S46 || Gog, Magog, and the Restoration Story || Ezekiel 38:1-23 || Session 46

A war so vast it’s pictured as a cloud over the land. A quake so great that every person on earth trembles. Ezekiel chapters 38–39 isn’t clickbait prophecy—it’s a tightly argued, context-rich vision that sits inside Ezekiel’s larger story of judgment, renewal, and God’s name defended among the nations. We start by setting the arc of the book—calling, judgment on Israel, judgment on the nations, and then restoration—so Gog of Magog lands where it belongs: in the phase where Israel is regathered, secure, and suddenly threatened by a northern coalition.

From there, we unpack who “Gog” is (a title, not a proper name), why “remote parts of the north” matters more than modern name-matching, and how the text itself resists purely symbolic readings. Horses, shields, and wooden weapons reflect Ezekiel’s vocabulary, not a denial of modern warfare. What cannot be dismissed are the specific markers: seven months of burial, seven years of fuel, an army like a storm, and a global recognition of God’s presence. We show why no known historical episode fits these details and why “last days” timing anchors the passage in the future.

Along the way, we lean into the theology most readers miss: God leads nations with “hooks,” yet without canceling human agency; he defends not only his people but his land; and he orchestrates judgment so that “many nations” know he is the Lord. If you’ve been told Gog equals a single modern capital, we’ll help you widen the lens. If you’ve been told it’s all allegory, we’ll walk you through the details that argue otherwise. The goal is humble, careful reading that keeps the main thing central: God will magnify and sanctify his name, Israel will dwell securely by His action, and the nations will see.

If this conversation helps you read Ezekiel with clearer eyes, share it with a friend, subscribe for more context-first Bible studies, and leave a review with your biggest question from the episode.

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting Ezekiel’s Roadmap
• 3:20 Why Context Before Gog and Magog
• 6:30 Future, Not Past: Key Reasons
• 9:35 Who Is Gog of Magog?
• 13:00 Coalition From the Far North
• 16:40 God Leads the Invaders
• 20:30 Ancient Terms, Modern Warfare
• 24:05 Israel Regathered, Living Securely
• 27:30 Motives: Spoil, Pride, and Power
• 31:00 Last Days and Global Sign

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:20

Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 are in the section of the book where God is talking about the restoration of the nation. In these two chapters, 38 and 39, he talks about Gog and Magog. There's a bit of an interest in that over the years in Christian circles. My personal theory is a bit of a silly reason. I think it's just because the names rhyme and it's a little unusual. Because of that, there's all kinds of unusual theories about who this is. We're going to dive into that today as we reason through the Bible. If you have your copy of the Word of God open to Ezekiel 38, I think, Steve, before we just dive into the specifics, I think we ought to talk about these chapters in general and go over some of the ideas of what's going on before we go through in verse by verse, simply because the conclusion on how to interpret this, we really need to take the entire couple of chapters at once. Before we even dive into that, just a reminder of where we are in the book, I think that would help. Remember, the very first chapter was the calling of Ezekiel. And then from chapters two to 24 is the judgment on Israel and specifically Jerusalem. Then God spent several chapters talking about judgment on the nations. Then starting in about chapter 33, God has been talking about the restoration and rebuilding of Israel. In this section on the rebuilding of Israel, God also includes some cleaning out of things in order for Israel to be restored to the land. That's really the section of Gog of Magog, which is what it says. But there's other things in here that have to happen in order for Israel to live securely in the land. Chapter 33 talked about a watchman that needs to do his duty and point out danger. Chapter 34, God corrects the leaders of Israel, that they were bad shepherds, that they needed to get their act together. Also in chapter 34, God begins talking about restoring Israel in earnest, bringing them back to the land. Then in 35, there's some nations there that had to be removed so that Israel could return someday and live in peace. The reason I mention all of that is the section is talking clearly about how God is going to bring Israel back to the land by himself. That's when we bring up Gog of Magog. If we just turn to these chapters out of the blue, we don't get the flow of the book. Steve, isn't it important to know really what the, you know, the overall flow is the restoration of Israel, is it not?

SPEAKER_01: 3:17

That's exactly one of the things that I wanted to bring out, in that we hear people talk about Ezekiel 38 and 39 and this war, and they do it because it's obvious that this is something that's still going to happen in the future, but they dive directly into Ezekiel 38 and 39 and miss out on all these previous chapters as to what is taking place and what is going on. So I think while 38 and 39 is very interesting, in order to get a good picture of why it's there, I think it'd be good to always look at the rest of the book of Ezekiel. So I'm glad that we've done that. Now we've gotten to 38 and 39. And if there's people that are just tuning in to our ministry or to our lesson of Ezekiel, just for these two chapters, we ask you, go back to the beginning and listen to the study through the rest of the book of Ezekiel. Don't just jump into these two chapters in your study. Go with us from the very beginning.

