Secrets of Israel’s Battle of Gog and Magog
Ezekiel 38:14–16
by Robert D Pace
The epic battle of human history is found in Ezekiel 38–39, and it’s loaded with intrigue and secrets. That’s why I’ve named this message “The Secrets of Israel’s Battle of Gog and Magog.” With the Holy Spirit’s assistance, we’re going to unravel these secrets and discover an amazing story. While Ezekiel provides the most details of this Battle, at least ten books of the Bible speak of it. In cryptic and covert ways the Holy Spirit inspired the Prophets to repeatedly reference it. But first, let’s summarize this chief conflict of the ages.
(Summary) This battle involves about 20 nations converging on the mountains of Israel to destroy Israel and confiscate its wealth. One writer noted that Israel will be outnumbered 70-1. But with Israel besieged and facing doom, God will arise to crush this coalition and spare his covenant nation. The drama of it all will be captured by modern media as billions of people witness this divinely orchestrated cataclysm. The consequences will instantly paralyze the world with the fear of God and create geopolitical shockwaves.
But, there is Good News! Although God’s intervention defeats Israel’s enemies, the aftereffects of this Battle lead to the greatest act of redemption in world history. This is not an overstatement! The marvel of this conflict is that it triggers the great Endtime revival predicted in the Bible as it sweeps multiplied millions into the Kingdom.
You see, this isn’t the Battle of Armageddon the book of Revelation discloses. Years ago, some theologians assumed they were the same war; but that’s incorrect. Armageddon is dreadful and horrific! It is the terminal conflict of earthly history when Christ appears and Michael the Archangel confines Satan to the Lake of Fire. But this doesn’t describe the Battle of Gog and Magog. In fact, since there has been confusion regarding the similarities of these battles, let’s investigate four contrasts that distinguish them from each other:
1. First, while the armies of Gog and Magog are vast, Ezekiel shows this is a limited confederation that opposes Israel. On the other hand, Revelation shows nations from “every corner of the earth” appearing at the Battle of Armageddon.
2. Second, Gog and Magog occurs near Israel’s rebirth as a nation when the Jews have returned to the Holy Land. However, Revelation 20 shows Armageddon occurring after the Millennial Reign of Peace when the lion, ox, and sheep rest together. This alone, reveals that these battles are separated by 1000 years.
3. Third, note the purpose of these two battles. Ezekiel 38:6 says the purpose of Gog is to plunder Israel’s wealth. But that’s not the purpose of Armageddon. Satan’s purpose at Armageddon is to conquer Christ and seize eternal control of the planet.
4. And fourth, the most convincing proof that distinguishes these battles is how they terminate. As I mentioned, Armageddon ends with Michael the Archangel casting Satan into Hell. Gog terminates with a series of natural disasters splitting and pounding the mountains where Israel’s enemies are camped. It’s struck with an earthquake; torrential rain, hailstones, and fire; and then finally, with the nations in confusion, they turn their weapons on each other and fight themselves. It then takes 7 months to bury the dead and 7 years to burn the weapons.
(Secret) This presents the first secret of this Battle. Since it takes 7 years to burn the weapons, it’s evident that this Battle occurs prior to the Rapture. We can draw this conclusion because the Tribulation begins with the Antichrist signing a 7-year Peace Treaty with Israel that he breaks after 3½ years. Think about something: if this battle occurred in the middle of the 7-year Tribulation, there would be but 3½ years remaining and not enough time for another 7 years to burn the weapons. That means this battle must occur before Christ returns and raptures Christians!
(Transition) As we continue, we need to understand what provokes this battle. Why would a massive coalition of nations try to annihilate the tiny country of Israel? In fact, why does the world’s wrath always swirl against Israel? Since Israel’s inception as a nation, it has encountered nothing but conflict. The answer to this secret is simple:
Why Israel is Hated!
1. Israel belongs to God like no other nation. Deuteronomy 14:2 says, “for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession” (NIV). God reserved a unique destiny for Israel unlike any other nation can claim. He chose the Jews to give mankind the (1) Scriptures and (2) the Savior and no other nation can claim this distinction. This is why the world stays incensed toward Israel. It is a spiritually motivated hostility—it’s demonic! But this demonic rage doesn’t stop here. And what I’m about to say is the focal point of this battle.
2. The second reason the world hates Israel is because God has staked his claim to this property unlike any other real estate on this planet. Zechariah 2:12 calls it “The Holy Land.” And that means God has sovereignly determined Israel’s borders for his name’s sake.
