Ezekiel 38

This chapter is a little tricky, therefore, I am using several sources to figure it out. 

First, Ezekiel said that God told him to set his face against Gog, of the land of Magog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against them. 

Sources agree that Gog is another term for supreme leader or prince. And they agree that this time period is a future battle against Israel. Some believe it happens after the false peace which began the seven-year Tribulation period. McGee and MacArthur believes at the halfway mark, three and one half years in, Israel will be attacked. 

In Ezekiel 38, God told the prophet that a coalition of nations will rise against Israel, and He named Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya, along with a group from the far north. There will be a whole army. This "prince" sees Israel living safely in their land, a land that was once desolate but is now inhabited by God's people, and that they have acquired livestock and goods; this price or Antichrist will devise an evil plan to attack Israel and plunder their goods. In fact, God is going to have His hand in bringing this army specifically to and against Israel.

But God will cause such a great earthquake in that time that all creatures and man will shake at His presence. Mountains shall be thrown down and walls and steep places shall fall to the ground. Such fear will come upon the enemies of God that they will turn their swords on one another. God will bring judgment upon them through pestilence and bloodshed, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. (You may find more of this in Revelation, which describes the battle at the end of the Tribulation.)

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. 

God will protect Israel from her enemies, and Israel will glorify God.

COMMENTARY

So now let us see what McGee says about chapter 38. This chapter is about the final enemy that will come against Israel in the last days. McGee said it is Russia.

McGee says Gog is a word for ruler. Magog means head, and in Hebrew, it is Rosh. McGee also sources two scholars who say the Hebrew word Rosh should be Russia. And he explains that Rosh as a proper name signified the inhabitants of Scythia, which is modern Russia. And Russia was first called Moscovy, derived from Meshech. And Meshech and Tubal sound like Moscow and Tobolsk, which are in Siberia. McGee called this the Linguistic Phenomenon. 

He also added that since Israel is the geographical center of the earth, as far as the bible is concerned, and if one went far north (from Israel), where God said Israel's enemy would come from, he would end up in Russia. 

And finally, because Ezekiel 38 described a nation which was against God, Russia has been a nation that has (through communism) declared that there is no God. Most nations have their own man made gods. Russian leaders at one time embraced the idea that no God existed. Well, that was in the 80s. Today, Putin has actually called Russia a Christian nation, in response to America's godlessness and moral bankruptcy. It could be a ploy, and we shall see what comes of Russia's declaration of religion or faith. 

When will the invasion happen? There are numerous interpretations of this. McGee and MacArthur agree it will be at the middle end of the Tribulation period. When the final Antichrist comes to power, he will do so using his platform of peace and safety. 

For the first half of the Tribulation, there is a false peace, but after three and one half years, Russia will come down from the north into Israel and this event will trigger the Great Tribulation by ending the false peace agreement between Israel and the Antichrist. War will break out, the Great Tribulation period (second half) will begin, and the whole earth will suffer a short while.

McGee said that God will give Russia and the other nations reasons to come, so that they will all be situated in Israel, thinking they are going to invade, but instead it is where they will be judged by the living God. Instead of using other nations to judge Israel, God will bring those nations to Israel to be judged themselves, and they will not return to their homes again. 

McGee then explained why he believes Russia will "invade" Israel, such as a need for access to the Mediterranean and for oil from the Middle East or even for mineral deposits from the Dead Sea. Whatever the reasons, chapter 38 said they wanted to plunder what Israel had.