Now, if we take the Scyths equal Scots argument and make a Study Bible that declares this as if it is fact, when it becomes popular, would it thus become true?
Popularity and truth have always struggled with each other. Churchill was not popular when he pointed out the facts regarding Nazism. Lady Aster told him that she hated him, that his opinion is not popular, and that if she were his wife, she would poison his tea. Churchill obliged and responded with “Ma’am, if I was your husband, I’d gladly drink it.”
The argument falls not from only historians who would refute the Meshech is Moscow argument, but from the Bible itself and even many who support the Russia theory since Meshech and Tubal are mentioned in Ezekiel 27:13 as trading partners with ancient Tyre. Tyre was in what is today Lebanon. No serious teachers are willing to say that Moscow traded with Lebanon thousands of years ago. Even Hitchcock agrees: “It is highly doubtful that ancient Tyre was trading with people as far north as Moscow and Tobolsk.”29
Even though Hitchcock argues for Russia being Rosh, he admits that Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth Togarmah are all in Turkey.30 He’s ninety percent there.
Taking Hitchcock’s argument that the word “Rosh” is Russia, then Gog of the land of Magog who is the prince of all “Russia” and ‘Meshech/Tubal’ (Turkey). Such a merge must occur between these nations that have always been in conflict with each other. Yet a merging with Turkey and other Turkic Muslim nations is quite plausible, especially that Turkey could be rejected from the E.U.
In fact, it is questionable whether or not Moscow and Tobolsk were even populated in Ezekiel’s day. Hitchcock then identifies a more reasonable solution “A closer study of these names reveals that Meschech and Tubal are the ancient Moschi/Mushki and Tubalu/Tibareni peoples who dwelled in the area around, primarily south of, the Black and Caspian Seas in Ezekiel’s day.
Region of Meshech and Tubal: Modern Turkey
These nations today are in the modern country of Turkey, possibly parts of southern Russia and northern Iran.31
Admittedly and correctly Hitchcock writes “Magog today probably represents the former underbelly of the Soviet Union: Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Uzebekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.32 All these are Muslim.
Meshech was located near what was known as Phrygia, in central and western Asia Minor (Turkey), while Tubal was located in Eastern Asia Minor (Turkey). So with Meshech and Tubal, we are dealing with portions of modern Turkey. Today this region is all Muslim.
GOMER
Gomer is in Turkey not Russia or Germany. This is the land of ancient Kimmeria.33 Gomer, it seems to be almost universally agreed upon among scholars “refers to the Celtic Cimmerians of Crim-Tartary.”34 Gomer is well known to the ancient world as Gimarrai of north central Asia Minor (Cappadocia). These people are also known as the Cimmerians. This seems to be the simplest, most obvious interpretation.35
So Gomer is Gimarra or Cimmeria in Cappadocia. Cappadocia is simply central Turkey, again, another Islamic region.
TOGARMAH
Beth Togarmah is also in Turkey. Togarmah or Tilgarimmu was a city state in Eastern Anatolia (Asia Minor, modern Turkey), more specifically, as Ryrie states, “the southeastern part of Turkey near the Syrian border.” This identification is generally acknowledged by all.36 Once more then we have another region that is in present day Turkey.
Togormah: Eastern Turkey
Gomer: North-Central Turkey
THE LITERAL EVIDENCE
But beyond so much of the geographic weight of this prophecy falling on Turkey, the Bible also ties this coalition to modern day Turkey in a very direct way. Zechariah 9:13 confirms that the final end time battle will be between Israel and Yavan/Ionia (often translated as Greece) which is in Turkey today: “I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece [Yavan, Ionia], and make you like a warrior’s sword.” (Zechariah 9:13) According to Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: Javan—the Ionians or Greeks: for the Ionians of Asia Minor were the first Greeks with whom the Asiatic peoples came in contact with.
The key element of this passage is the reference to the sons of Zion (that is the Jews) fighting against the sons of Greece (Yavan, Ionia)—which is in Asia Minor or modern Turkey.