3. The third reason the world hates Israel is because God has bequeathed his covenant land to his covenant people—the Jews. Let’s crosscheck this statement by examining the scriptures:
(a) The Lord first made this promise to Abraham—the father of the Jews—4000 years ago, when he said in Genesis 15:7 “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” God explicitly chose Abraham—the Father of the Jews—as the beneficiary of the land.
(b) Beyond that, the Bible scribes over 30 references to God bequeathing this property to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the entire house of Israel.
(c) And finally, 3000 years ago, King David—a Jew—purchased the entire Mountain of Moriah where Solomon later built the Temple (2 Samuel 24).
Here’s what all this means: The antiquity of Scripture reveals that the Israelis own this property in three ways: (a) They own it by God’s personal pledge to Abraham; (b) they own it by God’s repeated pledge to the Jews, and; (c) they own the Holy Land by King David’s purchase of the Temple Mount.
So, if you are looking for the divinely authorized deed to the Promised Land I brought it with me: It’s called the Bible—the Word of God! And you can be assured of this: The Lord will never revoke or even amend his deed! It is an irrevocable covenantal promise reserved for his chosen people.
(Transition) Despite this preponderance of Biblical evidence, world leaders have insisted that Israel swap its “Land for Peace.” Perhaps you have heard of the “Land for Peace Doctrine”? “Land for Peace” negotiations propose that Israel will find harmony with its neighbors if it will only parcel its Covenant Land.
Land for Peace
Folks, this is dangerous! God did not design Israel’s property for negotiating Peace Treaties. When God called this property the “holy land” it actually meant it was the Lord’s property on-loan to the Israelis. And he embedded a warning against parceling this land in Joel 3:2. The Lord said: “I will enter into judgment with . . . the nations that divide up my land.”
Israel’s borders eternally belong to Israel and God will judge the nations that divide those borders! This is what Moses warned all the way back in Leviticus 25:23 when he said, “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.” (NIV)
There are times when we struggle with the precise meaning of certain scriptures. But at other times, the Bible is so clear and settled that it is beyond any disputation! And this is one of those cases. The land of Israel is not up for negotiation. The United States, Britain, the United Nations, or the Palestinians have no right to do determine Israel’s borders. It’s called the “Holy Land” for a reason: God owns the property! And it shouldn’t be subject to peace treaties or partitioning!
When God established Abraham as the Patriarch of Israel he issued a warning to the world. He said in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those that bless Israel and curse those that curse Israel.” Let me pause to establish the veracity of God’s forewarning.
Until the 20th Century, Israel had been governed by foreign empires for 2400 years. And the Bible predicted this would happen. Beginning in 586 BC, Babylon, Assyria, Rome, Persia, and Great Britain had governed Israel. But the Bible also predicted Israel would reclaim its Statehood and become autonomous. That happened in 1948.
Here’s what’s amazing: Since 1948, calamity has struck countries that have impugned Israel’s welfare. In fact, there have been over 50 occasions when nations have suffered catastrophic events when they injured Israel. Even America has suffered when it trespassed on God’s Covenant with Abraham. I want to talk about this.
The story begins in August of 2005 when the United States forced Israel to surrender the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians. At America’s behest, soldiers and bulldozers rumbled through what was once Biblical Samaria and Judea and displaced 10,000 Israelis. But while Israel’s land suffered division in 2005, so did America’s. I’m sure you remember Hurricane Katrina.
The Israeli displacement in Gaza ended on August 22, 2005. Mysteriously enough, Katrina became a Tropical Depression on August 23, one day later. And when Katrina finished its fury it had displaced 300,000 New Orleans residents and over one million Gulf Coast residents.
I would admit this was “coincidence,” but I have discovered 50 other documented occasions when nations that offended Israel suffered misfortune since 1948. While some people scorn this suggestion, do you realize it would impugn the Scriptures should no catastrophes occur when nations injure or censure Israel! It would prove the Bible to be false!
(Illustration) Perhaps you remember Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. Upon hearing the news, I instantly wondered what connection it might have with Israel. Thus, I began researching and discovered something remarkable. On March 11, 2010 the Japanese Government officially denounced Israel’s rights to its land and ordered the Israelis to withdraw from East Jerusalem. In Japan’s official denouncement of Israel’s land rights, it refused to recognize Israel’s claim to East Jerusalem, the West Bank, or any territory reclaimed in the 1967 Six-Day War. Even though God disapproved of Japan’s defiance, he gave them one year to renounce their repudiation of the Abrahamic Covenant. Because it was exactly one year to the day, March 11, 2011, that Japan suffered its 9.0 earthquake and Tsunami!
