With new troubles in the Middle East, all the end times pundits come out again in droves. Here we go again. ◊

I will actually take a break from our study of ROMANS to address a hot and current topic.

There’s a new round of chatter about Armageddon, the Rapture, the start of the Tribulation, and the end of the world. A variety of subjects are tossed into the mix this time: the recent eclipse, the Middle East conflict between Israel, Hamas and Iran.

And now Rosh and Gog and Magog, mentioned in the Biblical prophetic Books of Ezekiel and Revelation.

Perhaps a friend (or even pastor!) has been talking about the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, or even Red Heifers in preparation of Jewish ceremonial sacrifices as signs of coming end times per Biblical prophecy.

Don’t be taken in.

It’s all interesting but warrants a few questions that a Christian can ask themselves, or the people who are perpetuating this erroneous Biblical teaching:

• Is it possible that the Book of Ezekiel is about events during and after Ezekiel’s time involving the warring Babylonians and then the Persians?
  • Answer: Yes.
• Is it possible that the Book of Revelation is about events that happened (“soon”) prior to and including the total annihilation of the Jewish temple and nation in AD 70 by the Romans?
  • Answer: Yes.
• Is it possible that the nation of Israel is a secular nation today whose people have the same opportunity to accept or reject Jesus as any other person in the world?
  • Answer: Yes.

I believe that Christians should conduct the study of these prophetic books on their own and not just take the word of even their respected church leaders. College professors are not always correct. It’s the same with church teachers and pastors.

Certainly when it comes to end times eschatology there is ample room for error. The best way is to approach the topics with an open mind and inform oneself of all the varying perspectives. Be careful. Not all things on the internet or YouTube are valid or true. Not all books or podcasts are accurate. They all reflect a given point of view, which should be assessed. Review sources and understand the evolutionary path of many of the common ideas taught in churches today.

Many people are closed minded to other views. Not an enlightened approach. It took me a while to get there myself but my eyes were opened after I stopped swallowing everything that was fed to me and started studying the topics deeply on my own and explored all points of view.

While I will not attempt to provide the deep dive support here in this post, I will highlight a few key areas for consideration.

Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39?
Invariably, these 2 chapters of Ezekiel come up when issues rise concerning Israel. In the very first 3 verses, confusion sets in:

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. (Ezekiel 38:1-3)

Many well-known pastors still believe Rosh is a reference to modern-day Russia, and Meshech references modern-day Moscow. This comes straight out of Hal Lindsey’s largely disavowed book, The Late Great Planet Earth written in 1970. He got it from the Scofield Reference Bible (1909) and further attributes it to Dr. John Cumming who made the claim in his Destiny of Nations book written in 1864.¹

It’s commonly conceded today that Rosh does not refer to Russia but actually in Hebrew means “chief or head.” Consequently many Bibles today translate this passage as “the chief (head) prince of Meshech and Tubal.”

Chapters 38 and 39 actually parallels the Book of Esther! The evil Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites (also called Agagites), longstanding enemies of Israel. Agag, the original king of the Amalekites, is translated “Gog” in the Septuagint. (Numbers 24:7) Haman was promoted to chief of the chiefs in the Persian Empire in the early-6th century BC. Haman’s evil plan to kill all the Jews (Ezekiel 38:10) was thwarted by Esther and Mordecai.

In 537 BC the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity, released by the Persian king Cyrus. They scattered across the countryside and appeared an easy target for Gog. Haman’s plan backfired in a great battle as he and 75,000 Persians were slain by the Jews. (Esther 9:16 and Ezekiel 38:15, 18-23, 39:39-46)

As Ezekiel was a young prophet (he started prophesying in 591 BC) warning the Jews during the early days at the beginning of the Babylonian invasion and forced exile, it seems more logical that his Book of Ezekiel details the coming plight of Israel through the Persian empire years.

Makes more sense than forcing Ezekiel to be about 2024. Especially when talking about a war on horseback and with clubs and swords.²

Jesus’ Revelation?
While not going into too much depth here, I will challenge studiers of the Book of Revelation to strongly study the first 3 verses in chapter 1:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:1-3)

It takes some twisting of logic, particularly for those who say they take the BIble “literally” to interpret this Revelation of Jesus Christ (written in the late-60’s AD just prior to the total destruction of the entire city of Jerusalem in AD 70) as somehow applying to our modern times.

At a later time I will connect Matthew 24 (also in Mark 13 and Luke 21) as Jesus’ prediction (40 years prior) that final judgment will come down hard on disobedient Israel, the nation that rejected and murdered the Son of God, their own promised One. For the time being, simply consider that the entire Book of Revelation is the delivered indictment of God’s heavy judgment that fell on the entire nation through the Roman invasion ending the Roman Jewish War in AD 70.

Exactly as Jesus predicted a generation earlier just prior to His crucifixion. By the way, the coming destruction – the end of the Jewish “age” – could have been avoided by fleeing on foot outside Jerusalem. Many new Jewish Christians heeded Jesus’ warning and escaped town when the Roman armies first encircled the city.

Are you confused about the current talk about end times? 
_______________________________
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. – Matthew 24:15-16

¹ As cited in Last Days Madness – Obsession of the Modern Church, by Gary DeMar, American Vision, 2019, fourth edition, 1999. p. 364.

² Ibid., p 368. (Note: James Jordan makes a compelling case establishing this connection in his book, In the Midst of Covenant History, by James B. Jordan, Biblical Horizons, 1995, p. 5-7.

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Tags: End Times, Esther, Ezekiel, Gog, Magog, Revelation, Rosh