The other important argument that I need to make here is that if the Bible indeed intended a lineage of Javan; “sons of Javan”, then we must apply the same for “sons of Zion”. Yet there is no such person named Zion. The Bible is pointing to geographic locations and not lineage. This is a common problem with many of the modern Western analysts of prophecy.
What is translated as Greece is the Hebrew word Yavan.
First, let me clarify, when the Bible translation says “Greece,” this should not be confused by popular Western thinking as Athens or Cyprus. Yavan was a descendant of Noah who came to live on the Western coast of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey in the area that came to be known as Ionia.
While Yavan is a term that can, in a broader sense, imply all of the ancient Greek Empire, it is most specifically a reference to Ionia in Asia Minor, or Turkey. Again, the verse that we are discussing is ultimately for the Last-Days. As such, it is most clearly speaking about the citizens of Israel fighting against the Turks who are attempting to occupy their land. And so once again, we have a very clear and direct passage that points very specifically to Turkey as the lead player in this Last-Days invasion.
One cannot separate Zechariah 9 from Ezekiel 38. In both passages, the Messiah is present. We will discuss this in more detail as we move on.
The casting of the Ezekiel 38 alliance into hell is mentioned in Ezekiel 30 where the literal name Lydia is associated with several of the nations in the Ezekiel 38 coalition: “Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant [league] land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.” (Ezekiel 30:5) Lydia undisputedly refers to the western region of Turkey. The same event is seen in Jeremiah: “Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.” (Jeremiah 46:9)
Here, the Bible clearly connects the Gog coalition with Lydia (Turkey). “There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.” (Ezekiel 32:26) Why do we have Meshech, Tubal, Beth-Togarmah and Gomer included, yet Russia, the supposed leader of this coalition missing? These nations are “in league” (KJV, NASB, ASV, DBY, JPS, WBS, WEB) or “covenant” and allied with Egypt.37 In fact, the prior chapter (Ezekiel 29) also identifies Turkey with Meshech: “Javan (Ionia, Turkey), Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.” (Ezekiel 29:13)
Why does the Bible so consistently group these nations and regions together? The answer is that they were closely related in Ezekiel’s day and were understood by any who read the book in its original context.
I have much doubt that Russia would lead any Islamic invasion of Israel and threaten its own existence. When the Gog and Magog invasion occurs, the primary player will be Turkey which I have argued for years. I first predicted that it would turn toward fundamental Islam which it increasingly has, particularly over the past few years. I had concluded these things during the days when the world viewed Turkey only as a secular and moderate Muslim nation. Sadly, many still do.
The emphasis on a Turkish ruler being called “The Assyrian” would validate our Turkey argument because the Assyrian Empire and Turkey significantly overlap, but Russia and Assyria are two entirely different geographic locations that never overlap.
Obviously, the Lord directed Ezekiel to significantly highlight Turkey with the combination, “of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” The other three nations mentioned: Libya, Sudan and Iran, together with Turkey form a perfect circle around Israel. Turkey cove
rs Israel’s entire northern horizon, while Iran is east of Israel, Sudan is south, and Libya is to the west. Israel finds herself surrounded on all four corners by the Islamic coalition. While many Bible teachers have for years prophesied a coming invasion of Israel headed by Russia, we see that the Bible simply does not substantiate this position. Instead, we see an Islamic Invasion of Israel, most likely led by Turkey and involving Iran, Libya, Sudan, Syria and several other Islamic nations.
GOG
Gog or “Gygez” was a real historic person from Turkey. This is perhaps the name preserved in Scripture as “Gog” (Ezekiel 38:2). “Gog” is the reference used in the past to refer to “Gugu” of Lydia in Turkey.38 Esarhaddon (681-668 BC) records his defeat of the Gimirrai, while King Ashurbanipal tells us in his records of the Cimmerian invasion of Lydia in the days of the Lydian king Gugu (Gygez, Gogaz) around the year 660 BC. This is the same general period that Ezekiel was writing his prophecy.