Folks, God issued fair warning to the nations: ‘Do not divide My land!’ The God who created 196,940,400 square miles of landmass, has sanctified a mere 12,000 square miles in the Middle East and called it the “Holy Land” (Zechariah 2:12). And the “Lord will enter into judgment with the nations that would dare to divide it (Joel 3:2).
(Transition) This brings us to the Battle of Gog and Magog because it’s all about dividing Israel’s land and annulling God’s Covenant with Abraham.
The Coalition of Nations
Through the years, scholars have investigated the identities of Gog and Magog. Most scholastics agree that Magog is Russia. But while Magog is Russia, it’s interesting that Gog is not a nation!
Turn to Ezekiel 38. The Prophet says: “The word of the Lord came to me saying, son of man set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog; the Prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal and prophesy against him.”
Did you notice that Gog is a person, not a nation? He’s called a “leader or ruler.” And there is nothing benevolent about this despot. Ezekiel describes Gog as fierce and deceitful; perhaps trained by the KGB. Whoever this madman is he will utterly despise Israel. But Ezekiel 38:5 says Russia is allied with another principal nation. And it’s amazing which nation it is. It’s amazing for two reasons:
First, this nation didn’t exist until 300 years after Ezekiel penned this prophecy. But through prophecy, God anointed Ezekiel to see this nation arising on the world stage.
Second, once this people group organized into a country it was Russia’s mortal enemy for the next 2300 years.
But guess what happened between these two nations in the 1990s? They became allies! Which nation is this? Ezekiel says Elam, which later changed its name to Persia, which in 1935 changed its name to Iran, will join Russia in this war. Folks, Bible prophecy is never wrong! God knows the future better than historians can chronicle the past. He knows the “end from the beginning” and we can trust this Book!
But there are other nations engaged in this battle too. Ezekiel also lists Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Germany, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. And then strangely, Ezekiel mentions no other nation.
But that’s when the Psalmist Asaph adds another group of nations to the coalition. In Psalm 83 Asaph lists Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the Gulf States, the Palestinians, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria showing up at this battle.
(Transition) There is a reason God chose both Ezekiel and Asaph to identify this enormous coalition gathering against Israel and I’ll disclose this secret later. The question for the moment is, Why will the Prince Gog, of Russia, attack Israel? Let’s continue reading Ezekiel 38:10-12 to find the answer:
Why Russia Attacks
Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme (11) and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ (12) to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth.
This passage is loaded with revelation! But for now, I want you to notice Gog’s reason for invading Israel. Ezekiel says he will “devise an evil scheme to plunder and loot Israel.” But what type of spoils will Gog seek to seize? What about oil—even massive amounts of oil? Does the Bible suggest this? Well, let’s investigate.
The Lord originally parceled the Promised Land to Abraham’s great-grandsons—the 12 sons of Jacob. In other words, there were initially 12 regions of the Promised Land. And strangely enough, Moses noted that each region would inherit divine blessings for the Last Days:
1. First, notice what God promised the land of Joseph. And remember, Joseph received a double portion through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh born in Egypt. Genesis 49:25 says: “The Almighty blesses you with blessings from heaven above, and blessings of the deep beneath.”
What blessing lies deep within the earth? Moses is giving us a treasure code but we don’t have enough information to crack it so rather than guess let’s keep reading. Whatever it is, it must be unearthed.
2. Second, Deuteronomy 33:19 shows Moses pronouncing an Endtime blessing upon the tribe of Zebulon when he says: “They will draw out an abundance from the sea and the treasures hidden in the sand.” I have a question: What “treasures from the sand” have the Arabs been unearthing since the early 1900s? Oil! I admit that Moses didn’t specifically say “oil” when he prophesied unearthing “treasures from the sand” so let’s keep reading.
3. Third, notice God’s blessing to Asher and his territory in verse 24. “More blessed are you than all your brothers for you will dip your foot in oil.”
This secret is amazing because it’s no coincidence that Moses said Asher would “dip his foot in oil.” When you investigate a map of Israel, you discover the land of Asher forms a leg by the Mediterranean Sea. Then, at its southern-most point, Asher’s leg forms a foot! Once again, all divinely foreseen!
