The War of Gog and Magog

WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST

THE WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG

D. P. Weary

December 2008

October 2011

The Second Seal

Revelation 6:3-4 (NLT) When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, "Come!" [4] And another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

In a very generalized sense, there have been evidences of the first five seals of Revelation chapter 6 ever since Satan deceived Eve in the garden. However in the context of the books of Revelation, Daniel, and the other prophets of the Bible, I believe that the seals of Revelation 6 are very specific events that are the preludes to the beginning of Daniel’s last week of years. A time of the wrath of God judging an ungodly world, and a time of God completing His covenant promises to Israel and the Hebrews. This study approaches the subject of the wars in the Middle East from this standpoint.

With the breaking of the Second Seal comes war. The Beast takes peace from the earth. As to the war, we need to look to see what great wars prophesied in the scripture have yet to occur. The most significant are the wars of the very Last Days, the wars of Armageddon and Ezekiel’s wars as prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Also, Isaiah wrote about a war in which Damascus would be destroyed forever, something that has yet to happen, and Jeremiah prophesied about the destruction of Babylon and Amman Jordan (these are prophecies that many believe have yet to be fully completed). Taking these altogether and observing the present day events taking place in the Mid-East, it does not take much imagination to see that these wars are just around the corner. 

These wars basically involve the Islamic nations that surround Israel coming together to attack Israel with the intent of destroying her.  These nations are supplied arms and supported by a nation to the north that many believe to be Russia. Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 are scriptures that also deal with these latter day events. Today we watch Iran, Syria, Libya, Turkey, Egypt, the Sudan, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and the Islamic terrorist organizations they support as they prepare to destroy Israel. Russia is supplying them arms and giving them much support.  Each day that passes draws us closer to the fulfillment of these last day’s wars.

In this study we will look at the scriptures dealing with the wars of the second seal. I believe that these wars are the prelude to Daniel’s last week of years, what we commonly call the seven years of tribulation. We will look to find the plain, literal meaning of each scripture (this is grammatical-historical exegesis), the story or lesson being told (an allegorical application of the text), what the scripture might be hinting at (a word, phrase or some other element in the text that hints at things of which the Bible writer was not aware, which are not obviously conveyed by the simple meaning), and finally what “mystery” might be hidden that only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us.

Background

Ezekiel was of a priestly family, spent his early life in Jerusalem, and was taken with other hostages by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon in 597BC. He was a contemporary with Jeremiah and Daniel and prophesied for at least 22 years.

The prophecies of chapter 38 follow the prophecies of a re-gathering of Israel in the latter days in chapter 37. We are the generation that witnessed this re-gathering and the rebirth of Israel in one day (Isa. 66:8). We are now watching the fulfillment of Ezek. 37:14, when God puts His Spirit within them. What follows is Ezekiel 38 and the wars that initiate Daniel’s last seven weeks of years when God completes His covenant promises to Israel and the Hebrews.

Eze 38:1 And the word of the LORD came to me saying,

Eze 38:2 "Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him

In order to discover the identity of Magog today we must journey back to the days of Noah. According to Genesis 10, all the present population of the world was descended from Noah's three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Magog’s immediate descendants were known as the Magogites, being later known to the Greeks as the Scythians, according to the testimony of Josephus. Pliny (a noted Roman writer of early Christian Times) writes that Hierapolis, taken by the Scythians, was afterward called Magog.

The Scythians are a principal part of the people who make up modern southern Islamic Russia.  The Scythians were members of a nomadic people originally of Iranian stock who migrated from Central Asia to southern Russia in the 8^th and 7^th centuries BC. Centered on what is now the Crimea, the Scythians founded a rich, powerful empire that survived for several centuries before succumbing to the Sarmatians during the 4th century BC to the 2nd century AD.