Like other places in the Bible in which God refers to the Antichrist as the Prince of Tyre, or the King of Babylon, or the Assyrian, here He is calling the Antichrist “Gog” as a throwback to Gygez, a real historic figure from Lydia (Turkey). In fact, the Gomer were Turkic peoples who were descendants of tribes people recorded in history as the Oguz.39
They founded the Gokturk Empire in the 6th century, 522 CE, and were defeated in 745 CE by the Uygurs, an ethnically related Turkic tribe. “Gokturk,” with the “Gok” part being the distinguishing name of this particular Turkic tribe, is remarkably similar to “Gog” and again reinforces the point that the Biblical Gog is a ruler from the Turkic region of Asia Minor.
After several conquests among the diverse Turkic tribes, the Ghaznavids, under the leadership of Sevuktekin in 963 AD, established the first Muslim Turkish state. The Oguz Empire emerged once more upon the defeat of the Ghaznavid dynasty in 1040 CE and was assimilated by the Oguz.40 After the expansion of Islam, the empire came under the leadership of Tugrul Bey and Cagry Bey, grandsons of Seljuk, whose name was adopted for the Seljuk Dynasty. The Empire covered the region of Anatolia, Northern Iran, Syria, Iraq, Southern Caucasus, and Azerbaijan under Turkish rule under the leadership of Alp Arslan and Malik Shah in the 11 century.
The Seljuk Dynasty declined steadily during the 13th century and the land of Seljuk Sultanate was divided among chieftains. The Mongol conquest in 1243 marked the end of the Seljuk Dynasty. Ertugrul Gazi ruled the lands around Sögüt, a division of the Seljuk Sultanate. Upon his death in 1281, his son, Osman (Uthman), expanded the territory known by his name as the Ottoman Empire. (Guide Martine, History, the Seljuks)
Archaeology can sometimes be the best forensic science when examining prophecy. In the case of Gog, the Bible uses past names, past leaders, and past locations to be introduced in the future. Gyges was first known to the Greeks as “tyrant” and the one who introduced “tyranny” to the Greeks: he was called “tyrannous” or the tyrant one41 Archagetes means to be “further” and is applied both to divinities and to military leaders—in other words, a military leader who makes himself to be further, or greater than he is—a god. This is exactly how the Antichrist is portrayed in the Bible (Isaiah 14). The same is said of Nimrod in Micah 5. Thus, after all that we have so far discovered, we are not surprised to learn that Gyges of Lydia (Turkey), the first to be called a tyrant, bears a striking similarity with the Biblical Antichrist.42
Turkey is far more qualified to lead an Islamic coalition than Russia could ever be. All of the nations allied with Magog and all the alliances throughout the Bible are all Muslim. Why would Ezekiel 38 be any different? “I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.” (Ezekiel 38:4) In Ezekiel 38 we have Persia, Phut and Cush. Persia is very easy to identify:
PERSIA-IRAN
Essentially, Persia is modern-day Iran. Many Iranians in America, if asked where they are from, will simply say they are Persian. In fact Iran was still called Persia until 1935. Obviously Iran is an Islamic fundamentalist nation.
Persia: The Modern Islamic Republic of Iran
CUSH: SUDAN, SOMALIA
Not to be confused with modern Ethiopia, Cush of Ezekiel’s day was simply the region immediately south of Egypt often called Nubia. In Scripture, Cush was often associated with Egypt and was a border nation to her: “I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol,” (Northern Egypt) “to Aswan,” (Today in southern Egypt) “as far as the border of Cush.” (Ezekiel 29:9-10)
The only legitimate identification of Cush then is modern Sudan, officially known as The Islamic Republic of Sudan since 1989. While Sudan does have a large Christian minority, it is ruled by the Muslim majority. Today Sudan is an absolute cesspool of Islamic oppression toward Christians and anyone who is not an Arab Muslim. The Sudanese Arab Muslim Government is even killing the native African Muslims.