SPEAKER_00: 4:21

It's like some wise Bible teachers have said never read a Bible verse. By that they mean don't just turn to a page and read one verse, because that's how you can get confused and off track sometimes. You have to read the passage, the chapter of the book, and know where it fits into the flow of what the God is trying to say through the author. Before we even really get into who is Gog and who is Magog, I think it wise if we just took a quick minute and talked about the flow of these two chapters. What are the high points of what they're saying? Then I think we can go back and try to interpret what they mean. In chapter 38, verse 2, Gog of the land of Magog. We have here some sort of a ruler of the land of Magog. When we say Gog and Magog, it's really Gog of the land of Magog. 38.4. The Lord says he's going to put hooks in their jaws and lead this army and lead it down to Israel. Verse 8, this will happen, quote, in the latter years when the land is restored from the sword. There's going to be a time of peace when this happens. It will happen when Israel has been brought from the nations back to Israel, and Israel is living securely. At that point, there's going to be this great battle with this people of the north. 38 15, Gog will come, it says, out of the remote parts of the north. Gog's army is going to attack Israel. Verse 18, the Lord is going to act out of his anger to deliver Israel. 38 20, quote, all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at my presence, and the Lord is going to then defeat Gog in a very dramatic fashion. Then in chapter 39, the Lord's going to take Gog and his army, bring them to attack Israel. The Lord is going to defeat Gog in Israel. After the battle, the Lord says, quote, I will not let my name be profaned anymore. Then there's this section in the middle of chapter 39 about the weapons are going to burn for seven years. It's going to take seven months to bury the army. All the Jews are going to know that Yahweh is God from that day onward, and that they're going to live securely in their own land with no one to make them afraid. All of that, Steve, is why people hold this to be yet future. Because if you add up all of that, there really was no time in the past where we could even figuratively make say that that happened in history.

SPEAKER_01: 7:07

No, there's a lot of detail that are in these two chapters as to what's going to take place. You have these time frames, seven months, seven years, things like that. They don't fit any type of historical activity with the nation of Israel. Therefore, it's got to be sometime in the future yet.

SPEAKER_00: 7:28

To be specific on why it can't have been in the past, the land has never been, quote, restored from the sword, 38.8. And neither has the Christian's life ever been restored from having war with the world, for the Christian is in conflict with the world on a constant basis. Israel has never lived securely at any point in its history. There's never been a time when all men on the face of the earth shake at God's presence, 3820. God's name is still today being profaned on the earth, contrary to 39.7. And there was never a time when the weapons burned and the massive numbers of people died. There's no objective way to make this either figurative of the Christian's life or historical event that's already happened. With that overview, let's go in and we'll dive into more of the questions as we get going through here. Steve, can you read the first three verses of Ezekiel chapter 38?

SPEAKER_01: 8:30

The word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubul, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against you, O Gog, Prince of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubul.

SPEAKER_00: 8:53

With this, the first question arises is who is this talking about? It says Gog of Magog, Gog of the land of Magog. I've already said what I think, Steve. I think it's a pretty silly reason. I think it catches people's attention just because they're a little unusual to say, and it's it rhymes and it's just an unusual, funny name. Who is Gog and Magog?

SPEAKER_01: 9:18

Well, there's much debate as to who it actually is and which land that it's talking about. But Gog is a title, just like Pharaoh, Caesar, Kaiser, President, Emperor. It's a title of a ruler. It's not the proper name of the person, but it's the title. He is the emperor or Pharaoh over this land of Magog.