 Much of what is known of the history of the Scythians comes from the account of them by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who visited their territory. In modern times this record has been expanded chiefly by the work of Russian anthropologists. The Scythians were feared and admired for their prowess in war and, in particular, for their horsemanship. They were among the earliest people to master the art of riding, and their mobility astonished their neighbors. The migration of the Scythians from Asia eventually brought them into the territory of the Cimmerians, who had traditionally controlled the Caucasus and the plains north of the Black Sea. In a war that lasted 30 years, the Scythians destroyed the Cimmerians and set themselves up as rulers of an empire stretching from west Persia through Syria and Judaea to the borders of Egypt. The Medes, who ruled Persia, attacked them and drove them out of Anatolia, leaving them finally in control of lands that stretched from the Persian border north through the Kuban and into southern Russia.

Wilhelm Gesenius (a great Hebrew scholar of the early nineteenth century) understood Meshech to be the founder of the Moschi who dwelt in the Moschian Mountains.  Tubal is the son of Rapheth, founder of the Tibereni, a people dwelling on the Black Sea to the west of the Moschi.  These people make up the modern southern peoples of the Russian Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.). In short Magog is most probably the Islamic Republics south of Russia and north of Israel - (Ezekiel 38:1-7; 39:1-2).

Eze 38:3 and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.

Gog, the chief Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal (Ezekiel 38:2-3) is probably Satan himself.  Here we see him working through human leaders of the land to the north of Israel. Since Satan is just a fallen angel, referring to him as the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal would be consistent with the references to the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece as mentioned in the book of Daniel (also probably fallen angels or “principalities”).

Eph 6:12 NKJV - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].

In Rev. 20:8, Gog appears to be the leader of nations from the four corners of the earth who attack the Saints and the beloved city (Jerusalem). These nations are referred to as Gog and Magog, nations under control of Gog (Satan). After the defeat of these nations by God, Gog (the devil) is thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:7-10).

Rev 20:7 NKJV - Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

Rev 20:8 NKJV - and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number [is] as the sand of the sea.

Rev 20:9 NKJV - They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

Rev 20:10 NKJV - The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet [are]. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Eze 38:4 "I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company {with} buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords;

It is God who draws Gog’s army to war. God initiates this battle.

Eze 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them {with} shield and helmet;

Eze 38:6 Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah {from} the remote parts of the north with all its troops--many peoples with you.

Allies of Gog of the land of Magog will include Persia (modern Iran, and Iraq and Syria if expanded to include Medo-Persia), and Gomer and Togarmah (Asia Minor). Josephus placed this legendary Gomer and the "Gomerites" in Anatolian Galatia (Antiquities of the Jews, I:6) or generally Turkey of today. Togarmah is regarded as the ancestor of the Turkic-speaking peoples.

              

Anatolia

Other allies will include Ethiopia, which is a translation of the Hebrew word, Cush.  The land of Cush was adjacent to an area near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Cushites were black men, descendants of Ham, who migrated to the area south of Egypt.  Many of the black African nations could be included in those described as Cush or Ethiopia but today we would see this “Ethiopia” as northern Sudan. Libya is a translation of the Hebrew word, Put, the third son of Ham.  These were people who migrated to the land west of Egypt, i.e. the North African Arab nations (Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco).

It is interesting to note that Egypt is omitted from this list of allies of Gog. However, Egypt does play a major role in the kingdom of the Antichrist and in the wars of Armageddon at the end of the seven years of tribulation (Dan. 11:42-43).

Dan 11:42 NKJV - "He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

Dan 11:43 NKJV - "He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians [shall follow] at his heels.

Eze 38:7 "Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them.

Gog is to be a guard (to guard, watch over, rule over, command or lead) for the armies of these nations. Ultimately, Satan is the real leader of these attacks on Israel.

Eze 38:8 "After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, {whose inhabitants} have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.

This war (invasion) is to take place in the latter years. They will invade a land restored from wars (the sword). The people of this land have been gathered from many nations of the earth. They are now living securely (in relative peace and safely compared to where they were and what they have gone through).