It’s ironic that in the 1960s, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, “Moses dragged us for 40-years through the wilderness to the one place in the Middle East where there was no oil.” Really?
(Oil Reserves) In recent years Israeli geologists have explored for oil and their discoveries have been astounding: (a) Geologists initially discovered 65 million barrels in Central Israel. (b) But a year later, they realized their estimate was mistaken and it was closer to 100 million barrels of oil. (c) However, a few months later, geologists discovered one billion barrels of oil. (d) But the most stunning news is Israel’s discovery of shale that contains, not one billion barrels but, 266 billion barrels of oil, which equals the shale repositories of Saudi Arabia!
(Natural Gas) Remember that Moses also prophesied that Zebulon would “draw out an abundance from the sea. Has this happened yet? Well, just off Israel’s coast lies the Mediterranean Sea. And in recent years, geologists discovered 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas! In remarkable fashion, on March 30, 2013, Israel had completed a natural gas pipeline and began pumping that gas from the Mediterranean onto their mainland. Finally, after 4000 years, Moses’ treasure code has been cracked! Israel has its “abundance from the sea” and “treasures in the sand.”
Elijah Sites
What’s interesting is, the Israeli government is naming their crude oil drilling sites after the prophet Elijah—Elijah Site 1, 2, 3, etc. That seems odd, doesn’t it? But they are called “Elijah” sites because they are located on the plains of Asher where Elijah ministered.
Amazingly enough, this discloses another secret leading to this battle: 1 Kings 17 shows Asher as the place where Elijah met a widow and her son during a famine. On the brink of death, Elijah worked The-Miracle-of-the-Endless-Flow-of-Oil for this household! Now, imagine the prophetic significance of this miracle: This region of Israel will once again flow with oil—not enough to sustain a widow—but with billions of barrels of oil to sustain the nations!
Fortunately, Golda Meir was wrong. Israel isn’t void of oil; it’s the spot on the planet deluged with it! And just as Ezekiel 38:4 says, the Lord will put the “hook in the bear’s mouth” and the Prince Gog will unleash his “evil scheme” to descend upon Israel to seize the spoils.
(Transition) But there is more to this battle than Russia coveting Israel’s riches. This is when the Arabs find their opportunity to enter this battle. And because the Arabs are oil rich nations their intentions are totally different. They don’t want Israel’s oil; they want to annihilate Israel and divide its land. But again, why? What provokes such hostility among the Arabs toward Israel?
Why the Arabs Attack
Remember that Abraham had two sons: Isaac and Ishmael. Isaac was the “son of promise” that God determined would perpetuate the lineage of Christ and beget the Jewish nation. On the other hand, Abraham’s son Ishmael produced the Arab nations.
Now, there is something that must never be overlooked about Ishmael. The Lord said in Genesis 16:12 that “[Ishmael] will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him.” Never forget that! Because this provides incredible insight into the nature of Arabs!
History reveals that the Arabs have brandished hostility toward everyone. For centuries, Arabs have fought Arabs and everyone else. But, the bond that unites all Arabs is their mutual disdain for Israel! Their aggression always unites when Israel is in the crosshairs. Thus, they will gladly join Russia in this battle.
The Grandmaster of this Attack
But something must be understood here: The Grandmaster of this battle is not the despot Gog, although he thinks he is. It is not Iran or the Arabs. It is the Lord himself that drags these nations against Israel. And this is where the intriguing and cryptic phrases appear in Ezekiel. Notice what Ezekiel 38:16 says:
“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. [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.’”
Throughout Ezekiel 38-39 the Lord says, “I will magnify Myself, I will show my greatness” “I will glorify Myself,” “I will make Myself known”; “I will sanctify Myself”; “I will show Myself holy.” The Lord uses these phrases 15 times and it’s because they disclose a secret: Jehovah has designed this Battle to reveal himself as the Sovereign Lord of mankind. That’s why he says, when this battle ends, all “the nations will know that I am the Lord” (39:7).
It’s interesting that God chose this moment in human history to make this global revelation of himself. The answer lies in God knowing 2600 years ago, when Ezekiel penned these words, the religious deception that would threaten the Endtime. And what is the great religious threat of these days? It is Islam!