SPEAKER_00: 9:46

There's been much speculation over time on who is Gog and where is the land of Magog. We know that it says clearly here in a verse coming up that it's of the far north. But if you just look on a map, the first nation that comes to mind is Russia. There's been a lot of Bible teachers that have held it's Russia. If you look at verse 2, it says Rosh, Meshach, and Tubul sound a lot like Russia, Moscow, and Tobolsk. There's a town over in Siberia named Tobolsk. So I'm not going to follow that rabbit trail too far. I think the clearest part that just for us is that it says it is a land from the far north. Now, if we just look at geography and the history of the nation Israel, there's never really been people that have attacked from the east simply because there's a big desert there and it's hard to cross a desert with a large army. The West has the Mediterranean Sea, and likewise it's hard to move an army across the sea. Egypt is the one country to the south. And so the only real place for multiple countries to attack was from the north. Whenever any country was going to attack, it's going to be from the north. But this says the far north, if you just look on a map, it's Russia. But I don't necessarily want to go down that rabbit trail. And to me, reaching into a town way for Siberia that just happens to start with the same letter. Not sure I want to go down that path. I think that for us, it doesn't really matter because, as you said, Gog is a title. And it's really just talking about a really, if you just read the rest of the passage, it's a coalition. There's going to be a king from the far north that's going to build a coalition of many nations that are going to come and attack Israel. That's what really matters. I think the exact person just isn't named in the text, but it tells us there's going to be a coalition of nations that attack from the north, and it's called Gog of the land of Magog. If we look at verse 4 of Ezekiel 38, it says this. And again, this is God speaking. I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords. The Lord says here that He is the one who will lead the people of Magog like hooks in their jaws. God says he's the one that's going to bring them. So, Steve, what can we draw from that conclusion? That he's the one that's going to bring them.

SPEAKER_01: 12:35

That it is something that he is bringing about in some form or fashion. Some of these countries that we will get to as we go through the individual verses, they're known countries. But as you just said, I think the thing to take away from these chapters is that the leader is going to be this Gog of the land of Magog. He's going to put this coalition together, both countries that are going to come from the south and countries that are going to be from the east, albeit they're going to have to come through the north to do it. Now, you might have some of these other countries from the south coming up that way too to bring like a pincer move, is how the military strategists put the activity. But for sure, it's a coalition of countries that are put together by this Gog, this leader of the nation of Magog.

SPEAKER_00: 13:32

The sense here is that there's going to be this vast king with these many countries with this huge army. And somebody like that would think that they're very powerful and have a lot of pride and be full of themselves. But God says, I'm going to put a hook in your jaw and lead you around where I want you to go. So really, who is in charge here?

SPEAKER_01: 13:55

Yeah, as we mentioned, God is. I also want to, before we move on, Glenn, where it says in verse 4, horses, horsemen, splendidly in their attire, their buckler and shield. I think this is a place where some of the people who push against our reading of the plain meaning of the text, they will come in here and they'll say, uh-huh, how come in here, what are you going to do with this? Because in modern warfare, horses aren't used. You don't have bucklers and shields. And you and I would probably agree that this is just describing the usage of materials of an army uses in the day. How is it that Ezekiel is going to describe things that are going to happen centuries and even millennia in the future? What would we do if we read here of tanks and drones and F-16s and F-35s and aircraft carriers, things like that? We wouldn't expect those individual names to be used. I think here we can say that the horseman-horseman, buckler, and shield is just talking about the modern warfare that was used at the time, and that it's going to be whatever modern warfare items are used at the time of when this is going to take place. But this is an area where some of the people push back and say, you read everything literally, but yet when you come to an area like this, then it's okay to say, well, this is a type or this is speaking of something else. What do you say about that, Glenn?

SPEAKER_00: 15:36

Here's what I say, because you run into the same issue in the next chapter as well. Here it talked about horses and bucklers. In chapter 39, it speaks at length about wooden war tools, shields, and things like that being burned for firewood. If we look at modern warfare, we just can't imagine going to war with wooden implements of war. We have to look at what are the options. Well, one of the options is that we take this to be a figurative application, in which case, if the entire story is some sort of a figurative application, you end up with a larger problem than what you described, Steve. We would have a bit of an issue with saying, okay, modern war tools versus ancient war tools, and we have to make some accommodation for that. If we were to take the entire story as figurative, then as we've pointed out, we just have too many places where it is obviously very specific. And we're going to see some even in these two chapters where it gets incredibly obvious that the allegorizing the entire section really ends up with a very, very, very poor hermeneutic, not the least of which is we have two dozen chapters where it very specifically talks about things that happened literally to literal Israel and literal Jerusalem. And we can't, with a consistent hermeneutic, suddenly, two-thirds of the way through the book, suddenly change our hermeneutic because we bring in a theology from outside the book. That's just not a proper way to do hermeneutics. Another way of doing it would be to say that this was somehow fulfilled in the ancient days before Christ. But again, none of this could be pointed to as a historical fact. There was no place where they spent seven months burying dead and seven years burning war tools. We're left with taking the 95% of the book the way it's said, we have to take passages like this and just apply it. How are you going to explain modern war tools to ancient peoples? He then mentions in verses five and six some of the nations that are going to be in this coalition. Then starting in verse eight, this is again God speaking through Ezekiel says this after many days you will be summoned. In the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. But its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. You will go up, you will come like a storm, you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops and many peoples with you. Once again, who is in control of nations?

