As the verified Word of God, the Bible, is the greatest book ever written. One of the many reasons why, is the astounding number of specific fulfilled prophecies it contains. And many of these prophecies relate to the life and times of the Messiah. For example, the book of Daniel foretold the exact timing of the Messiah’s arrival 483 years in advance (Daniel 9:25).

The book of Zechariah foretold the betrayal of Messiah for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12), and the book of Micah foretold the Messiah’s birthplace as Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). The Scriptures contain dozens upon dozens of Messianic prophecies just like these, all of them pointing to one man— Jesus of Nazareth.

But did you know the Bible contains even more evidence of the divine authority of Jesus? Despite the incalculable odds of fulfilling just a few dozen, the Messianic prophecies only scratch the surface of what the Bible has to say about the Messiah. In fact, if Jesus is to be believed (and He is), the entire Old Testament points to Him. That’s right. The entire Old Testament.

The Old Testament

Unfortunately, many Christians neglect the Old Testament when it comes to Bible study. Sure, they might read Genesis, Psalms, and Proverbs. But for the most part, far too many Christians view the other books of the Old Testament as boring or irrelevant.

Yet, nothing could further from the truth! Because a careful study of the Old Testament reveals God’s master plan to send a Savior whose life is given as an offering for sin (Isaiah 53).

In reference to what we call the Old Testament, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” John 5:39 (NLT). Jesus also said He did not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill their purpose (Matthew 5:17).

And following His resurrection, He explained how the Scriptures pointed to Himself (Luke 24:27), and how everything written about Himself in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44).

In doing this, Jesus wasn’t referring only to the Messianic prophecies. He was also referring to the stories, symbols, laws, customs, and other elements of the Old Testament. Because every aspect of the Old Testament points to Jesus.

As the book of Hebrews states, “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1 NLT). In other words, the law and the prophets gave us a glimpse into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

And one of these glimpses is described in the book of Exodus. It’s called the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant

During the exodus from Egypt, God instructed the Israelites to build a box known as the Ark of the Covenant. But God didn’t just say, “Hey, build a box.” He provided detailed and specific instructions on how the box was to be made.

And you know what? When you study His instructions, you’ll find they serve to do one thing, and one thing only—glorify the name of Jesus Christ.

God’s description of the Ark is found in the Book of Exodus. Here, He reveals its dimensions, how to carry it, and what to place inside it. He instructs the Israelites to make the Ark’s cover (which He calls the “mercy seat” or “place of atonement”) out of pure gold.

On it, they are to fashion two angels made of pure gold and place them on either end, facing each other, and looking down on the mercy seat (Exodus 25:18-20).

He then instructs them to place the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments inside. We later learn the Ark also contained Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves as well as a jar of manna (Hebrews 9:4).

Next, God instructed the Hebrews to make a special curtain and place the Ark of the Covenant behind it. This curtain was to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exodus 26:33), and it symbolizes the barrier sin creates between mankind and the Creator.

In the Most Holy Place, God Himself was present in a cloud over the Ark’s atonement cover or mercy seat (Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 7:89). This was the place where the high priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrifice to atone for the sin of the people (Leviticus 16:14-15).

While the Israelites probably didn’t understand the purpose of all these instructions, God’s purpose was later revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It All Points to Jesus

Jesus said, “the Scriptures point to me” (John 5:39). And God’ instructions for the design and use of the Ark of the Covenant are no exception. Just study the gospel accounts, and you’ll realize how true it is to say all the Scriptures point to Jesus.

Let’s start with the contents of the Ark. One of the items found inside was a jar of manna (Hebrews 9:4). Manna was the bread from heaven God supplied to the Hebrews as they wandered in the desert (Exodus 16). This is symbolic of Jesus, who is the true bread of life.

Jesus Himself said, “Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread of heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33 NLT).

The Ark also contained Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves (Hebrews 9:4). Do you remember the story of Aaron’s staff? God had Moses place twelve wooden staffs (representing the twelve tribes of Israel) in front of the Ark. Each staff featured the inscribed name of its tribe’s leader, and God promised buds would sprout from the staff of the man He selected to serve as High Priest (Numbers 17:1-8).