Do you realize that 99% of Ishmael’s descendants, the Arabs, are Islamic? There is a reason: Muhammad, the founder of Islam, also descended from Ishmael. Muhammad called himself the “Arab prophet” (570 AD) and directly connected himself to Ishmael. When you understand the founder of Islam is an Ishmaelite, it becomes evident why the Koran insists that Islam advance itself through bloodshed. As an Ishmaelite religion Islam expressly fulfills the Scriptures with “the hand of Islam being against every man.” In all candor, the Ishmaelite nature of Islam makes it impossible to separate itself from hostility and claim a “moderate” status.
(Mahdi Prophecy) You see, the ultimate intention of Islam is to dominate the world. What’s startling is, according to a Shiite prophecy, the Muslims are awaiting the appearance of their messiah, known as the Mahdi—the Twelfth Imam. I know this sounds like fiction; but it’s not! The prophecy says the Mahdi will appear to impose worldwide Sharia Law, but he can’t appear until the world is thrown into chaos and the Jews are annihilated.
Be certain of this: Muslims believe this prophecy! Radical Muslims and Islam clerics are eager to create global chaos because they want to draw-out the Mahdi. Thus, the Battle of Gog and Magog presents the perfect opportunity to rally the Muslims, create global anarchy, and present their Messiah.
The Battle Becomes a Holy War!
With Israel surrounded by this coalition, 70-1, the Muslims will use this Battle to show that Jehovah is an imposter and unable to protect the borders of his Covenant land. So suddenly, this Battle of Gog and Magog becomes a Jihad—a Holy War—Allah against Jehovah. And the Muslims are absolutely certain they will win!
This explains why Asaph, the writer of Psalm 83, lists the Arab nations appearing at this battle. Asaph was the Grand Worship Leader that ministered before the Ark of the Covenant—the Most Holy artifact of OT worship. Asaph represented true worship—the worship of Jehovah. But the nations Asaph identified all worship Allah—a false deity.
(Insight) Now imagine the global tension that will arise as the media report this story to the billions of people around the world. At this point, Christians will be fervently praying to Jehovah for God to spare Israel. The 1.6 billion Muslims will be bowing toward Mecca and praying to Allah.
Now we understand why God repeatedly says, “I will sanctify my name; I will make myself known; I’ll glorify My Name”; I will show my greatness.” If it’s a Holy War the Muslims want, then Jehovah is ready to accept their challenge and defend the greatness of his name. He will reveal himself as Almighty God and not allow his covenant land to be uprooted!
(Transition) And here’s how Ezekiel says it will unfold:
Battle of Gog and Magog
1. With the Russians, Persians, and Arabs ready to attack Israel, God will strike Jerusalem with an earthquake beyond anything the Richter Scale has measured! Ezekiel 38:20 says, “All the nations of the world shall tremble at this earthquake.”
Maybe it seems impossible for “all the nations of the world [to] tremble at this earthquake,” but consider this. Ezekiel 5:5 says God has “set Israel at the center of the nations,” and once Jerusalem, the epicenter of the world, is shaken, the foundations of the world will rattle. And each nation will be judged in proportion to its support or antipathy toward Israel.
It is not coincidental that the 45-acre Temple Mount in Jerusalem is described as the most dangerous place on earth. That’s because it contains three sacred shrines—the Jews’ Wailing Wall, and the Muslims’ El-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. The magnitude of this earthquake will destroy all three shrines instantly!
To make Ezekiel’s prophecy even more interesting he says in verse 20, “The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.” What other notable wall could the prophet have foreseen 2,600-years ago but the Wailing Wall? The one slice of that ancient Jewish Temple that has been rebuilt will once again fall!
2. Imagine how the Russians, Persians, and Arabs—all distrusting each other—will translate this earthquake. With the mountains and hills melting and smoke spiraling into the air, they will assume part of the coalition has defected.” Thus, Ezekiel says the armies “will turn their [weapons] against one another” (38:21-22). In other words, the agitating spirit of Ishmael will foment and tear loose, and Arab will fight Arab!
3. Then, with the coalition in conflict, the Lord will send “torrents of rain, hailstones, and burning sulfur” upon them (38:22). Even the tempest of nature will arise to defend Israel.
With God orchestrating everything, the coalition will be quickly crushed and Israel will stand secure. The world will see that the God of Asaph, whose name means “one that gathers” and the God of Ezekiel, whose name means “strength of God,” will have gathered the coalition and displayed his incontestable strength!