      The literal story here is that Jews are being gathered from many nations to Israel. Israel is a land that is being restored from ages of wars. They are living in cities and villages that are un-walled. They are prosperous and militarily strong and, at least compared to the past, they are living fairly securely. This “living securely” may imply that they are living in a time where there is a pseudo peace, perhaps established by some sort of a “peace treaty”. This places us “in the latter years”

Isa 11:11 NASB - Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea.

Isa 11:12 NASB - And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Jer 8:11 NKJV - For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' When [there is] no peace.

1Th 5:1 NKJV - But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

1Th 5:2 NKJV - For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

1Th 5:3 NKJV - For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

1Th 5:4 NKJV - But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

Eze 38:9 "You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you."

They come up suddenly and in swarms.

Eze 38:10 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan,

This invasion is part of a great evil plan formulated by Satan to destroy Israel and to establish his kingdom on earth

Eze 38:11 and you will say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates,

Today Israel is a land of un-walled villages and the people are living in relative security. Specifically the securely means, having homes that are not walled in, gated or barred. That is Israel today even though there is much danger from terrorists and their neighbor enemies. When you visit Israel and walk the streets of its cities and villages the feeling of “normalcy” is amazing given what is going on in and around the nation. And, they do live in un-walled villages and in homes without bars or gates.

Zec 2:4 NASB - and said to him, "Run, speak to that young man, saying, 'Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it.

 

Eze 38:12 to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are {now} inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.'

In the Bible and in Jewish thought, Israel and Jerusalem are the center of the world.

 Given the modern day history of Israel, the wealth, prosperity, military strength is quite amazing. Now we are seeing great natural gas resources off the Haifa coast being discovered and developed (there is probably oil there also), and the mineral wealth of the Dead Sea is being developed. They have also turned the swamps of the Jezreel Valley, the highlands of the Golan, and the deserts into fruitful farmlands. There is a “spoil” to be captured. Relative to “cattle”, a recent news article calls Israel mike cows “the best in the world”.

The Israeli cow is the best in the world'

By SHARON UDASIN 
09/27/2011 05:18 
Through continuously improved research and practices, Israeli dairy cows have become particularly efficient milk producers.

Eze 38:13 "Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages (young lions thereof) will say to you, 'Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?' '"

 Sheba and Dedan represent the nations of southern Arabia. The merchants of Tarshish most probably represent the sea faring trader nations of a distant part of the Mediterranean Sea. The villages, literally translated young lions, of these Mediterranean nations would be the “offspring” of the these nations which could lead us to speculate that these represent nations like the USA and Canada and other colonies of western, Mediterranean Europe. What is important to note here is that these nations make only a weak, verbal protest to this invasions of Israel.

Current political events in the USA make it clear why the USA is not a player in these dramatic end time dynamics.

Eze 38:14 "Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know {it?}

Here we know for sure that the land invaded is Israel.

Eze 38:15 "You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army;

Note that Gog comes out from his place of the remote ( yĕrekah - flank, side, extreme parts, recesses, side, sides, or recesses) parts of the north. Remote may indicate the Gog and his land of Magog are from an area even father north than the modern southern peoples of the Russian Commonwealth of Independent States, or Russia proper. However, Jer.16:14-15 and Zech. 2:5-7 tell us that God draws His people (Jews) from the “Land of the North”. History shows us that the greatest exodus of Jews in recent times came from Russia. In the last battles the King of the North attacks the Antichrist (Gog). What we can conclude is that probably the King of the North (Dan 11:40) represents Russia in the last days and Magog represents the Islamic Nations north of Israel. Watching current events in Russia and the Islamic nations of the Middle East, the evidence is mounting to support these thoughts.

Dan 11:40 NKJV - "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm [them], and pass through.

Jer 16:14 NASB - "Therefore behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when it will no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,'

Jer 16:15 NASB - but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.