The presence of Aaron’s staff in the Ark is fitting, since Jesus serves as our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15). As High Priest, Jesus approached God on our behalf and offered a blood sacrifice to atone for our sins.

But those weren’t the only items in the Ark. It also contained the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments (Hebrews 9:4). This is symbolic of the dedication Jesus had to the law. Contrary to what some believe, Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).

Isaiah said the Messiah would exalt and honor the law (Isaiah 42:21), and Paul described how Jesus rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law because, when he was crucified, he took the curse for our wrongdoing upon Himself (Galatians 3:13).

However, it’s not just the contents of the Ark that point to Jesus and glorify His name. The design of the Ark itself points to Him.

Weeping outside of the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene looked inside and saw two angels – one sitting where Jesus’s head had been and the other sitting where Jesus’s feet had been (John 20:12). Does that sound like a familiar image? It should.

Remember, on the cover of the ark, God commanded the Hebrews to place two angels on opposite ends. These two angels were commanded to look down upon the mercy seat, also known as “the place of atonement” (Exodus 25:18-20). This is precisely what Mary saw in the empty tomb, angels at opposite ends of the place where Jesus was laid to rest – the true mercy seat and place of atonement.

The Ark foreshadowed the coming of Jesus and the events surrounding his resurrection. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. As our High Priest, Jesus entered the Most Holy Place and secured our redemption forever with His own blood rather than the blood of animals (Hebrews 9:12).

When Jesus did this, the curtain in the Temple which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). Sin no longer separated men from God, because once for all time, Jesus appeared and removed our sins by giving His own life as a holy sacrifice” (Hebrew 9:26).

More than 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel warned of a future time when a vast coalition of nations will attack Israel. The Bible tells us the leader of this coalition is a man named Gog from the land of Magog. He’s also known as the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal (Ezekiel 38:2). When Israel is living in peace, Gog will come with a mighty army and cover the land like a cloud (Ezekiel 38:14-16).

But his plans to conquer and pillage will come to nothing. Why? Because God promises to turn these enemy invaders against each other (Ezekiel 38:21). God says the invading armies will have their weapons knocked from their hands, and they will die in open fields where they’ll become food for vultures and wild animals (Ezekiel 39:3).

In fact, the Bible says Gog’s invasion of Israel will trigger an earthquake so strong every living creature on the face of the earth will tremble in God’s presence (Ezekiel 38:19-20), and He will send a torrential rain of fire, hailstones, and burning sulfur on the invading armies (Ezekiel 38:22). The end result? Total destruction of the Gog of Magog alliance. So many dead bodies will litter the landscape, it will take seven months to bury the dead – even with the help of every citizen in Israel (Ezekiel 39:12).

And believe it or not, this entire chain of events is triggered when a man named Gog sets out to plunder the nation of Israel. But who is this man – this Gog of Magog? And who are his allies?

The Nations in This Military Alliance

Ezekiel identifies the nations in the Gog of Magog alliance as “Magog, Rosh, Meschech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah” (Ezekiel 38:1-6). I don’t blame you at all if these names don’t make any sense to you.

But keep this in mind – Ezekiel named the nations of this alliance as they were known in his day, and each one represents a clearly identifiable nation currently in existence. In fact, long before Russia became a world power, biblical scholars identified Rosh as the nation of Russia and Gog as its ruler.

The identity of Gog as the ruler of Russia is confirmed when Ezekiel notes his geographic location. Ezekiel says Gog will bring his armies from “the extreme north” (Ezekiel 38:15; Ezekiel 39:2). While this might seem like a vague statement, it’s not. This statement, like most in the Old Testament, is made in reference to the nation of Israel. And it’s saying Gog will reside to the extreme north of Israel.

