In Gog Rising parts 1-4, I identified most of the nations led by Russia against Israel in the war of Gog and Magog: Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and others.  –

“You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.” – Ezekiel 38:9

There may be other nations and people that join in this attack that are not specifically named, but their purpose will be the same, to destroy Israel. While they may not like or trust each other, their hatred of Israel will join them together for this war.

While most of Gog’s confederates have been long identified, some are yet a mystery, such as Gomer and Ethiopia. Gomer could reference western Turkey or Germany and Ethiopia most likely points to modern day Somalia. But Ezekiel is clear, in a coordinated attack, Gog’s armies will strike from the north, south, east and west all at once. While Israel may defend on two fronts or even on three, to defend against four frontal attacks would likely overwhelm her in the natural. And remember, if Russia is Gog, her favorite mode of attack is to land paratroops first to secure key points. There would likely also be “5th column” attacks from within Israel by Palestinian terrorists.

Recent signs in the heavens, such as the comet ISON and the Blood Red Moon Tetrarch of 2014 and 2015, may signal that these events are about to happen. When these blood red moons occurred in 70 AD they ended over 3000 years of Jewish rule in the nation of Israel within 70 years. Perhaps they will now signal the complete restoration of the land of Israel?

While Israel is left to face this attack alone something strange happens. The world and even Israel will be amazed as God Himself gets involved. He causes even the natural elements of wind, fire, and hail to fall on the attackers. He will strike them with confusion so that ‘every man’s sword will be against his brother’ much like the LORD did for Gideon –

And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: – Judges 7:22

If 300 Israeli trumpets caused that much confusion, imagine what would happen when God Himself blows the trumpet! Ezekiel records that only a sixth of Gog’s armies will survive.

But God does not stop with the armies; He causes “fire to fall on Magog and those who live in safety in the coastlands.” Is this fire nuclear or is it God’s supernatural command of the elements? One thing is clear, the people of Magog will be judged for their anti-Israel and anti-God stance as well as their armies. Who the ‘coastlands’ represent is not as clear. Some believe this represents the lands of Gog’s allies. But I believe it may represent those of the west who chose to let Israel face this threat alone, thinking they would be safe from the conflict. The word translated ‘coastlands’ can also be translated “continents”. It could be a reference to “Tarshish and all the young lions”, which would include England and the United States, etc. Perhaps it represents a preemptive attack on the U.S. by Russia, or Iranian terrorists, to insure we do not get involved.

One thing is certain; when this battle is over, Israel will know the name of the LORD and the nations of the world will know that God is the holy One of Israel.

The people of Israel will burn the weapons of Gog’s army for seven years.  The fuel value will be so great that the forests will not have to be used for fuel. (Russia is reported to have been making weapons of compressed wood since the year 2000.) Or is it just the fuel that they burn? There has been much speculation how this might happen, but whether the weapons are modern or ancient, they will be burned

People will be burying Gog’s army for seven months. Men will be continually employed to travel throughout the land looking for remains and marking their location for burial. It almost sounds as if they will be contaminated, which could suggest nuclear radiation. But, also in Judaism any dead body would represent contamination. A special place of burial called the Valley of Hamon Gog will be made on the east side of the Dead Sea; an area presently controlled by Jordan. So, what happens to Jordan? Have they already been destroyed in the Psalm 83 war?

This war will usher in great changes in the world. For one, all the dispersed of Israel will be brought home.

“..I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel …” Ezekiel 39:25

There are yet millions of Jewish people living in other countries such as the United States, Russia, European countries and others of South America. The ‘Aliyah’, or return, has not yet been completed. After Trump moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in 2017 there was a large influx of emigration, the largest Israel had seen. They will need more land to settle them all. The war described in Psalm 83 would yield this land.

Ezekiel 38-39 also seems to suggest another major change will be the breakdown of Radical Islam and I expect a great many Muslims will be turned towards the LORD. Israel’s borders will be extended; probably to include much of present-day Jordan, much of Syria, and much of Lebanon. This is the area promised by God to Abraham and it is the area controlled by Solomon during his reign.

Suppose Russia is destroyed, and probably America, or weakened significantly, the anti-Christ government in Europe will begin ascending; after all, there is never a ‘power vacuum’ for very long in the world of politics. According to the prophet Daniel and the Apostle John, it will begin with a ten-nation structure that will give its power to the ‘beast’ (Revelation 17). He will make a seven-year treaty with Israel, and I expect the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt during this time. What is truly amazing is that when God so clearly shows His care for Israel in just a few years they will sign a ‘covenant of death’ with the anti-Christ (Isaiah 28:15; Daniel 9:27).

Many Bible scholars believe this war is about to break out. One of the signs is the sudden turning of Turkey against Israel. One of the confederates of Gog is listed as Beth Togarmah which has always been understood to be the area of Turkey. But, until recently Turkey has been friendly toward Israel, even trading with her. However, the new leader of Turkey has clearly turned against Israel in a bid to appease its more radical neighbors, such as Syria. Recent moves and proclamations by Turkey’s President Erdogan have also changed the timing of this war of Ezekiel as explained in the following video.

