The Coming Anti-Israel Alliance

Israel’s troubles aren’t over yet. Here’s a look at what lies ahead, based on Ezekiel 38—39.
Jewish people around the world are still traumatized by Hamas’s horrific, unprovoked surprise massacre of innocent Israelis last October. It was the worst act of savagery against them since the Holocaust of World War II.

Oppression, discrimination, and victimization are no strangers to the Jews. They have faced annihilation since Moses led them out of slavery from Egypt more than 3,500 years ago; and accounts of Jewish genocide are so plentiful, heinous, and gruesome that they make those who love Israel weep and wonder at the abject depravity of the human heart.

Down through the centuries, Jews have suffered unspeakable persecution. Today, there is no country more despised without cause than the State of Israel.

Israel is barely a speck on the world map, a land the size of New Jersey in the United States. From a human perspective, this tiny, struggling nation has no chance of survival in the days ahead. However, Scripture teaches Israel will indeed survive but will suffer until the Lord returns and delivers a remnant in the last days.

Who Will Invade?
A much bigger invasion is coming than the Hamas atrocity of October 7, 2023. God gave the prophet Ezekiel a major revelation (Ezek. 38—39) about the event, which will take place in the last days.

The prophet listed a confederacy of nations that will emerge, bent on destroying the Jewish nation. This confederacy will extend from Russia in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the west to Ethiopia and Libya in the south and to Persia in the east. The conflict is called the Battle of Gog and Magog.

Gog leads the alliance. Some interpret Gog as a name, while others believe it is the leader’s title. For sure, the word Gog refers to an individual because he is called a “prince” (38:2; 39:1). However, his identity will remain unknown until he attacks Israel.

The invasion’s participants are listed in 38:1–7. There have been various interpretations regarding the names and coinciding locations—understandably so because Ezekiel lived in the 6th century BC, more than 2,600 years ago, and used the names popular in his day. But they have changed over the course of history.

The nations he named are Magog, Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Ethiopia (also called Cush), Libya (also called Put), Gomer, and Togarmah. (See “The Invaders“) Clearly, this will be a massive invasion, far bigger than Hamas’s evil incursion.

These nations will descend on Israel with “army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. . . . all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you” (vv. 4–6).

Who Won’t Invade?
Three nations are not listed as participating in the assault: “Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder?’” (v. 13).

Sheba and Dedan are part of Saudi Arabia. In Ezekiel’s day, Tarshish was in the farthest western region of the known world, possibly Sardinia or, more probably, Spain. Some believe the phrase all their young lions speaks of the countries’ greedy leaders. Others believe it means leaders or nations that come out of Spain. Whatever the meaning of Tarshish, Ezekiel may have used it to denounce the Russian invasion.

Conspicuously absent from the Gog and Magog war are Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt. No reason is given for their exclusion. Bible scholar Mark Hitchcock provided a few possibilities:

1. They may already have been destroyed.

2. They could be part of a treaty the Antichrist forges between Israel and its neighbors. Thus, they might be at peace with Israel and not part of the invasion.

3. Though not mentioned, they might still participate and be among the nations included in the statement “and many people are with you” (v. 6).¹

From Which Direction Will They Come?
It is clear from Ezekiel 38:1–3 that the invading nations will be under Gog’s power and will attack while the Jewish nation dwells safely in its own land:

In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely (v. 8).

This confederacy will be so immense that Scripture describes it as a “storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you” (v. 9).

In God’s plan, Israel is the geographical center of the biblical world (Dt. 32:8; Ezek. 5:5). This confederacy will invade it from every direction:

→ Gog of Magog is the primary invader, headed by Russia in the far north, along with the Islamic nations on Russia’s southern border (Ezek. 38:15).

→ Gomer, Meshech, and Togarmah (Turkey) will join the other countries.

→ Persia (Iran) will attack from the east.

→ Libya will attack from the southwest.

→ Ethiopia (Sudan), south of Egypt, will attack from the south.

Today, hatred for Israel is widespread; and antisemitism is at an all-time high worldwide. When will this invasion take place? Only God knows. But we know it is coming; and we must be spiritually ready, for there is every indication it will come soon.

ENDNOTE

1. 1. 1. 1. Mark Hitchcock, The End (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2012), 300–301.