Subscribe to BIble Fiber on Youtube or Follow wherever you lisent to your podcasts. This week, we are studying Ezekiel 38, where the prophet presents his famous oracle against Gog from the land of Magog. This quasi-apocalyptic vision has captivated and perplexed scholars, theologians, and lay readers for centuries. Its cryptic nature, rich symbolism, and futuristic implications have led to many, often conflicting, interpretations. The shadowy figure of Gog, the vivid portrayal of a great battle, and the promise of divine intervention have made these chapters a focal point for those attempting to decode the mysteries of the end times. However, the complexities of the oracle are manageable, and its insights are less sensational than often believed.
In his prior oracles, Ezekiel promised a golden age for the land and people of Israel upon their return from exile, with all twelve tribes united under one divinely appointed king. However, the question of how the surrounding nations would respond to Israel’s return remained unresolved. Only by vanquishing the godless nations that despised her could Israel ensure her security. The Gog oracle portrays the ultimate battle in the end times. God would intervene powerfully to ensure that Israel would never again face existential threats.
Gog and the Seven Allies
Chapter 38 begins with God instructing Ezekiel to set his face toward Gog and prophesy against him (38:1). At first glance, this undated Gog oracle seems out of place. Why is it included in the restoration section instead of the Oracles Against the Nations? Unlike previous oracles that focus on historical judgments against known nations, the Gog oracle points to a more eschatological future. Thematically, it aligns with the messages of restoration because it emphasizes God’s ultimate victory over Israel’s enemies and his direct intervention to protect his people.
Also, the nations that were included in Ezekiel’s OAN were neighbors of Israel who interacted with the nation in her history. In contrast, Gog is not a known national entity or historical figure. The name does not appear anywhere else in the Hebrew scriptures. Scholars and prophecy enthusiasts have tried desperately to identify Gog with a historical figure or connect him with one of modern Israel’s enemies.
The name “Gog” is the only mysterious character in Ezekiel 38-39. The other peoples and places associated with him were all familiar to Ezekiel and his audience. For example, the text calls Gog the “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” (39:1) and connects him to the land of Magog (39:6). Meshech, Tubal, and Magog appear in the Table of Nations in Genesis as descendants of Japheth (Gen. 10:2). Extra-biblical evidence places these nations in eastern Anatolia, which encompasses present-day Iran and Turkey.
Yahweh challenged Gog to battle along with his hordes, referring to them as nations from “the remotest parts of the north” (38:15). This exotic alliance includes Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah, all located in the region of Anatolia, as well as Cush (Ethiopia) and Put (Libya) from Africa. Persia (Paras) is also mentioned. Some scholars suggested that “Paras” (Persia, modern-day Iran) may have been a later editorial addition to the prophecy, as Persia only became a significant power in the region after Ezekiel’s time, rising to prominence under Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BCE. However, the oldest manuscripts and the Masoretic text all include Persia, leading most translators and scholars to keep it in their interpretations.
Each nation contributes its unique military capabilities—both offensive and defensive—to the attack on Israel. A “great horde” rides into the land on horses and chariots (38:15). Armed with armor and shields, they carry swords, spears, bows, and arrows (38:4). Ezekiel depicts the coalition as a formidable military force, thoroughly prepared and equipped for war. Their combined manpower advances on Israel “like a cloud covering the land” (38:9). Despite their distant origins, they execute a well-coordinated military campaign.
Divine intervention
On the one hand, Ezekiel portrays God as being “against” Gog and his allies (38:3). God opposes the actions of this coalition and considers them adversaries who threaten his people (38:15). However, the prophecy also clarifies that God is the one who is orchestrating the attack. Ezekiel records God saying, “I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws and bring you out with your whole army” (38:4). Later, he added, “I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel” (39:2). God is actively directing and maneuvering Gog and his forces, using them as a prop in his divine plan.