Draw a straight line north of Israel on any map of the Middle East, and guess what nation you’ll find? That’s right – Russia. So Gog is clearly the ruler of Russia. But Gog isn’t alone. He has plenty of co-conspirators. Who are they? Below is the list of nations cited by Ezekiel. The Old Testament name is listed first, followed by its modern day equivalent:

Rosh = Russia

Magog = Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan

Persia = Iran

Cush = Sudan

Put = Libya

Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah = Turkey

The Timing of This Invasion

So when will this invasion occur? The Bible says this alliance will form and come against Israel “in the latter days” (Ezekiel 38:8). So what does that mean? Well, the key word in Hebrew is “acharith” which generally translates as the “after-part, latter part, last, close, or end.” In other words, this alliance will form in the last days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel uses this same word “acharith” again, when God says He will bring the alliance against the land of Israel “in the last days” (Ezekiel 38:16). And, at the beginning of verse 8, he reveals this will happen “a long time from now” or “in the distant future.” In other words, this is not a prophecy fulfilled in Ezekiel’s day.

But that’s not all we know. Ezekiel provides us with additional clues. In fact, in the same passage cited above, God reveals precisely when this invasion will occur. In verse 12, Gog says to himself, “I will attack the once abandoned cities that are now populated with the Jews who returned from exile among the nations” (Ezekiel 38:12). Did you catch that? Gog will attack the land when it’s filled with the exiles who return from among the nations. The target of Gog’s invasion is modern day Israel.

God Himself confirms this when He says the invasion will occur “after Israel’s people have been gathered from among many nations” (Ezekiel 38:8). He says it will happen “when I bring my people home from among the enemy nations” (Ezekiel 39:27). This return home from among many nations has happened only once in all of human history. And our generation is witness to that event – the 1948 gathering of the Jewish people and the restoration of Israel in the land ordained by God.

A Rising Alliance

According to Ezekiel, the target of this invasion is modern day Israel. For more than 2,500 years, the alliance of nations Ezekiel wrote about has not existed. In fact, in the history of the world, such an alliance of nations hasnever existed. But you know what? Today we see it coming together right in front of us. Don’t believe me? Just check your history books.

Up until March 21, 1935, the world knew the nation of Iran as Persia – the same Persia referenced in the Gog of Magog alliance. In the 2,600 years since Ezekiel recorded his prophecies, the nations of Russia and Persia have never been part of an alliance of any sort. Economic and military cooperation between them had never taken place – at least not until around 1989.

But today? Iran and Russia are strong allies. For example, in 1995 the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy signed an agreement with Iran to finish the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Construction on the plant had come to an immediate halt after the 1979 Islamic revolution.            But today, thanks to Russia, work is once again in progress.

The two nations continue to strengthen their economic and military ties, and Russia is one of the few world powers that consistently defends the existence of Iran’s nuclear program. And as I write this article, Russian and Iranian ground troops are on the border of Israel, coordinating their military efforts in Syria.

Does any of this surprise you? Again, it shouldn’t. Because God revealed it more than 2,600 years ago.

Why This Matters

So why does this matter? Because Ezekiel said this invasion will occur in the last days, “when God brings his people home from among the nations.” The Old Testament prophets directly linked the restoration of Israel and the regathering of the Jewish people with the imminent coming of the Messiah. And Ezekiel links the Gog of Magog invasion with the restoration of Israel. This means the invasion will take place sometime shortly before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In other words, the Gog of Magog invasion and the Second Coming are inextricably linked.

Never before in the history of the world has an alliance existed among the specific nations cited by Ezekiel. But today, we can clearly see the common interests shared by the nations he mentioned. Furthermore, this invasion requires a Russian-Iranian military alliance that didn’t exist until recent times. In fact, Russian-Iranian cooperation of any sort had been for the most part non-existent until 1989.

Today, Russia and Iran boast strong diplomatic, geopolitical, economic, and military ties. And as you read this, they’re conducting joint military operations in a nation that borders Israel. For the first time in the 2,600 years since Ezekiel recorded his prophecy, we see signs of the Gog of Magog alliance coming together.

So what should you take from all of this? The Gog of Magog alliance is coming together in our day and time, and Jesus is coming soon!