Many modern Bible prophecy teachers declare that Israel will soon be invaded by Russia, Iran, and the surrounding Arab nations in the very near future. For the invasion, as well as the identities of these modern nations, they point to Ezekiel 38. (They point to the names of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubal in verse 2 as being associated with Russia, while saying that Persia, in verse 5, means Iran .) The proximity of the invasion is based on the current rise of Russia and Iran as enemy powers of Israel, as well as the assessment of current times with descriptions in Ezekiel 38.
Leaving aside the association of the names found in Ezekiel 38 with Russia and Iran, clearly Ezekiel chapter 38 presents an invasion of Israel by a conglomerate of nations. But the question is, when will this invasion occur? Many, if not most, fans of modern prophecy believe that this invasion of Israel will occur before the start of the seven year treaty (the end times treaty) with Israel. In fact, this understanding of the timing of this Ezekiel “war” has become so prevalent that it seems to be taken for granted in evangelical circles.
But is this moment correct? Let’s look at the evidence.
At first glance at Ezekiel 38, the reader will notice the names “Gog and Magog.” Interestingly, those names are used together in only three chapters of the Bible: Ezekiel 38, 39 and Revelation 20 (verses 7-10).
Specifically, Gog and Magog appear in Revelation chapter 20, verses 7-10, a context that is set at the end of the millennial kingdom (the thousand-year reign of Christ after His return to earth). This use of Gog and Magog by the apostle John (the author of Revelation) raises this critical question: Since, outside of Revelation 20:7-10, Gog and Magog are only used together in Ezekiel 38 and 39, why would John choose to mention them by name where he does? After all, John certainly could have given a description of this scene without the use of Gog and Magog. In fact, Gog and Magog seem to stick out as if they hardly fit this description.
Since Gog and Magog do not seem to contribute to the understanding of Revelation 20:7-10 on their own, there seems to be no other reason to include them in the context of these verses, except to connect this passage with a passage of their earlier use. Furthermore, there is no explanation of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20, indicating both a prior understanding of these terms by the readers of Revelation and the apostle’s intention to take the readers to another context where they had previously appeared.
This means that by the rare use of Gog and Magog in tandem in Revelation 20:7-10, the apostle John is signaling that he is referring to Ezekiel 38. Therefore, Revelation 20:7-10 presents the same event as in Ezequiel. 38, although the two passages have different perspectives.
In addition to the passages being connected by “Gog and Magog,” there are a couple of other similarities that indicate that Ezekiel 38 portrays the same event as Revelation 20:7-10. First, they both represent a large crowd invading Israel. Second, the result in each passage is the same; God destroys them with fire.
Another clue that the scene in Ezekiel 38 will occur at the end of the coming kingdom, the time the Revelation 20:7-10 scenario occurs, is the state of total peace and security that Israel will experience when the nation is invaded by hordes This state of peace and security experienced by Israel at the time of its attack is emphasized by phrases such as “a land of villages without walls”; “a peaceful people, who live confidently, all of them living without walls, and without locks or doors”; and “Israel dwells[ing] security.” These descriptions indicate a state in which Israel is not afraid of enemies. Israel certainly does not experience that now, and the nation will not live in that kind of security even after the seven-year treaty comes into force. The only Israel will live in that kind of security in the coming (millennial) kingdom.
Therefore, based on this alone, the “war” in Ezekiel 38 will not occur until some time after Christ begins ruling over the earth. Based on the connection to Revelation 20:7-10, it will take place at the end of Jesus’ thousand-year reign on the planet. But there are still at least two more pieces of evidence that Ezekiel 38 will be fulfilled within the coming kingdom.
One of them is the description in verses 12 and 13 that at the time of this attack, Israel will exist in a state of abundant possession. As these verses indicate, the wealth of Israel will be such that it will tempt a great multitude to risk entering Israel (while Jesus rules from Jerusalem) to plunder the nation. This is the kind of prosperity that Israel will enjoy during the kingdom age.
According to verses 16 and 23 of Ezekiel 38, the result of God’s judgment on Gog in Ezekiel 38 is that God will be known, magnified, and sanctified in the eyes of the nations. According to verse 16, the result of this “battle” is “so that the nations may know me, when I am sanctified in you, O Gog”, and in verse 23, God announces this result: “So I will magnify myself and become great” . sanctify me, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am the LORD. ‘Certainly, God is not “known in the eyes of many nations” today, and he will not be known in that global sense before the millennial kingdom; this will only be true when the kingdom of God arrives on the planet. This means that Ezekiel 38 will be fulfilled sometime in the coming kingdom; and, as the connection with Revelation 20:7-10 shows us, its fulfillment will occur at the end of the millennial kingdom.
Therefore, Ezekiel 38 does not support an early invasion of Israel by Russia, Iran, and neighboring nations. In fact, no invasion of Israel will occur until three and a half years after the seven year treaty with Israel when the King of the North brings his armies to the Jewish capital; but that will be a very different invasion than the one described by Ezekiel 38.
So don’t expect a Russian-Iranian-Arab invasion of Israel to happen any time soon. Arab states (at least some) are much more likely to back an Israeli military strike against Iran to stop its race to nuclear capability. This, in turn, could lead to regime change, affecting the entire region. While Russia would love to get a foot in the Middle East door, it will not be part of the regional deal with Israel, which will occur sometime after Israel’s attack on Iran. It will be this treatise that will start the clock ticking down on the final seven years leading up to Christ’s return.