This seeming contradiction highlights the complex relationship between human agency, divine sovereignty, and God’s overarching plan of redemption. God can use even hostile, wicked powers to accomplish his purposes, while still holding them accountable for their sinful motives and actions. Gog acted out of his own arrogance and desire for plunder (38:10-12), yet God is the one who is summoning and empowering him.
Ultimately, the purpose of this divine control over Gog’s attack is to show God’s sovereignty and to bring about Israel’s deliverance. God would bring Gog up against Israel to reveal his holiness and power to the nations. The attack itself becomes the occasion for God to decisively intervene and crush Israel’s enemies.
In 586 BCE, God used Babylon as his agent of destruction to deliver punishment to a rebellious Judah. Now, however, God instigated the attack of Gog and his hordes, but he was going to obliterate them and protect Israel.
Future event
Throughout the book of Ezekiel, the prophecies and visions focus on the imminent judgment of Israel. Even the promises of restoration have a relatively near-term perspective. In contrast, the Gog oracle is unique. Ezekiel makes it clear to his audience that the Gog attack is not an immediate threat but a climactic event belonging to a prophetic future distant from the prophet’s own time. He frames this prophecy using highly eschatological language, referring to it as happening “in days to come” and “in the latter days” (38:16). He does not use these phrases anywhere else in his writings.
In the Gog oracle, Ezekiel adopts a long-range perspective. Before the Gog attack, Israel will have experienced a prolonged period of restoration, securely dwelling in the land without walls or bars. In portraying Gog’s inner thoughts, Ezekiel describes God as planning a surprise attack on unsuspecting Israelites. When he launches his scheme, the Israelites will live in a “land of unwalled villages” and among “quiet people who live in safety, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates” (38:11). A significant amount of time must have passed since the exile and the initial return to the land, allowing the regathered Israelites to prosper and their wealth to attract the attention of traders from the east and west, all greedily eyeing Israel’s gold, silver, and livestock (38:13). Tragically, Israel remains completely unaware of the distant nations plotting this attack. They did nothing to provoke such hostility other than regain their strength after years of exile. Without walls or fortifications, they appear defenseless; however, that is precisely the point. All they need is Yahweh’s protection.
At one point, Yahweh asks Gog rhetorically whether he considers himself to be the one pointed out by the prophets. He asked, “Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them?” (38:17). Ezekiel situates the Gog prophecy within an ongoing, cumulative prophetic revelation, a tradition to which he had access in his day. Although no other prophet explicitly mentioned an attacker named Gog, many spoke about the coming Day of the Lord and enemies from the north. The implication is that the climactic confrontation represented by Gog has been foretold by previous prophets, who “prophesied for years” about him and the events surrounding him.
Ezekiel did not view his prophecy concerning Gog as a completely novel or isolated vision. Instead, he saw himself as building upon and fulfilling the prophetic word that had come before him through other servants of God. His prophetic ministry did not operate in isolation but was intimately connected to the broader scope of God’s revelatory work through the prophets of Israel.
God’s judgement on Gog
Although Gog pulls together an overwhelming military force to attack Israel, it is ultimately God’s natural forces that will thwart his plans (38:17-23). Ezekiel records God saying, “My hot anger will be aroused. In my zeal and fiery wrath, I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel” (38:18-19). This initial earthquake sets the stage for God’s divine assault on Gog’s forces.
The text describes the supernatural forces that God will unleash: torrents of rain, hailstones, and burning sulfur (38:21-22). These natural disasters will decisively intervene and halt Gog’s military assault. These events are not mere coincidences, but direct manifestations of God’s “fiery wrath” and “zeal” against the invading forces. Ultimately, God declared that through these dramatic displays of divine power, “I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (38:23).
The key point here is that despite Gog’s military might and impressive alliance, it is God’s sovereign control over the forces of nature that will utterly defeat the invasion. Gog’s seemingly unstoppable advance is powerless against the Lord.