Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe a period of time shortly after the Tribulation period begins when an alliance of nations comes against Israel. Before we look into who these nations are and what takes place during this battle, we need to be certain that this is an event that occurs during the beginning of the Tribulation period.
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week..." - Daniel 9:27
A man of peace comes on to the scene in Revelation 6:2. He has a bow which symbolizes military power, but there aren't any arrows which means that even though he is powerful, it isn't through conquering that he comes to power. In the same verse, the Apostle John says that "a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer". Nations will willingly turn over control to this man that the Bible calls the Antichrist (see Antichrist lesson). Due to this treaty, everyone rejoices that there is finally peace.
In Ezekiel 38 verses 11 and 14, the prophet describes Israel being at peace and the people "dwell safely". It is impossible for this war to be in any other time period for two reasons:
1) Israel has never had peace since its rebirth
2) This particular alliance of nations has never taken place
"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee." - Ezekiel 38:1-6
Magog, Meschech, and Tubal were first mentioned in Genesis 10:2 as the sons of Japheth. According to the Scofield Reference Bible:
"From Magog are descended the ancient Scythians or Tarters, whose descendents predominate in modern Russia."
"Tubal's descendents peopled the region south of the Black Sea from whence they spread north and south. It is probable that Tobolsk perpetuates the tribal name."
"Progenitor of a race mentioned in connection with Tubal, Magog, and other northern nations. Broadly speaking, Russia, excluding the conquests of Peter the Great and his successors, is the modern land of Magog, Tubal, and Meshech."
The Hebrew word for "chief" is "rosh". "Rosh" was the name of the tribe dwelling in the area of the Volga. Robert Lowth, Bishop of London two hundred years ago, wrote: "Rosh, taken as a proper name in Ezekiel signifies the inhabitants of Scythia from whom the modern Russians derive their modern name. The name 'Russia' dates only from the seventeenth century and was formed from the ancient name 'Russ'".
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states that according to Assyrian and Greek histories, Meshech appears as Musku, Muski or Mushki which are all names related to the Russian spelling of Moscow. On the eastern side of the Ural Mountains lies the city of Tobolsk, named after the Tobol River, derived from Tubal. Tobolsk was once the seat of Russian government over Siberia and was considered Russia’s Asian capital.
Another important voice of the past is that of Josephus. In Book I Chapter VI of his work, this historian who lived almost two thousand years ago stated that the Scythians were called "Magogites" by the Greeks.
There is no doubt that by going through the centuries of name changes, Russia is one of the alliance members. Regarding the other nations listed, for brevity sake, I am going to post a table below for reference.
| Biblical Name | Modern Name | Gog, Magog, Meshech, Tubal | Russia |
|---|---|
| Persia | Iran and Possibly Iraq |
| Gomer and Togarmah | Turkey |
| Ethiopia | Sudan |
| Libya | Libya |
Russia, Turkey, and Iran formed an alliance in late-2017. Sudan has been on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list since 1993 due to severe antisemitism and genocide. Libya also has a history of state-sponsored antisemitism.
"Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee" - Ezekiel 38:9
When this attack takes place, it is sudden and massive and involves nuclear warfare. Ezekiel 39 states that 5/6th of this alliance against Israel's military is destroyed.
"Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?" - Ezekiel 38:13
What is very interesting is that there are nations mentioned in this prophecy that are shocked by this alliance attacking Israel. "Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions" (38:13) are most likely members of the peace treaty that is signed with Israel.
According to archaeologists W. F. Albright and Wendell Phillips, Sheba was on the southwestern edge of the Arabian Peninsula across the Red Sea from present-day Ethiopia. Sheba is known in history as Saba in Southern Arabia, the Sabaeans of classical geography, who carried on the trade in spices with the other peoples of the ancient world. Dedan was probably the habitat of the Arabs on the northern part of the Arabian Desert, which is modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Large sea vessels were often nicknamed “Ships of Tarshish”. These ships were used by merchants to travel throughout the sea for various trade goods. Tin was popular for its use in creating bronze weaponry and relics, and was frequently mined in Cornwall. Interestingly, Britannia is Phoenician for "source of tin" and the lion is a symbol of the British Empire's Royal Coat of Arms. The term "young lions" most likely refers to Australia, America, and possibly Canada, the young offspring of Tarshish.
Within the past year, America has been working on a Middle East peace plan with Saudi Arabia while the United Kingdom has formed a partnership with Saudi Arabia as well.
| Biblical Name | Modern Name |
|---|---|
| Sheba and Dedan | Saudi Arabia |
| Tarshish and Young Lions | Western World |
Additional details of the attack on Israel can be found in the 7 Years of Fuel lesson.