On December 18, 2018, I posted a comprehensive article entitled Exploring the Timing of Ezekiel 38 and 39. It provided some basic arguments against Ezekiel’s prophecy happening as an Armageddon event. This article will attempt to further disconnect Ezekiel 38 and 39 from the Armageddon scenario.
Although it’s a minority view, there are a number of respected Bible teachers who teach the war in Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19 are part of the same war that takes place as part of Armageddon. If they are correct, there arise a few potential problems, according to the biblical texts. These glitches will be addressed shortly, but beforehand, it’s important to understand what Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19 are about.
Summary of Ezekiel 38 and 39
If you are unfamiliar with this prophecy, then you should read my easily understandable article entitled “An Overview of Ezekiel 38 and 39.”
In a nutshell, the Magog invasion involves a large coalition led by Russia, Turkey, and Iran, whose purpose is to conquer Israel to take plunder and booty. According to Ezekiel 38:8-13, Israel will be a much greater, safer, and wealthier nation at that time. Unlike the embattled Israel of today, Israel at that future time will be a thriving nation dwelling in a condition of peace and security.
This invasion infuriates God, Who then divinely defeats these invaders. As per Ezek. 38:19-22, this confederacy will be stopped supernaturally by a great earthquake followed by flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Zechariah 14:1-3
“Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:1-3).
This prophetic passage above describes a highly successful and devastating siege of Jerusalem. God will “gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.” Subsequently, after the severe damage has been done, “the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations.” Revelation 19:11-21 explains how, single-handedly, Jesus Christ conquers these armies. Thus, Zech. 14:1-3 and Rev. 19:11 pair up together as integral parts of the Armageddon scenario.
“Now out of His (Jesus Christ’s) mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Rev. 19:15, NKJV; emphasis added).
The Problems with Connecting Ezekiel 38-39 with Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19
With this basic understanding presented above, let’s identify the potential problems with pairing Ezekiel 38-39 up with Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19. If we attempt to align the biblical details within these various passages together, the unlikely scenario below occurs.
When the people of Israel are living in peace (Ezek. 38:14), all the nations of the earth’s armies (Zech 14:2) led by Russia, Turkey, Iran and the rest of the Magog invaders (Ezek. 38:2-6), will attack Jerusalem in Israel (Ezek. 38:15-16, Zech. 14:2). When this battle happens God will be extremely angered, and we are told His “fury will show in His face” (Ezek. 38:18-19).
So, how will God then unleash His blazing anger toward the armies on the day they invade Israel and attack the city of Jerusalem? Shockingly, HE WILL GATHER all the remaining world armies, that are separate from the already invading Magog nations, and bring them to attack Jerusalem to successfully capture the holy city of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:2).
“For I WILL GATHER all the nations to battle against Jerusalem” (Zech. 14:2a, NKJV; emphasis added).
These additional armies are headed by the beast, a.k.a, Antichrist (Rev. 19:19). Then, the Lord allots some time for the armies to loot houses and rape women in Jerusalem. The Lord also allows the armies some more time to take half of the population of Jerusalem and send them into exile (Zech. 14:2). Then, after all this heinous and despicable behavior, the Lord finally decides, “enough already,” and deploys Jesus Christ to single-handedly “go out to fight against those nations” (Zech. 14:3, Rev. 19:15-21, Ezek. 38:18-22).
This scenario does not only seem insensitive, but nonsensical! It makes God out to be a maniacal monster. Instead of unleashing immediate divine judgment upon the Magog invaders, God gathers additional international troops and gives Antichrist the keys to the holy city. NO, when the Magog Invasion happens and infuriates the Lord, this is what promptly takes place, according to Ezekiel.
“For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’
“’I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,’ says the Lord God. ‘Every man’s sword will be against his brother. And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; 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. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord’” (Ezek. 38:19-23).
Ezekiel declares, “Surely in that day… all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence.” This is not what happens in Zech. 14:2, when the armies of the earth conduct war crimes in Jerusalem and successfully besiege the holy city.
Some of the problems encountered by including Ezekiel 38-39 alongside Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19 as part of Armageddon are identified below.