The region of Cush could also extend to the south of Sudan into Somalia. Somalia is a rabidly Islamist nation that may very well be included in the invasion.
PUT OR PHUT
Biblically, Put (or Phut) is the region west of Egypt. Today this is the nation of Libya. The Septuagint translates the word Put here as Libue. Most modern scholars seem to agree with this interpretation. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania could also be included here as well. Once again, we again have another region that is entirely Muslim.
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Ezekiel 38 Is Armageddon
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SEPARATING THIS BATTLE
Many prophecy teachers in the West teach that the invading coalition of nations described in Ezekiel 38-39 is not the army of Antichrist, but of another army entirely led by some other evil world leader who is destroyed prior to Christ’s coming to defeat Antichrist.
The reason for this view is simply because Ezekiel 38-39, which clearly describes a Muslim coalition of nations does not support their European Antichrist paradigm. For this reason they are forced to find a way to divorce the battle of Gog and Magog from the main event when Christ returns to the earth for the showdown with Antichrist. Most western prophecy teachers claim that Islam will be defeated and out of the scene before Antichrist emerges from Europe as a world leader.
Ezekiel 38 is indeed Armageddon for several reasons:
1. ISRAEL WILL BE PURE
“I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I Jehovah am the Holy One in Israel.” “It is coming! It will surely take place, declares Jehovah the Sovereign. This is the day I have spoken of,” (Ezekiel 38:23-39:7-8)
2. THE GENTILES WILL KNOW GOD
God Himself says that after the defeat of Gog and his armies, all of the Gentile nations as well as Israel will be convicted of their unbelief and will know that He (Jehovah) is God: “And so 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 Jehovah.’ I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am Jehovah…”
The text of Ezekiel 38 describes the heathen as finally knowing who the true God is “the heathen may know me” “And thou [Gog] shall come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:16)
How could these be “heathen?” All these nations in Ezekiel 38 are Muslim nations. Why would the Bible call people who claim to believe in Abraham and Jesus as heathen? To me this is one dilemma I had when I read the text as a Muslim, I realized that I must be on the wrong side. Worshipping Allah according to the Bible cannot
be the same as worshipping Jehovah. You could imagine my dilemma when I first read this. I had to make a choice—Allah or Christ. I chose Christ. This event happens, “in the latter days,” a war between Israel and these “heathens.” Muslims call us Kuffar (heathen, infidels), for we do not believe in Allah. From their perspective, we are unbelievers—we reject Allah and Mohammed. Yet the Bible declares Muslims to be heathen. Islam turns everything upside down. Take for example, Islam claims that there is “no compulsion in religion,” yet we are the ones who carry out this mandate, they don’t. They should be happy with us for carrying out that commandment. Yet they are not. Islam is spread by the force, yet keeps certain abrogated peace verses for the sake of deception.
The “smarty-pants atheists” in the West condemn us (Christians) because we (according to them) are always condemning everyone who doesn’t believe, to hell. In reality it is us who are damned whether we agree with Muslims or we don’t. We are proud Kuffar. Actually I am considered a Murtad, one who once believed in Islam, then left. I get a much harsher punishment than you. I have 72 hours to change my mind or die. You might end up simply paying the Jizyah tax if they decided to spare you the sword. What you need to realize about Islam, regardless if it is the “moderate” brand (if indeed there is such a thing) or the fundamentalist brand. Islam is like the Hotel California, you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave—unless you are carried out in a coffin, with or without your head. So when you are given a choice by a Muslim to embrace Islam—choose wisely. You are better off telling them that you would rather remain a Dhimmi—a subjugated person under Islamic rule. I need to fight just a little longer in the hope that this battle to come and go, (unless we have a pre-Tribulation Rapture). But after this Battle, God’s name will never again be profaned.
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