I am of the opinion that Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe an End Time event. It might be the Old Testament parallel to Armageddon. There is no Armageddon in the Old Testament, but the description of Gog and Magog could fit. When Gog comes against Israel there will be a great earthquake in Israel and all men and animals in all the earth will feel it; the mountains will fall; the Lord will bring pestilence, overflowing rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone against the hordes of Gog. The purpose of this is that all nations will know that the Lord is God. Because this has not yet happened, it must be future. It must be apocalyptic.

Several of the names in Ezekiel 38 are found in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. From this and history the nations named are believed to be the following modern countries:

• Magog - Scythians, Russians, peoples of the Caucasus
• Meschech and Tubal - Turkey
• Persia - Iran
• Cush - Black-populated Africa
• Put - Mediterranean, Arab-populated Africa
• Gomer - Eastern Europe
• Beth Togarmah - Turkey and Armenia

This brings us to Psalm 83. Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the “Psalm 83 War.” There have been books written on the subject. The gist of the discussion is that the nations named in Psalm 83, all adjacent to Israel, appear to be at peace with Israel at the time of the “Battle of Gog and Magog.”

Gog notices that Israel is living in peace and safety. (Ezekiel 38:14) This may be the false peace created by the person we generically call the Anti-Christ. This may be the same person as the “king who exalts himself.” (Daniel 11:36) This “king” hears reports from the north and the east. (Daniel 11:44) Perhaps he hears of the army of Gog.

I wonder if the events described and called for in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Psalm 83, as well as several other Old Testament prophecies, do not intermesh in the panorama we call the Tribulation.

More discussion on Psalm 83 in the next lesson. Until then, praise the Lord and pray for the lost.