Eze 38:16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog."

Again, they come to attack Israel. The time is the last days. But note the purpose. It is so that the nations will know that there is a God and that He is the God of Israel as He supernaturally protects Israel from her enemies.

Psa 83:18 NASB - That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.

Eze 38:17 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for {many} years that I would bring you against them?

Prophecies can be found in Isaiah, Joel, Zechariah, and the Psalms.

 

Eze 38:18 "It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," declares the Lord GOD, "that My fury will mount up in My anger.

These are days of God fury, anger, and wrath. Note the effect of the sixth seal on the people of the earth.

Rev 6:16 NASB - and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;

Rev 6:17 NASB - for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

Eze 38:19 "In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare {that} on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.

An important key to when this will happen is that on that day there will be a very great earthquake in the land of Israel. This probably is a reference to the great earthquake of the 6^th seal of Revelation 6.

Rev 6:12 NASB - I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

Psa 18:7 NASB - Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry.

Eze 38:20 "The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground.

It is a very great earthquake centered in the land of Israel.

Eze 38:21 "I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord GOD. "Every man's sword will be against his brother.

When this army attacks God will move against him (call for a sword against him). The result will be that soldiers of the attacking armies will attack each other, probably in an hour of great confusion and fear. In the OT this was a common way God dealt with the enemies of Israel.

Jdg 7:22 NASB - When they blew 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

1Sa 14:20 NASB - Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.

Eze 38:22 "With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone.

God’s other weapons will be a torrential rainstorm with hailstones, and fire and burning stone. These could be either weapons of war or natural phenomenon.

Again, God has used these “weapons” before.

Psa 11:6 NASB - Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.

Isa 17:13 NASB - The nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters, But He will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like chaff in the mountains before the wind, Or like whirling dust before a gale.

This is probably going to be a very short war.

Isa 17:14 NASB - At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning they are no more. Such will be the portion of those who plunder us And the lot of those who pillage us.

Isaiah tells us that the attack comes at evening time but that before the morning Gog’s armies are destroyed.

Eze 38:23 "I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD.'"

Many nations will come to know that there is a very real God and that He is the God and defender of Israel.

Other scriptures dealing with significant wars in the Middle East that have yet to occur are Psalm 83, Isa. 17, and Jer. 49.

Psalm 83:1-8 (NKJV) A song. A Psalm of Asaph. Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God!
² For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
³ They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
⁴ They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."
⁵ For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:
⁶ The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites;
⁷ Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
⁸ Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah

The peoples named here are the forefathers of the Islamic peoples surrounding Israel today that are currently planning to destroy her. Note that this prophecy speaks of consulting together to form a confederacy against Israel. The implication is that this occurs sometime before an actual attack against Israel. A few years ago during the summer months of 1991 this prophecy came to pass as these very peoples gathered together (consulted together) in Damascus, Syria to plot the demise of Israel.

Isaiah 17:1-2 (NKJV) ¹ The burden against Damascus. "Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.
² The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.

As Syria and Iran (ancient Persia) collect and develop weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons and nuclear capabilities, they are setting themselves up for an attack that will wipe out Damascus forever.

Note today’s (Oct. 5, 2011)news headlines: “Syrian President Bashar Assad threatened to torch the Middle East, especially Israel, if NATO attacks his country, ynetnews.com reports. 
Assad reportedly made the threat during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, when he said: "If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv." 

Jeremiah 49:1-6 (NKJV) Against the Ammonites. Thus says the Lord: "Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then does Milcom inherit Gad, And his people dwell in its cities?
² Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war In Rabbah ( Amman Jordan today) of the Ammonites; It shall be a desolate mound, And her villages shall be burned with fire. Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance," says the Lord.³ "Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is plundered! Cry, you daughters of Rabbah, Gird yourselves with sackcloth! Lament and run to and fro by the walls; For Milcom shall go into captivity With his priests and his princes together.
⁴ Why do you boast in the valleys, Your flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? Who trusted in her treasures, saying, 'Who will come against me?'
⁵ Behold, I will bring fear upon you," Says the Lord God of hosts, "From all those who are around you; You shall be driven out, everyone headlong, And no one will gather those who wander off.

