GOG (high). The Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38-39 refer to a military alliance which will attack Israel from the north in the latter days. There are six reasons we believe this refers to Russia:
What is Gog and Magog?
1. The name points to Russia. "Gog is a word for ruler. Magog is the Hebrew word rosh, which means head. Dean Stanley, in his exhaustive History of the Eastern Church, published half a century ago, has a note founded on Gesenius, the great Hebrew scholar, to the effect that the word rosh should be Russia. Bishop Lowther made the statement that rosh taken as a proper name in Ezekiel signified the inhabitants of Scripture from whom the modern Russians derive their name. You see, Russia was first called Muscovy, derived from Meshech. I am sure you detect that the names Meshech and Tubal certainly sound like Moscow (Russia's capitol) and Tobolsk (a chief city of Siberia)" (J. Vernon McGee, Ezekiel). Russia is divided into eastern and western parts by the Ural mountains. This mountain range runs 1,300 miles from the Arctic ocean to Kazakhstan, a southernmost republic of the former Soviet Union, and is the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia (Funk & Wagnalls). It is interesting to note that Moscow lies in the European side of Russia, while Tobolsk lies in the Asian side. By selecting these two cities of the "land of Magog," God has covered the entire region which has made up the U.S.S.R.
2. The location points to Russia. Ezekiel tells us exactly where this enemy of Israel lives--to the north (Eze. 38:6,15; 39:2). A quick reference to a modern map reveals only one large power to the north of Israel--Russia.
3. The size of the army points to Russia. "even a great company ... like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands ... a mighty army" (Eze. 38:4,9,15). Israel has many enemies other than Russia--especially the neighboring Arab nations, but no Arab enemy can field an army as mighty as the one Ezekiel sees descending from the north.
4. The alliance points to Russia (Eze. 38:4-6). Gog does not come against Israel alone, and these which are said to be associated with him remind us of Russia and its former communist satellites. Gomer refers to "the people descended from Gomer (Ge. 10:2); they settled in the north of the Black Sea and then spread themselves southward and westward to the extremities of Europe" (Young). Thus Gomer probably refers to the former East European satellites of Russia, such as Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Poland. Togarmah was a son of Gomer, son of Japheth (Ge. 10:3) and settled in Armenia (Young). "Armenia, a former kingdom of NE Asia Minor; generally understood to include eastern Turkey and the Armenian S.S.R.--a constituent republic of the Trans Caucasian Soviet Union" (Funk & Wagnalls). This refers to the southern republics of Russia.
5. The equipment points to Russia (Eze. 38:7). The northern enemy of Israel appears as a great provider of war materiel. Who has been equipping Israel's many enemy nations for decades? It is Russia. Libya, for example, has an awesome stockpile of Soviet- supplied weapons.
6. This power's hatred of Israel points to Russia. Of the great world powers today, none have expressed as much hatred toward God and Israel as Russia. One of the chief propaganda cries of Russian communism was "Zionism is Racism." In 1984, the U.S. ambassador dealing with human rights under the Helsinki Accords said, "Berlin was once the world capital of anti-Semitism; I am afraid that today it is in Moscow."
When shall Gog and Magog attack Israel? (1) It will occur in the latter days (Eze. 38:8). (2) It will occur when Israel is regathered (Eze. 39:8). This points to the times in which we are now living. Since 1948 Israel has again dwelt in the land. (3) It will occur in conjunction with Israel's conversion. In Eze. 39 we see that God's judgment upon Gog will result in Israel realizing that He is their God. (Eze. 39:7). We know from other prophecies that this conversion of Israel will occur during the Great Tribulation (See Ze. 12-13). (4) It will occur at the time when Israel feels secure from danger (Eze. 38:11). Obviously Israel does not feel secure today. The tiny nation is armed to the teeth; and, while doing an admirable job of defending itself, there certainly is no letting down of the guard for Israel today. When will this time of safety be? It will probably be when Antichrist makes the peace pact with Israel described in Da. 9:27 and 8:25. Israel will be deceived into thinking the pledge of Antichrist will guarantee them safety. It is then that Russia and her cohorts will move. Since Da. 9:27 says the Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel in the middle of the seven years, we can be reasonably certain that the battle of Gog will occur in the first half of the Tribulation.
