Ezekiel 38: The Israeli Perspective

by Bill Salus

This article is taken from a chapter in The Now Prophecies book. The NOW Prophecies are the unfulfilled ancient biblical predictions that appear to be imminent, which means they could happen NOW! These foretellings have either minor or no remaining preconditions inhibiting them from happening.

Noah was given a NOW Prophecy about a forthcoming worldwide flood. Joseph’s NOW Prophecies dealt with seven years of plenty that would be swallowed up by seven years of ensuing famine in Egypt. The prophet Jeremiah warned about seventy years of desolation in Judah and the corresponding Jewish dispersion from Judah during those years.

In all of these instances it was their NOW Prophecies that benefited and protected them the most. Those timely predictions enabled them to prepare in advance for the powerful events that they were confronted with! Likewise, we need to know the predictions that could affect us NOW!

Ezekiel 38: The Marquee Event

Mankind is about to experience one of the most important prophetic episodes in its history. The marquee event results from the fulfillment of the foretellings in Ezekiel 38 and 39. These two Ezekiel chapters contain some of the most descriptive and easy to understand biblical predictions. Ezekiel describes the epic end times events through which the Lord will notify the world that He is the one true God. The key verses in this regard are;

“So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord GOD. “This is the day of which I have spoken.” (Ezekiel 39:7–8)

This article takes a look at prophecies described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 through the lens of Israel’s perspective. The topics covered are:

What are the conditions in Israel before the Gog of Magog invasion? (Ezekiel 38:1–13). What are the conditions in Israel during the invasion? (Ezekiel 38:14–39:8). What are the conditions in Israel in the aftermath? (Ezekiel 39:9–21).

What are the Conditions in Israel before the Gog of Magog Invasion? (Ezekiel 38:1–13)

By the time the Ezekiel 38 prophecies happen, several other biblical foretellings could have found fulfillment. Israel will likely be responding to, and the world recovering from, these predictions listed below. These prophetic events are explained in The Now Prophecies book.

1. Jeremiah 49:34–39, the Elam prophecy about the potential nuclear disaster in Iran,
2. Isaiah 17 & Jeremiah 49:23–27, the destruction of Damascus,
3. Jeremiah 49:1–6 and Zephaniah 2:8–9, the trembling and toppling of Jordan,
4. Isaiah 19:1–18, the terrorization of Egypt,
5. Psalm 83, the concluding Arab-Israeli war,
6. The rebuilding of, or ground breaking for, the third Jewish temple,
7. Obadiah 1:19–20, Jeremiah 49:2 and Zephaniah 2:9, the expansion of Israel,
8. Ezekiel 37:10, 25:14, Obadiah 1:18, the rise of the exceedingly great Israeli army,
9. Ezekiel 38:11, the safer Israel that dwells without partition walls and security fences,
10. Ezekiel 38:13, the wealthier Israel in receipt of great plunder and booty,
11. 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18, the Rapture of the Church,
12. Ezekiel 38:13, the decline of the UK and USA. (The Now Prophecies book explores the possibility that America represents the “young lions” in this verse).

Gog’s Evil Plan

The fulfillment of any or all of these prophecies listed above will dramatically change Israel’s current geopolitical complexion. When these occur, the Muslim nations should be upset with Israel, and some Western nations supportive of the improved Israel, but Russia will begin to covet the prosperity of the thriving Jewish state. A cruel Russian leader will surface on the scene and devise a maniacal plan against Israel.

Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan.”

— Ezekiel 38:10

Ezekiel 38:11–13 explains that the “evil plan” is to assemble a formidable strategic coalition, comprised of mostly Muslim nations, in order to invade Israel for the sake of material gain. All eyes throughout the world will undoubtedly be focused upon the mainstream news channels to see what Russia’s evil intentions are. As the Magog coalition takes shape and begins to assemble to the north of Israel, according to Ezekiel 38:6, 15 and 39:2, the onlookers will watch their televisions with bated breath. “What in the world is Russia up to?” They will wonder.