SPEAKER_01: 18:44

God is in control. One of the things that is brought out here is if God is going to bring these other nations to the land of Israel, that says the mountains of Israel here, then what has to exist in order for that to take place? Well, the nation of Israel itself needs to exist. Once again, the fulfillment of prophecy that we talked about in the earlier chapters of the nation of Israel being brought back in a state of unbelief is something that has happened at this point in time. The muscle, sinew, and skin has been put on the bones, but yet there's a second part of belief that has to take place whenever God breathes life into him. But you can't have a war or battles against the nation of Israel without the nation itself being in place.

SPEAKER_00: 19:35

In this book of Ezekiel, starting about chapter 25, we saw God clearly controlling a long list of nations. He controlled, again, it was a long list. Then now we have God controlling a coalition of many nations and leading them around like they had hooks in their mouth. Steve, why is it, do you think, that this idea of God controlling nations is not talked about enough in our churches today? We rightly and justifiably do talk about salvation and all the wonderful concepts in the New Testament, but God hasn't changed since the Old Testament. He's still as powerful as he was back then. Why do churches today not talk enough about God raising up and taking down kings and nations?

SPEAKER_01: 20:28

It possibly can be put on the shoulders of a period of time whenever kings in the European area they ruled with a term that they called the divine right of God. They said that God raised up and took down nations, and so therefore the fact that I am here, I'm here divinely put in place. But they took it too far, where they were sometimes burdensome to the people that they ruled over. They didn't rule over them justly all the time. Just like we saw with the kings of the nation of the northern tribe of Israel, they would lead them astray and they would lead them away from God. Whenever we got into the 18th century, we had a series of revolts to overthrow kings. Then we had a series of time period when people ruled themselves, so to speak, and they elected other people. I think that's possibly where they got away from this talking about God raising up nations and taking nations down. This concept that the ruler of a nation is there at the pleasure of God and has a responsibility to rule the people in a just way is left out because the people say, Well, we elected them, therefore God's not involved in this at all. I think that's possibly one thing. The churches don't talk about this anymore, and they don't talk about that rulers have a responsibility to God.

SPEAKER_00: 22:06

I would agree. And I think if our rulers need to take very seriously the fact that God raises up rulers and he takes them down again, and sometimes he puts them in place for judgment. So this is a very sobering if you're in any position of leadership. In verse 9, notice that this is no normal-sized army. There's going to be so many people that it's like a cloud that covers the entire land. Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 clearly speak of an army so large that it's bigger than any that has been in the land in any war previously. We have just an absolutely massive number of people. Next in the chapter, we find the motivation that Gog will have to invade Israel. Starting in verse 10 says this Thus says the Lord God, it will come about on that day that thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan, and you will say, I will go up against the land of unwalled villages, I will go against those who are at rest that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world. Steve, it says here in verse 10, he's predicting future thoughts that this man and these people are going to have. Does God know future thoughts of free creatures? He does.

SPEAKER_01: 23:45

We see that over and over again in Scripture, where we are given that God knows our thoughts and what we're thinking. And I'd like to point out that this is God giving a prediction of what's going to happen. It's a description of what's going to happen. It's not a prescribed thing. I don't think we can take away from this that God Himself is putting these thoughts into this leader. He is describing the thoughts that are going to come to the leader and what's going to happen. So he's given a description here, I think, Glenn, not a prescription of what's going to happen.

SPEAKER_00: 24:24

I would agree. He's saying what's going to happen in the future. God knows all things. God knows what free creatures are going to think and do in the future, but he doesn't cause those things. He is describing what's going to happen, but he is not the cause of that. It's the free creature that he has given agency to. The creature thinks the evil thoughts. And God knows what they're going to think with certainty in the future, but it's still the creature that thinks the thoughts. If we look then at verse 11, God is giving a reason why he is against Gog of the land of Magog. It's because they plan to take spoils from Israel. God is always concerned about the land of Israel. That's a primary motivation, is what are the nations going to do with the land? In the next section, God is going to describe how Magog is going to come against Israel. I'm reading, starting in verse 15, you will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army, and you will come up against my people, Israel, like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O God. Steve, what's going to bring these nations against Israel and when will it happen?

SPEAKER_01: 25:55

He says that it's going to happen in the last days, whenever this is going to happen. It's going to go against my land being God's land, and that the nations are going to know who God is. So it gives a reason why that this is all happening whenever God comes to protect his people. But it's going to take place in the last days.