Amman Jordan and surrounding villages will apparently be burned as a result of weapons of war. It is very possible that these prophecies will be fulfilled during wars in and around Israel just before the days of wrath and these events may be a part of the war of Ezekiel 38, the war of Gog and Magog if the second seal is indeed this war.

Today we watch Iran, Syria, and the Islamic terrorist organizations they support prepare to attack Israel. Russia is supplying them arms and giving them much support. Russia is also moving to insure their control over the nations between Russia and the Middle East. This has been made clear by the recent Russian political and military activity.  Then there is the issue of Iran’s potential nuclear weapon capability.  The development of nuclear weapon capabilities in Iran might very well be the trigger that sets of this war.  Each day that passes draws us closer to the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s war.

APPENDIX

From:2007-09-24 A practical way of interpreting prophecy by Walid Shoebat

Summary of nations addressed in end-times:

Psalm 83 - includes all, Syria and Iraq "Assyria", Jordan "Edom, Moab, Ammon", Arabia "Ishmaelites, Hagarites", Lebanon "People of Tyre" since Tyre was destroyed (Ezekiel 26). This was partly fulfilled in the Arab Israeli wars since these armies are a "confederacy" (v. 5), "consult together with one voice" (v. 3). All these are Muslim.
Ezekiel 30 - the nations of North Africa, including Egypt and Sudan in the time of the "Day of the Lord" - a clear reference to the end time destruction of Islamic nations.
Amos 1 - Syria (vs. 1-5), Gaza (v. 6), Lebanon (v. 9), Jordan "Teman" (v. 11), Iraq "Bozrah", Amman Jordan "Rabbah" (v. 14), "Gaza" (v. 6).
Amos 2 - Jordan "Moab"
Joel 3 - This is Armageddon (v. 2) which includes Egypt and Jordan (v. 19), Lebanon (v. 4). Why does Armageddon have Muslim nations by name?
Jeremiah 6 - Jeremiah speaks of Sheba (probably the area of modern Yemen.
Jeremiah 9 - Egypt, Edom, and Ammon
Jeremiah 25 - Moab
Jeremiah 48 - Moab and others.
Jeremiah 49-51 - The destruction of Babylonia, today's Arab world - Jordan, Syria "Damascus", Iraq "Bozrah", Saudi Arabia "Kedar", this includes past as well as a future outlook in end-times. Iran "Elam" (49 v. 37).
Obadiah 1 - "For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen" "Esau" "Edom" "Teman" - Jordan and the Arabs.
Ezekiel 25 - Jordan "Moab", Saudi Arabia "Teman, Dedan (v. 13)".
Ezekiel 27 - Lebanon "Tyre, Zidon, Gebal" (v. 9), Iran "Persia" and he adds Libya "Lud", and Phut (North Africa). This takes in middle Asia and North Africa (chapter 27:10,21), just as Ezekiel predicted in chapter 38.
Ezekiel 30 - The fall of the nations of North Africa, including Egypt, in the time of the "Day of the Lord" - a clear reference to the end time.
Ezekiel 35:12-15 (Edom, Jordan)
Daniel 11 - Egypt (verse 40)
Habbakuk 3 - "Teman" and "Paran" "Midian" are Saudi Arabia (center of Islam), and "Cushan" is Sudan (Cush). "God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise." This is definitely Messianic pertaining to the second coming.
3:3-7, 12-16 ["He beheld, and drove asunder the nations [Midian]; and the everlasting hills [nations] did bow" (v. 6), "Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger" (v. 12)
Isaiah 11:14 - Jordan "Edom, Moab"
Isaiah 13 - "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh" (v. 9), For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light" (v. 10), is end-times and includes Babylon (Iraq, Arabia, all Muslim).
Isaiah 14:24-27 - ("I will break the Assyrian [Iraq] in My land, and tread him underfoot"). Here Satan (Lucifer) is addressed as a man "They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms" (Isaiah 14:16)
Isaiah 14:28-32 - (Philistia, Gaza) Muslim
Isaiah 15-16 - (Moab/Jordan) Muslim
Isaiah 17 - (Damascus, Syria) Muslim