As the intent of the invaders becomes perfectly clear, the Muslim nations will mostly applaud or enlist in the coalition. However, the western world will adopt a different attitude. Considering the strong possibility that the Pre-Tribulational Rapture may happen prior to the Ezekiel 38 invasion, the UK, EU and USA will probably be restricted to the role of protestors. The instantaneous unexplained disappearances of the Christians within their populations will present them with an overwhelming dilemma.

On the flip side, if the Rapture has occurred the Muslim nations should be reinvigorated because it will have a lesser impact on these countries than those with a Christian background. The Rapture involves only true believers, and although many Muslims are currently converting to Christianity, their homelands remain primarily Islamic.

Just when the hordes of Ezekiel 38 invaders are marching upon the soil of Israel, with all their weapons of warfare locked and loaded, something catches them completely off guard! Television viewers around the world become shocked to see that a massive earthquake rocks the area!

What are the Conditions in Israel during the Invasion? (Ezekiel 38:14–39:8)

Ezekiel 38:19–20 says there will be a “great earthquake in the land of Israel.” The magnitude of the quake will cause all men upon the face of the whole earth to “shake.” Affected mountains will crumble and walls will fall. Imagine a viewer watching this spectacular scene that interrupts the advance of the Magog invaders on their TV set. What is about to follow is all supernatural. Neither the IDF, nor the American military plays any role in what happens next.

Ezekiel 38:21 declares that “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.” This is alluding to the Magog invaders. Apparently, the powerful repercussions from the seismic event causes panic among the troops, who then begin attacking one another. This is similar to what happened in Israel’s history when Gideon’s 300 soldiers fought against the Midianites. Judges 7:22 says, “the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp.”

Ezekiel 38:22 informs, “I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” As if the earthquake wasn’t enough, matters go from terrible to horrendous for the invaders. Flooding rains accompanied by stone size hailstones pummel the invaders. Fire and brimstone finish them off. By the time all the supernatural events above conclude,

1. The Magog invaders are destroyed,
2. The television watchers around the world are in shock,
3. And, Israel is counting their blessings and praising Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Ezekiel 39:1–6 provides more graphic details about what happens to the invaders and then Ezekiel 39:7–8 occurs. This is when the Lord silences His unbelieving critics and the world recognizes that Israel is not an occupying country that exists upon disputed territories.

What are the Conditions in Israel in the Aftermath? (Ezekiel 39:9–21)

Ezekiel 39:9–10 clues us in to the types of weaponry the invaders possess. The weapons must be of the sort that Israel will be able to convert into fuel. Ezekiel says that “they will make fire with them for seven years.” The picture is of energy provision for the entire nation, rather than a few isolated households. Verse 9 says, “those who dwell in the cities,” utilize this converted weapons-grade fuel.

These missiles and rockets that are being converted to fuel in Ezekiel 39:9–10 probably include the NBCs of weaponry—nuclear, biological, and chemical. We can presume this because a type of Hazmat (Hazardous Materials) teams is enlisted to assist with their burial according to Ezekiel 39:14–16.

Ezekiel 39:11–16 describes the location of the mass burial grounds of the destroyed armies of Gog. A valley east of what is probably the Dead Sea is renamed the Valley of Hamon Gog, which means the “hordes or multitudes” of Gog, in Hebrew. Why I believe it refers to a valley in modern-day Jordan is explained in the chapter called, “Greater Israel,” of my Psalm 83, The Missing Prophecy Revealed book.

Summary

Ezekiel 38 and 39 provides the most important, well explained, and easy to understand prophecies in the Bible. This is because these chapters foretell of the coming marquee event, whereby the Lord upholds His holy name before the watchful eyes of humankind. The event is so epic that the Lord achieves the undivided attention of mankind. Israelis continuing to inhabit their homeland of Israel, after the prophetic wars of Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38, will provide humanity with ample evidence to recognize that the God of the Bible is the one true God!

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