SPEAKER_00: 26:17

In the last days, and I think that's key. He also says in there that these peoples are from the remote parts of the north. It's a group of people. The directions given in Scriptures are always in relation to the land of Israel. So it's the remote parts of the north of Israel. And they're going to bring, it says, many peoples with you. It's not merely one nation. Again, coalition of people groups that are going to put together an absolutely massive army and they're going to invade Israel from the north. But God says, I will do this. I'm going to bring these nations against Israel. He's doing it for a reason. The question, when it says the last days, is when are the last days? The last days were not in the intertestamental period before Christ, because we clearly had Christ come after that major event. And these armies did not come and do all the things that we find in 38 and 39. So at the end of verse 16, God gives a reason for why the vast armies are going to attack Israel. What does he say at the end of 16? Of why?

SPEAKER_01: 27:29

He says, so that the nations would know who he is and that he is separate. He says, sanctified, there is the word. That means separate through you before their eyes, oh God. Once again, we have this theme of the nations, God working with the nations to show them who he is. We have this depiction here that it's not just Israel itself, but it's also God dealing with the other nations.

SPEAKER_00: 28:00

Exactly. At the end of 16, he's saying, so that the nations will know me. God does things so that people will realize who he is and realize that he is the just one. He is the worthy one. God's name will be glorified before all nations. Why? Because he is worthy and just and he deserves it. Starting in verse 18 says this it will come about on that day when God comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, that my fury will mount up in my anger, in my zeal and in my blazing wrath, I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the fields, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at my presence. The mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. The Lord will pour out his wrath on this battle. One thing he's going to do, he says here, is cause an earthquake. Steve, the middle of verse 20, what does God say is going to happen in this earthquake?

SPEAKER_01: 29:18

It says that the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that are creep on the earth, all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake in God's presence. This earthquake is going to be a catastrophic event that's not only going to be recognized by mankind, but it's also going to be recognized by creation itself.

SPEAKER_00: 29:40

What I find really interesting is not only this earthquake, this natural disaster that God is going to cause, that causes tremendous upheaval, but he says in the middle of verse 20 All the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at my presence, unquote. Thus, God is going to show. Up in this battle. Since it means all men on the face of the earth, it can't mean anytime so far in the church age, simply because no country during the church age had all men fearing God. We have every saved person, everybody in the church that would shake it as presence that would fear God. But it's not true that all men on the face of the earth, all men in all country, all the non-believers around the Christians aren't recognizing God. It can't even mean all the people that were in that battle simply because it specifically says all on the face of the earth. But even if it was just the people in that battle in that land, if he was using some sort of a literary device, there's never been a time when this was true. There's never been a time where an invading army all suddenly said, wow, the real God, you know, Yahweh is the real God. That's never happened. Therefore, verse 20 is clearly speaking of a future time that's yet to be fulfilled. It also says in there, the mountains will be thrown down. Other prophetic passages in the Old Testament speak of major geographic changes in the land of Israel in the last days. The last part of chapter 38 has God intent on his enemies, knowing him and his power. Verses 22 and 23 say this: With pestilence and with blood, I will enter into judgment with him, and I will reign on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, torrential rain with hailstones, fire, and brimstone. I will magnify myself, sanctify myself, and make myself known in the sight of many nations, and they will know that I am the Lord. Steve, does God have the right and the worthiness to magnify his name?

SPEAKER_01: 31:54

Yeah, and it's also his land that he's defending. Not just the nation of Israel, but it's his land that he has given to the nation. It's up to him to give and up to him to take away. I just love that last verse 23, the way it's described. He says, I will magnify myself, sanctify myself, and make myself known to all the nations. To me, that's just a depiction of a majestic God that is showing up to defend his people and to defend his land. It's going to be done in such a way that all the nations are going to be clear as to who he is.

SPEAKER_00: 32:36

We have a wonderful God. Our God is powerful, he is holy, he is majestic, and he is worthy. If we were making these types of claims, it would be sinful simply because we are weak, fallible human beings. But if we have a being as God that truly is holy and just and worthy, then he is deserving of everything he says here. So therefore, God is the one who is worthy. He takes these people who think they're militarily superior, probably the largest army that's been amassed in the history of the world. He leads them around with hooks in their mouth and leads them where he wants them and destroys them to show that his name will be glorified. And we will glorify him on this ministry. And Steve, we're at the end of chapter 38, but we're not at the end of Gog of the Land of Magog because next time we're going to reason through the rest of it in chapter 39.

SPEAKER_01: 33:36

As always, we want to thank you so much for watching and listening. And we always want to wish that God may bless you and keep you.