Isaiah 18 - (Punishment of Sudan), 18:6 matches the birds feeding on the dead in Ezekiel 38/39 after the Sudanese (Cush Ezekiel 38:5).
Isaiah 19 - "Egypt will fear Judah" (v17), then Egypt will be healed.
Isaiah 21 - against Arabia (Kedar, Tema, and Dumah) The curses on Arabia "burden of the desert of the sea" (v. 1). Dumah is in Saudi Arabia near Yathrib in verse 11, today called "Dumat el-Jandal", also Kedar in verse 17. These prophecies find both historical and future fulfillment as well. "The glory of Kedar shall fail" (11-17). What other then Mecca and Islam could the "glory of Kedar" be?
Isaiah 31 - "shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof" is the end when Messiah fights "The Assyrian", "The Egyptians".
Isaiah 34:2-8 - (Edom, Jordan) note "it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion" (v. 8).
Isaiah 63:1-6 - ("Who is this who comes from Edom (Jordan), with dyed [blood-stained] garments from Bozrah (Iraq)." This is definitely second coming of Messiah and these nations are Muslim.
Zechariah 9:1,2 - (Syria, Lebanon) Muslim, Lebanon is the heart of Hezbullah.
Zechariah 9:5 - (Gaza) Gaza is a Muslim city and the heart of Hammas.
Zechariah 10 - Syria, Iraq and Egypt's armies destroyed in Lebanon (v. 10)
Zechariah 12:2 - "I will make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to all the nearby nations that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem". All the nations "round about" (RSV) or "near by nations" (NTL) "peoples around" (NASB), "surrounding peoples" (NKJV) Israel are all Muslim, regardless of which translation of the text one uses. Some say that the entire world's nations are around Israel for the use of the term "round about" only pertains to the fact that they surround the borders. Yet the verse is clearer when we see the usage in the continuation of the verse "that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem". So this understanding is flawed since it doesn't make sense that "surrounding armies" send "armies" to surround Jerusalem. The correct rendering of the verse then must be that these nations are nearby (round about) and send their armies to lay siege on Jerusalem. The Old Testament references to the nations "round about" are widespread, with over 50 references to these entities between Deuteronomy 6:14 and Zechariah 14:4. In passages where these are identified by name (e.g., Psalm 83), they are Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, the "Palestinians" of Gaza, the Bedouin PLO within Israel, Jordan (Moab/Edom/Ammon[the ancient name which Amman the capital of Jordan is derived from]) and Saudi Arabia.
Micah 5:1-6 - agrees with Isaiah 14 (Satan, Anti-Christ) in which the destruction of "the Assyrian" upon Israel's mountains is foretold, and that "(Israel) shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword" (v. 6).
The whole of Scripture regarding end-times with minor and major prophets speak on none else than the Islamic world.

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Apart from the all the details that are given regarding these countries individually and about their relationship today, many of which have been discussed in this article, these two observations alone are amazing:

Besides the huge geographical distances between them, at the time these prophecies were given (some 500 years before Christ), all these nations mentioned had many different religions and many of them no political connection. Only over a thousand years later they all became Muslim (religiously) and were unified politically in the Islamic Empire.

That Biblical prophecy, more than two-thousand years ago, binds together exactly the Muslim nations and not the non-Muslim countries neighboring to them, should give everyone -- including Muslims -- every reason to take biblical prophecy very seriously.

Walid Shoebat

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