The best approach, in my opinion, is to understand these chapters as referring to actual places and people that will appear on the world scene in the last days, just as the text says.
Ezekiel 38 describes a coalition of nations, listing each of the nations by its ancient place-name in Ezekiel’s day. But before he unveils the nations that will join Russia in this military offensive, Ezekiel identifies the commander of this horde.
The leader of the first great war of the end times is called “Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal” (Ezekiel 38:2, NASB). The name Gog, which occurs ten times in the New Living Translation of Ezekiel 38–39, is the name or title of the leader of the invasion. We know this because he is directly addressed by God (see 38:14; 39:1), called a prince (see 38:2; 39:1), and repeatedly referred to by the use of personal pronouns. Also, he is “of the land of Magog,” indicating he is an individual. The word Gog is likely not the leader’s name but serves as a title like “pharaoh,” “president,” or “czar.”
In the Old Testament, the word Gog appears only one time outside Ezekiel 38–39—in 1 Chronicles 5:4—but clearly in reference to a different person. Gog may mean “high” or “supreme,” or it may represent a height, possibly emphasizing this leader’s elevated position and pride. The word Gog may come from the Sumerian word gug, meaning “darkness.”
The name Gog has been identified with many personages both ancient and modern. Here are some of the more common views:
• Gog is Gugu or Gyges, a Lydian king in the seventh century BC. (Lydia is part of the modern nation of Turkey.)
• Gog is a cryptogram or code name for Babylon.
• Gog is another name for the end-times Antichrist.
• Gog is a symbolic term for any enemy of God.
I don’t believe Gog and the Antichrist should be equated. According to Daniel 7 and Revelation 13, the final Antichrist will lead the Western confederacy of nations, reunited out of the old Roman empire, while Gog is from Russia and leads a primarily northern force. Daniel 11:40 calls the Russian leader “the king of the north.” Gog and the Antichrist are two different leaders who are in opposition to each other.
The best view seems to be that Gog is a title for the ruler of Russia derived from a recent ruler in Ezekiel’s day (Gyges or Gugu) that Ezekiel employs to describe the character of the final Russian ruler. Charles Dyer and Mark Tobey hold this view. They believe Gog is “most likely an allusion to an ancient king named Gyges who died about seventy years before Ezekiel delivered his prophecy. By identifying this still-future ruler as ‘Gog,’ Ezekiel was using someone from his recent past to paint a one-word portrait of this future ruler. It is similar to someone today identifying the future Antichrist as the next ‘Hitler’ or ‘Stalin’—men who also died several decades ago but whose evil legacy is still fresh on people’s minds.”[5] Whatever specific view one takes of the meaning of Gog, Ezekiel is clear that he will be the northern commander of this last-days coalition.
The name Gog is followed by nine ancient place-names. Our task is to decode these ancient locations and identify their modern counterparts.
The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 helps us with this task because all the names in Ezekiel 38 (save Rosh) are listed there as the descendants of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and especially Japheth. In locating these places today, we need to remember that Ezekiel used the names for these places that were familiar in his day (ca. 593–570 BC). The names of these places have changed many times over the millennia and may change again before this prophecy is fulfilled. Nevertheless, these are the geographical locations, whatever their names may be, that will be part of this massive Russian-led incursion into Israel in the last days. Paul Enns observes, “The names Gog, Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal were historic names that should be understood representatively or eschatologically. Ezekiel prophesied concerning a future invasion against Israel, but used names of nations during his day because the future invaders would be from the same geographical places.”[6]
In the last chapter we looked at the evidence that identifies Rosh as Russia, so we won’t go over that same ground again, but we’ll identify the other eight places Ezekiel pinpoints.
Magog was the second son of Japheth and the grandson of Noah. The name Magog is found elsewhere in Scripture in Genesis 10:2, 1 Chronicles 1:5, Ezekiel 39:6, and Revelation 20:8. We discussed Magog in the last chapter in some detail and discovered that many identify Magog as Russia and/or the Islamic nations of Central Asia, possibly including Afghanistan. Again, Charles Ryrie notes that Magog “was identified… as the land of the Scythians… now occupied by… Russia, the Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.”[7] Magog is the land of the ancient Scythians and encompasses the Central Asian nations that formed the underbelly of the Soviet Union. These predominantly Muslim nations have a combined population of more than sixty million. Robbed of these nations and longing for a return to the Soviet empire, Russia is working to woo them back under its umbrella. The Eurasian Economic Union is strongly supported by Russia to extend its influence in Central Asia.
Meshech and Tubal are normally mentioned together in Scripture (see Ezekiel 27:13; 32:26). C. I. Scofield identifies Meshech and Tubal as the Russian cities of Moscow and Tobolsk.[8]
Over the years many others have followed Scofield’s identification. The names of these places do sound alike, but as I mentioned in the last chapter, this by itself is not a proper method of identifying the current locations of these ancient places. The context of the book of Ezekiel rules out any association of these places with Moscow or Tobolsk. Meshech and Tubal are mentioned as trading partners with ancient Tyre, which is modern Lebanon (see Ezekiel 27:13). Ezekiel 32:26 records their recent defeat by their enemies. Ancient records provide no credible evidence that Tyre was trading with places as remote as Moscow and the Siberian city of Tobolsk. Also, Ezekiel would certainly not have been aware of any defeat of armies that distant from Israel.
The more reliable identification is that Meshech is the ancient Moschoi in Greek writing and Musku in Assyrian inscriptions, while Tubal is Tibarenoi and Tabal. Both of these locations are in present-day Turkey, a nation that is strengthening ties with Russia and Iran.
Like Magog, Meshech, and Tubal, Gomer was a son of Japheth. He was the first son of Japheth and the grandson of Noah (see Genesis 10:2-3). Many have identified Gomer as Germany. Arnold Fruchtenbaum says, “Gomer … [is] located in present-day Germany. This too was the rabbinic view. The Midrash calls Gomer Germania and that is also the way the Talmud refers to Gomer.”[9] In the days of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain, when Eastern Europe was under Soviet control, Gomer was often identified with East Germany. John Phillips believes Gomer refers to Germany and speculates, “What if a united and anti-Semitic Germany were to seek its future fortunes while allied to an anti-Semitic Russia?”[10] If true, that would be a formidable partnership.
5
Charles Dyer and Mark Tobey,
7
Charles C. Ryrie,
8
C. I. Scofield,
9
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum,
10
John Phillips,