And instead of Jehovah being shamed, Allah will be unmasked as the imposter! Allah will bow to Jehovah and all the Muslim hosts will be shown powerless to impugn Israel’s covenant rights to their Land of Promise.
The Redemptive Purpose of this Battle
(Insight) Imagine how this will affect the soul and psyche of Muslims around the world—those that have been hypnotized by the spell of Islam. In one fell swoop, this battle, which turned into a Holy War of Allah against Jehovah, will totally dispirit the Muslims and cause millions to reject their religion. With Allah shamed Muslims will have no choice but to abandon their beliefs.
1. But this is when our loving Savior Jesus Christ will stand with his outstretched arms toward the Muslims and offer salvation.
It’s here that Muslims, by the millions, accept Christ as Savior. This is what Asaph pointed out in Psalm 83:15. He said: “Pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane! [Why? Verse 16 furnishes the answer:] (16) Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord.” Thank God that his judgments appear with a redemptive offer!
2. But the Arabs aren’t the only ones that turn to Christ. God also extends his grace to the Iranians. Jeremiah 49:37 says, “I will shatter Elam [Iran] before their foes . . . and I will bring disaster upon them by my fierce anger.” [Notice the next verse.] “I will set my throne in Elam (39). “In the Latter Days I will restore the fortunes of Elam,” declares the LORD.” The day is coming when God will dethrone Iran’s Ayatollahs, Mullahs, turn the Iranians to Christ, and set his throne there!
3. But God’s redemption not only reaches the Muslims and Arabs, it also reaches Israel. This Battle becomes the linchpin that unleashes Christ’s grace upon the Jews.
Ezekiel 39:22 says, “The house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God from that day onward.”
And then verse 29 says, “I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.”
And Zechariah 12:9 also forecasts the outcome of this Battle: “On that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (10) And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, so that they will behold Me whom they have pierced.”
We are waiting for the Battle of Gog and Magog so God can make Believers out of the Jews!
4. But God’s saving grace is still not over. This is when the Lord pours out worldwide spiritual refreshment for people of every nation.
Do you realize the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Joel are written in the context of this battle? Both chapters describe the Battle of Gog and Magog. And this is why Joel says, “It shall come to pass after this. . .” [Let’s pause.] “ What was Joel referring to when he said, “After this”? The words of Joel’s here lie in the context of the Battle of Gog and Magog! Listen to his words again: “It shall come to pass after this [the Battle of Gog and Magog] that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.”
You see, once Christians around the world witness God’s heroics at this battle it will spark a global move of the Holy Spirit. That’s because Believers will witness the fulfillment of Bible prophecy firsthand as God dramatically delivers his chosen people.
Then suddenly, the world will be ablaze with an unprecedented spiritual awakening as Arabs, Persians, Jews, and Gentiles from every nation turn to Christ. It will initiate the last-day outpouring of the Holy Spirit predicted by the Bible.
The Jews Rebuild the Temple
And according to the sequence of events unfolding chapter-by-chapter in the book of Ezekiel, this is when the Lord will ordain Israel’s reconstruction of the Temple. For years people have suggested that Israel was on the verge of rebuilding their Temple. But that can’t happen before this battle! It is simply impossible! The Muslims, with their Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock situated on Mount Moriah, will not permit the Jews to rebuild their Temple.
But remember what has happened during this battle. It’s been accompanied by that calamitous earthquake that has toppled the monuments of the Temple Mount. It’s nothing but a pile of rubble atop that Mount. And at this point, with the “fear of God” gripping the world, no nation will dare impede Israel’s reconstruction of the Temple upon Mount Moriah.
Amazingly enough, Ezekiel includes the construction process in the succeeding chapters describing this Battle. And when Ezekiel describes the reconstruction of the next Temple he says it will stand alone, autonomous and independent, from all “outside” structures. Notice his words in chapter Ezekiel 43:12: “This is the law of the Temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.”
In other words, the law that governs the presence of the next Temple will prohibit any other worship facility appearing on the Mountain. The entire 45-acres of the Temple Mount will be sanctified unto the Lord!
(Summary) The Battle of Gog and Magog is not the war to end all wars. It’s God’s last wakeup call to the world before the Antichrist rises to power and the Tribulation begins. You see, God’s grace will not let man walk blindly into the Apocalypse. So he uses this battle to validate the Lordship of his Son Jesus Christ. It shows that the God of Abraham is strong to keep his Covenant Land of Promise. And it reveals . . . there is no God like Jehovah!