Another sign of the soon outbreak of this war is the tension growing between Iran and Israel. While the U.S. and other western nations threaten sanctions on Iran, they continue to move ahead with a peace deal with Iran that will legalize its nuclear program and several analysts believe Iran will have a nuclear bomb within a very short time. Russia, whom many believe is the Gog of Ezekiel, is also threatening the western nations not to levy sanctions against Iran. According to Koenig’s White House Report, they are continuing to supply sensitive information to Syria, Hezbollah, and Iran as they did during the Lebanon war:

“The Russians are building a port in Tartus, Syria, along the Mediterranean Sea”. According to The Jerusalem Post, during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, the Russians translated Israeli troops’ cell phone conversations with their families and passed their location and deployment information on to the Syrians — who transferred that information to Hezbollah on the front lines, who were awaiting the Israelis’ arrival. Most of the Israeli deaths can be attributed to these actions”

In the light of these points, we had Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State, giving away to the Russians sensitive data on our nuclear armaments and missile defense system and the former Secretary of State, John Kerry, didn’t do much better. Former President Obama indicated personally and through diplomatic channels that if Israel doesn’t do what he wants, they can forget U.S. help. Of interest is the fact that Ezekiel doesn’t seem to include the U.S. in any defense of Israel.

Of great interest is an article Amir Tsarfati recently posted on this subject –

Dr. Mordechai Kedar, one of my favorite experts on Middle East affairs and Islam, published yesterday this article on “Makor Rishon” Hebrew language online newspaper:

An expatriate from the Middle East, a supporter of Israel, who lives in Europe and is in constant contact with people in Iran and Iraq – conveyed to me their assessment that Iran is planning to launch a combined attack on Israel in the foreseeable future that will include all the forces at its disposal in the Arab countries:

In Lebanon – Hezbollah and Hamas with many thousands of missiles and UAVs, some of them accurate.

In Syria – 17 combat units (“militias”) armed and ready: Fatimiun, Zinbioun, Nujabaa’, Hezbollah, Abu Al-Fachal Brigade, Atsa’ab Ahl al-Haq, Khorsani Brigade, and more. Iran has transferred to Syria a very large number of missiles and UAVs and these are ready to be launched.

In Iraq – dozens of militias, armed with missiles and UAVs.

In Yemen – the Houthis, who have missiles and long-range UAVs that reach Israel.

In Gaza – Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad with missiles capable of disabling the Israel Defense Forces and Air Force bases. It is likely that Iran will not send anything from its territory to Israel in order not to expose itself to retaliation. So much for the assessment that came from Iraq. Hence my commentary.

Under the pretext of the duty of the Muslim world to save the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Israeli occupation and oppression, Iran will conduct a staged, comprehensive, integrated and coordinated attack on Israel. The first phase will be a shower of missiles and UAVs from all the aforementioned arenas together, and the Iranian estimate is that the stock of interceptors of the “Iron Dome” will run out within two to three hours from the start of the air attack, after which the Israeli skies will be open, and the air force will be damaged and grounded.

The first phase, the air, will be accompanied by a cyber attack on Israeli infrastructure systems. After a full day of a cyber-attack and a rain of missiles and UAVs that will hit air force bases, navy bases, army bases, electricity, computing, communication, road and water infrastructures, the second phase will begin: a coordinated ground attack from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza by infantry, mounted forces On dirt bikes and ATVs, equipped with anti-tank weapons, they will cross the obstacles and attack the Israeli ground forces in order to reach Jewish settlements as quickly as possible.

The calculation of the Iranians is that the mobilization of the reserves will take several days and at most will be partial because of the mess that will be created throughout the country. IDF reinforcements will not arrive in time to the various fronts and therefore the regular forces will collapse within hours in the face of the ground attack as happened in the Canal and the Golan during the Yom Kippur war. The invasion of ground forces from Syria, Lebanon and Gaza will focus on Israeli settlements with the aim of demoralizing the Israeli public and forcing the government to surrender in order to save the lives of the many Israelis who will be captured by the Arab and Iranian militias. The Israeli media and especially the social media groups will increase the panic among the Israeli public.

It is not clear what role the Iranians ascribe to the Palestinians in the war. However, it is likely that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority will push them to do everything in their power to harm Israelis, the army, the police and civilians moving on the roads, in addition to attacks on settlements and military bases.

Also, the Iranians expect Arabs in the Galilee and Negev to carry out actions against the IDF and the state such as blocking roads, damaging bridges, spilling oil on roads, blocking intersections, damaging high voltage lines and attacking Jewish settlements.

Concerning America’s involvement, Amir had this to say- “The American and European governments will not intervene militarily but will content themselves with words because no one in the West is looking for another combat arena than the Ukrainian one, which empties NATO’s ammunition depots and dries up its leaders’ desire to intervene in wars that are not theirs. Some will see the Iranian attack as an opportunity to get rid of the “headache” that Israel It has been a reason for them for years, and this view has intensified in recent months after the internal mess in the State of Israel created for it the image of a conflicted and messy country with a depleted civil force that has lost all will to mobilize and fight, and on the other hand – a directionless, irresponsible, ungovernable and powerless government that cannot adequately treat even blocking roads.”

This prophesy is not only a warning to Russia and the Islamic nations but also to those western nations who should stand with Israel, but don’t. God has allowed us all to see the outcome – all that is required is that we believe Him!

Pastor Chares Cooley, retired.