side note, out of Magog came the Scythians in the seventh century who brought about the rise of Islam.
Magog = Russia and its southern regions
Persia = Iran
Cush = Ethiopia
Put = Libya
Gomer = Countries north of Turkey
Togarmah = Turkey

Let’s also take a look at the countries surrounding Israel who are not mentioned in this battle:
1.) Egypt
2.) Jordon
3.) Syria
4.) Iraq

This is very interesting especially with Iraq not being mentioned. Prior to the fall of Saddam Hussein, it was very hard to read this verse and reason why Iraq would not be a main aggressor against Israel. Yet as we see today, Saddam has been pulled out of office and Iraq (Babylon) will hold a different role in biblical prophecy as read about in the book of Revelation.

Ezekiel 38 & 39 Overview

The Lord again states that He will supernaturally defend Israel and that many nations will know that He is the Lord! So the Lord will make Himself known to Israel as He did in the days of Moses and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. The Lord will supernaturally intercede for His people, and they will know that He is the Lord. Yet keep in mind that even as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea with Moses and were fed manna from the heavens, they quickly forgot about the miracles that God had performed. So it could be that the Lord will make Himself known to the Jews, yet the Jews will not embrace Him. The Bible says that the Jews will accept the Antichrist or world leader and accept him as their Messiah for a short term until he shows his true colors and demands to be worshipped in the temple that he will build in Jerusalem. Entering into chapter 39 of Ezekiel, we get a recap of chapter 38 as well as insight of how to bury the people that lay dead and how Israel will come back to the Lord. Keep in mind that Ezekiel 39 speaks of nuclear fallout or perhaps a nuclear bomb and states that after this war, professionals will be hired to bury the dead.

The Lord proclaims that He will send fire on Magog and them that dwell with them. It is interesting that the Lord judged Soddom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, and here He will do it again. Keep in mind that Genesis 1:1 states that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth! With Him all things are possible. When the Lord says He will do something we can be assured that it will happen. The Lord said that Israel would come back in the land and after 2,000 years (May 14, 1948), it happened. The Lord states in Revelation 13:16-17 that a world leader will force all people of the earth to take a mark on their right hands or their foreheads and that no one will be able to buy or sell without taking this mark. Think about that! The Bible talks about a cashless society being established! Wow! A book that was written over 2,000 years ago has foretold a technology that is certain to take place. And yes, our gracious Lord gives us a way out of the doom that will come upon the earth. The Lord has provided His Son Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for our sins. All we have to do is put our trust in Him, confess our sins, repent and heed His words, and we will have everlasting life. Our Lord Jesus Christ died so that we can have everlasting life!

Reading Assignment I: Ezekiel 38:1-4

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” And I will turn thee about, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords (Ezek. 38:1-4).

We read that the Lord gave Ezekiel a vision: Gog is the chief Prince or leader of the land of Magog (which represents the former Soviet Union and its southern regions), and Meshech represents Moscow and Tubal (historical maps do not clearly state which city this is). Here is verse 4, Ezekiel is describing weapons of warfare that were used in his days. If this were a modern-day writing, perhaps the writer might have used words such as tanks and Apache helicopters, etc…

Reading Assignment II: Ezekiel 38:8

In verse eight the phrase “in many days” is translated in the Hebrew as “in the later days” or in the “last days.” Also keep in mind that the next phrase “they shall come into their land” is referring to Israel being back in the land (which occurred on May 14, 1948), when the Jews from all over the world came back to their land (which fulfilled Ezekiel 37). Moving on we read that the Jews “shall dwell securely.” The word in Hebrew for securely is Betach, which means confidently, implying that a peace treaty could be in place prior to this event.

Reading Assignment III: Ezekiel 39:1-5

And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I will turn thee about, and will lead thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel; and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy hordes, and the peoples that are with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah (Ezek. 39:1-5).

Again we have a recap of prior verses in Ezekiel 38, with some more details on how the Lord will disarm the enemies of their weapons, And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand (Ezek. 39:3). In the early century from the land of Magog came the Scythians who were best known for their archery skills, they could ride on a horse at full gallop and shoot a bird from the sky. In today’s world, a modern-day writer would have used today’s weapons to relate this passage!

Reading Assignment IV: Ezekiel 39:6-7

And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel (Ezek. 39:6-7).

The Lord proclaims that He will send fire on Magog and them that dwell with them. It is interesting that the Lord judged Soddom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, and here He will do it again. Keep in mind that Genesis 1:1 states that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth! With Him all things are possible. When the Lord says He will do something we can be assured that it will happen. The Lord said that Israel would come back in the land and after 2,000 years (May 14, 1948), it happened.

Reading Assignment V: Ezekiel 39:8-10

Behold, it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah; this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall make fires of them seven years; so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall make fires of the weapons; and they shall plunder those that plundered them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord Jehovah (Ezek. 39:8-10).

This speaks of how Israel will be able to use the plundered weapons as fuel for seven years. (It is also interesting that the shelf life of a nuclear warhead is seven years.) In the book of Daniel we are told that the last seven years of world history will begin during this time. We know that the rapture of the church must occur before the world leader or Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2), and then there will be seven years left of world history. In order for the events in Ezekiel 38 and 39 to occur, the church is to be removed prior to this event or during this event. Then there will be seven years left before Christ returns with His church (Revelation 19:3)

Reading Assignment VI: Ezekiel 39:11-16

And they shall set apart men of continual employment, that shall pass through the land, and, those that bury them that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. And when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. (Ezek. 39:13-16).

The Lord will set up a burial place east of the Dead Sea for the armies to be buried. We read that hired professionals will bury the dead and that if a civilian sees a bone, then they shall not touch it but will put up a flag to mark the spot so the professional gravedigger can dispose of the bodies. This is very interesting because we could not of even imagine what this verse was referring prior to 1940’s. Yet today we can understand the effects of nuclear warfare as well as biological chemicals. Keep in mind that Zechariah 14:12 also describes nuclear effects that will occur in the last days:

Food for Thought!

The Lord states in Revelation 13:16-17 that a world leader will force all people of the earth to take a mark on their right hands or their foreheads and that no one will be able to buy or sell without taking this mark. Think about that! The Bible talks about a cashless society being established! Wow! A book that was written over 2,000 years ago has foretold a technology that is certain to take place. And yes, our gracious Lord gives us a way out of the doom that will come upon the earth. The Lord has provided His Son Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for our sins. All we have to do is put our trust in Him, confess our sins, repent and heed His words, and we will have everlasting life. Our Lord Jesus Christ died so that we can have everlasting life!

The Lord said in Daniel 12:4 to seal up the book until the end when knowledge will be increased. Could we be living in the last days? Is this what God was speaking of? That knowledge would increase, then we would understand the meaning of His words. The Lord has foretold all of these events thousands of years ago, and now these verses are making sense. Just think about our forefathers, these godly men and women who read the Bible 200-plus years ago and came across verses like this. It must have been hard for them to understand, yet they trusted in the Lord. We are living in times when the Bible’s prediction makes complete sense to us, yet we do not heed the words of our Lord. Yes, that’s right; our God has predicted the past, present and future, and all we have to do is abide in Him, and we will be saved. For God sent His only Son to die on the cross and then in three days arise from the dead so that we can have everlasting life. Incredible—the God of this universe made Himself a man so that He could experience the suffering of the flesh. He took our sin and crucified sin forever at the cross.