Steven Collins
November 28, 2007
As readers of this blog know, I identify the rapidly-strengthening alliance of Russia, China and Iran as the fulfillment of the “Gog-Magog” alliance prophesied in Ezekiel 38 to come into existence in the latter-days. This is hardly surprising as many Christian writers and observers see this as well. Most people think that the term “Israel” means the Jewish/Israeli nation and think no deeper on the subject. However, the terms “Israel and Judah” are not at all synonymous in biblical prophecy. Judah is the biblical term for the Jewish/Israeli people and that term is not used at all in Ezekiel 38. The biblical term ‘Israel” is used to identify the so-called “lost ten tribes of Israel.” Ezekiel 38, therefore, reveals that the nations of the ten tribes of Israel will be attacked by Russia, China, Iran, etc. in the latter days. My books and articles identify the modern ten tribes of Israel to be the USA, UK, many nations of NATO, etc. This identification is abundantly confirmed by a mass of documented evidence in my books. Other researchers around the world have also seen these identification.
However, this blog will address an aspect of Ezekiel 38-39’s prophecy that has never been examined in any of my articles on this subject. This question is: Will the “Gog-Magog” alliance hold together in the latter days or will it fall apart? Ezekiel 38 has the answer, but let’s first put the issue in a modern context.
Russia, China and Iran are very dissimilar nations. They are united at present only by their passionate and deep hatred of the Western world, in general, and of the USA, in particular. However, one can imagine what the leaders of these three nations are actually thinking about each other. Iran’s leaders are dominated by a Messianist, Shiite, Islamic belief in the coming of a “12th Imam” in the near future, and there reportedly is a related belief that his coming can only be ushered in by a world war of some kind. Iran cannot hope to challenge the USA directly, but is using its alliance with Russia and China to strengthen itself. Iran’s Ayatollahs surely regard the non-Islamic Russians and Chinese as “infidels,” so they see them as useful allies in the short term. Iran cannot match either Russia or China, but its radical Islamist leaders think they will dominate the earth via the supernatural power of their “12th Imam.”
Russia is acting ever-more imperialist under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, but lacking the size and resources of the old Soviet Union, Russia needs allies to supplant the USA as the world’s leading superpower. Russia’s phenomenal energy wealth is allowing it to rebuild its national strength and military at a rapid rate, but Russia likely also sees China and Iran as convenient allies for the time being. Russia had traditionally feared China’s billion+ population which far outnumbers Russia’s population. If China invaded Russian territory to seek new “living space” for its expanding population, the only way Russia could stop a Chinese invasion is to “nuke” its own eastern lands. China, on the other hand, clearly feels its “time has come,” and that it is destined to be the dominant superpower of the 21st century. China is the most populous nation on earth and is aggressively building a large military force and its dollar horde gives it massive leverage over the USA. However, the USA’s nuclear might means China must seek allies to remove the USA from its position of global dominance. Each of these nations in the Gog-Magog alliance views itself as the eventual dominant superpower which will lead the world after the USA is “out of the way.”
Ezekiel 38 prophesies the Gog-Magog alliance will hold together until they attack the USA and the West. The USA is squandering rapidly its military and economic strength so Russia, China and Iran see their opportunity arriving soon to attack and supplant the USA. Ezekiel 38:10 prophesies this attack is a certainty. If necessary, God will put that decision into their leaders’ minds himself! Proverbs 21:1 states that the heart of kings (national leaders) is in God’s hand and he “turns it whithersoever he wills.” Based on the bellicose behaviors of Russia, China and Iran, God has already “put it in their hearts” to attack the USA and the Western world. They are simply building their militaries and are waiting for the right time to attack.
However, Russia, China and Iran are blind to the greatest power on earth or in the Universe. They have ignored the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel), the Creator of the Universe!. God is moving these nations to attack the modern nations of Israel, but God himself will intervene in the prophesied World War at the end of our age to annihilate 5/6ths of the population of the nations in the Gog-Magog alliance. Ezekiel 38:20-21 is the verse in this prophecy when God intervenes in world events with his “presence” coming to the earth, heralded by a gigantic, global earthquake. This same climactic earthquake at the end of our age is prophesied in Isaiah 2:19-21. Revelation 16:12-21 perfectly parallels Ezekiel 38 as it reveals God’s divine intervention in world affairs will be preceded by an attack of the “kings of the east” attacking westward across the Euphrates River and by a great, global earthquake. The “kings of the east” are the Gog-Magog alliance of Ezekiel 38-39. The location of their attack indicates Iran is the staging area for a major attack against the West. The USA and NATO will remain dependent on Mideast oil so American (and perhaps European) troops will still be present in that region. Above it was mentioned that “Judah” is not mentioned in Ezekiel 38. That is true, but Judah is targeted in this same World War III warfare in the latter days in Zechariah 14. Jeremiah 30 reveals that “Israel” and “Judah” (two separate entities) will be attacked simultaneously by a common enemy in what is called “Jacob’s Trouble.” The “kings of the east” will attack both Israel’s nations and modern Judah
Once God intervenes, he calls on the nations of Israel and Judah to continue warring against the Gog-Magog alliance (Ezekiel 38:21). However, that same verse adds something very interesting. It also prophesies that in addition to God and the nations of Israel’s tribes fighting the Gog-Magog alliance, something else will occur. It states:”every man’s sword will be against his brother” and then describes the mass annihilation of Gog and Magog’s alliance and people in Ezekiel 38:20-39:6. What “brothers” (or allies) will turn on each other? Not the Israelite tribes as they will all be rejoicing at being rescued by Divine intervention. It will be the Gog-Magog alliance which breaks apart with its allied nations turning militarily on each other! God caused the same kind of “brotherly” warfare amongst Israel’s enemies to occur in previous wars in Gideon’s time in Judges 7:22 (against invaders of Israel) and in II Chronicles against three nations which had attacked Judah when it was ruled by King Jehoshaphat. Ezekiel 38:21 prophesies that Russia, China, Iran and all their allies will turn on each other and slay each other’s armies. God will make sure this happens by “putting that thought” in their hearts when he wants to fulfill this aspect of his prophecy, but the time sequence of Ezekiel 38-39 indicates this will occur after Divine intervention occurs in Ezekiel 38:21. After the slaughter is over, the surviving Israelites will bury the dead for seven months and the birds and animals of the earth will eat the carcasses of the fallen (Ezekiel 39:12-20 and Revelation 11:21).
God has predetermined that after they cooperate in attacking the nations of the Western world to start World War III, the nations in the “Gog-Magog” alliance will later turn on each other and slaughter one another. God has predetermined it, and he will bring it to pass.