Problem #1 – Two different and uncoordinated fronts, motives, and commanders
If Ezekiel 38-39 are part of Armageddon, this would mean that at the time of Armageddon Israel will face a massive two-front attack. The first front has the Magog invaders attacking Israel from the north (Ezek. 38:15) upon the mountains of Israel (Ezek. 38:8). They’re motivated to conquer Israel for plunder and booty (Ezek. 38:8-13). The Magog invaders are commanded by a Russian leader with an evil plan (Ezek. 38:10).
Meanwhile on the second front, all the nations of the earth’s armies are attacking Jerusalem. They are ransacking homes, ravishing women, and taking control of the holy city (Zech. 14:2). They are motivated to kill Israelis in the city of Jerusalem. Their mission is to commit Jewish genocide (Zech. 13:8). The earth’s armies are being led by the evil dictator, Antichrist (Rev. 19:19-20).
Problem #2 – Two different results
The war of Armageddon, if it includes Ezekiel 38-39, is entirely unsuccessful. These invaders are killed (Ezek. 38:19-23). Their weapons are converted into fuel for Israeli cities for seven years (Ezek. 39:9-10). Their corpses are buried for seven months (Ezek. 39:12-14).
On the other hand, the war of Armageddon in Zechariah 14 is totally successful. Jerusalem will be conquered, the houses get rifled, and the women ravished. Also, half of the city goes into captivity (Zech. 14:2).
Problem #3 – Two different defeats and burial locations
Gog, along with his hordes are destroyed supernaturally by God by a great earthquake followed by flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone (Ezek. 38:19-22). Then, they and Gog are buried in a place called the “Valley of Hamon Gog,” which means “valley of the Hordes of Gog.” Make note that Gog gets killed (Ezek. 39:11). This future cemetery is apparently named after Gog to memorialize God’s supernatural victory.
The Armageddon Campaign is defeated solely by Jesus Christ at His Second Coming by a “sharp sword” (Rev. 19:15). Perhaps this alludes typologically to a divine military scenario rather than through the natural disasters in Ezekiel 38. Moreover, the Antichrist is not killed but is cast alive into the “Lake of Fire” (Rev. 19:20).
Conclusion
The biblical text does not support the pairing of Ezekiel 38-39 with Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19 as an Armageddon related event. Thus, Ezekiel 38-39 happens at a separate time.
In my article entitled Exploring the Timing of Ezekiel 38 and 39, mentioned at the top of this piece, I present the case that Ezekiel 38-39 happens prior to the Tribulation Period. The article also put forward a few more reasons why Ezekiel 38-39 is not an Armageddon event. Below is an excerpt from this article that points this out.
“It is unlikely that Ezekiel 38-39 will happen during the Armageddon Campaign, which occurs within the second half of the Tribulation Period, for the following reasons:
1. Israelis will be fleeing from the genocidal attempt of the Antichrist.
2. Israelis will not likely be burning the enemies’ weapons.
3. Israelis gain world renown after Ezekiel 38, and that will not be the case during this part of the Tribulation period.
The second half of the Tribulation period is a time when the Jewish people are fleeing from the genocidal exploits of the Antichrist. Zechariah 13:8 informs that two-thirds of the Jews living in the land of Israel will be killed. Thus, the Jewish population living in Israel will be reduced to a third of its size at that time. This implies several things.
First, they will not be in a position to capitalize on the weapons of the Magog invaders to convert them into energy for seven years. This is a process and requires facilities, and any surviving Israeli Jews that attempt to undertake this activity will become easy targets for the Antichrist to find and kill.
“’Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years. They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,’ says the Lord God” (Ezek. 39:9-10).
Second, this one-third remnant of Israel will not be able to fulfill another aftermath activity of Ezekiel 39, which is to bury the dead Magog invaders for seven months. Between the burning of the enemy weapons for seven years and the burying the dead for seven months, Israel gains world renown for these two aforementioned endeavors.
“’It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,’ says the Lord God” (Ezek. 39:11-13).
These verses clearly state that Israelis gain world renown for these activities, but that won’t be the case when the Antichrist, with the support of much of the world masses, attempts to eliminate the Jewish race. Rather than gaining world renown, they will be experiencing persecution and worldwide Antisemitism!” (End of the excerpt).