Harbinger Daily: Gog of Magog: Who Is The Russian Leader At The Center Of The Ezekiel 38 Prophecy? COGwriter: They are wrong about that and other prophetic matters

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The Protestant Harbingers Daily posted the following:

Gog of Magog: Who Is The Russian Leader At The Center Of The Ezekiel 38 Prophecy?

Ezekiel 38—39 contains one of the greatest prophecies in the Bible. It describes a massive invasion of Israel in the last days by a colossal confederation of nations.

Today’s events in the Middle East, though not direct fulfillments of Ezekiel’s prophecies, strikingly foreshadow them; and a survey of Ezekiel 38 in its context reveals that the events Ezekiel described may be on the horizon.

The Context

The Jewish prophet Ezekiel prophesied from 593 to 570 BC, during the time of the Babylonian invasions of Judah …

Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38:

The Period — Before the Tribulation

The Participants — Specific list of nations …

The Commander

In Ezekiel 38:1–6, 10 proper names identify the invading forces. Nine of them describe geographical locations. The word Gog is the lone exception. It occurs 12 times in chapters 38—39 and is a name or title for the leader of the invasion.

He is identified as “Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal” (38:2). We know Gog is an individual because he (1) is addressed directly by God (v. 14; 39:1), (2) is called a prince (38:2; 39:1), and (3) is referred to repeatedly by the use of personal pronouns. Also, he is “of the land of Magog,” indicating he is a person. The word Gog is not the leader’s name but, rather, a title, like pharaoh, president, or czar. …

In light of the actions of current Russian President Vladimir Putin, many have wondered if he could be the Russian leader known as Gog. While it is possible, we must always avoid irresponsible attempts to identify a world leader today with an end-times figure.

Author and journalist Joel Rosenberg gave his assessment about any connection between Putin and Gog:

Over the years, people have asked me if Putin might be the Russian dictator referred to as “Gog” in the Biblical prophecies of “Gog and Magog” in Ezekiel 38—39. . . . Here’s my quick answer: It’s too soon to draw such a conclusion. There’s much more that would have to happen to indicate that Putin was the “Gog” of Bible prophecy. But there’s no question in my mind that Putin is Gog-esque. He is dangerous, and both Israel and the West should keep a close and wary eye on him, especially given all that Putin has done to build a strategic alliance between Russia and Iran and the other countries mentioned in the “Gog and Magog” prophecies.

Time will tell. What we can say is that Putin cannot definitively be identified as Gog nor conclusively ruled out. 06/29/24 https://harbingersdaily.com/gog-of-magog-who-is-the-russian-leader-at-the-center-of-the-ezekiel-38-prophecy/

The old Worldwide Church of God taught that Gog was essentially the geographic region of Russia, not a person.

That said, PCG’s Gerald Flurry also ties Vladimir Putin with Ezekiel 38, but instead of calling him “Gog,” calls him the “Prince of Rosh” (see Vladimir Putin: Lord of the world? Prince of Rosh?).

But he is in error on that.

The late Pastor Genera of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, published the following:

And now we come to chapter 38! And this chapter finds Israel restored in her land — “the land that is brought back from the sword,” (Verse 8). We find Israel now at rest, dwelling SAFELY, totally UNPREPARED for war — having “neither bars nor gates” (Verse 11); in the desolate places of the land of Israel, now inhabited, (verse 12) — yes, inhabited (same verse) by the people that are once again restored to great material prosperity — “which have gotten cattle, and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.”

Notice it! The TIME of this prophecy is AFTER — not before, but AFTER the Second coming of Christ — AFTER the Great Deliverer has come and rescued our people and restored us to the land of Israel — AFTER Israel and Judah are reunited! Certainly the “latter years” (verse 8). (Armstrong HW. Will Russia attack America? 1971)

Now Harbinger Daily states that Ezekiel 38 is to be fulfilled “Before the Tribulation,” but that is wrong. So, are parts of the following which its article concludes with:

The pieces of Ezekiel’s prophecy are moving into place. The Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, served as a type of prophetic shift of gears. Iran has unleashed its proxies known as the Axis of Resistance.

Russia’s relations with Israel have sunk to an all-time low as Russia has sided with Hamas. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is an outspoken supporter of Hamas and has instituted economic measures against Israel.

We already see signs of this invasion, which will occur after the Lord removes His true church via the Rapture. So the Rapture may be very near.

As far as Harbinger Daily and the rapture go, see the post: Harbinger Daily is wrong about a pre-tribulation rapture.

Anyway, no, signs of Ezekiel’s prophecy in chapter 38 are NOT taking place.

Instead of believing Harbinger Daily’s false assertions, let’s simply look at some verses in that chapter that prove it wrong.

What does the Bible actually teach about the timing? Notice the next two verses from Ezekiel 38:

8 After many days you will be visited. 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. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

Verses 8-9 refer to a regathering of Israel. Why do certain prophecy watchers say that it is for now?

Because certain Protestants believe that the creation of the nation of Israel in 1948 fulfills verse 8.

Yet, this is not really the fulfillment for several reasons (watch also the video Israel, 1948, and Prophecy).

One is that even today most Jews do not live in the nation of Israel. The Jewish diaspora is scattered throughout the world. But the other problem is that many do not realize that there are multiple millions of the descendants of Israel that are not of the tribe of Judah. The Bible shows that Israel split into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel after the reign of Solomon and that later the ten tribes that were part of Israel (cf. 1 Kings 11:31,35; 12:16-17; 12:20-23) were carried into captivity (2 Kings 17:21-23). Those tribes represent hundreds of millions of people currently alive, and as there are less than 6,000,000 Jews in Israel, most simply have not been regathered (more information on the tribes of Israel is in the article Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

Furthermore, pay close attention to the part of verse 8 about people dwelling safely. That is NOT the case in Israel today.

Additionally, notice verses 10-13:

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’ — 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”‘

Israel has its walls and “iron dome” and military weaponry. Notice that it is against a ‘peaceful people’ in unarmed villages that the prince of Rosh is going against. This cannot happen until AFTER the return of Jesus. Furthermore, there simply is not a plan to take a lot of gold and silver out of Israel right now by the power of the far north, nor does the current nation of Israel have enough of it to likely justify an attack for that purpose (unless perhaps some hidden gold/silver mines or remaining treasure of David).

Notice the following:

Israel holds no gold reserves at all, according to a Bank of Israel spokesman. (Kopf S. Jerusalem of Gold. Jerusalem Post, February 16, 2011. http://www.jpost.com/Jerusalem-Report/Israel/Jerusalem-of-Gold viewed 07/21/14)

Israel Gold Reserves was reported at 0.000 USD mn in Feb 2019
This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for Jan 2019

(https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/israel/gold-reserves viewed 07/02/24)

According to Index Mundi, the nation of Israel was not amongst the top 48 producers of silver in the world, so its supply of this would also seem to be limited–it also confirmed that Israel does not have gold reserves (though there is some gold and silver in coins, etc. in Israel). Israel in the early 21st century is NOT the target of Ezekiel 38.

Thus, Harbinger Daily was wrong when it asserted “The pieces of Ezekiel’s prophecy are moving into place.”

Now, Ezekiel was further inspired to write:

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:14-16)

So, a power from the far north, which would seem to have to be Russian-led as it is the only major military power in the far north now, and may be the only one also in the future, will come. But again, notice that this happens when Israel is dwelling safely. That is simply not the case now.

Notice the following observation by the old Worldwide Church of God:

The events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 are without question still future – for the “latter days” (38: 16) and “latter years” (38:8). Moreover, Ezekiel 38:14 describes the time setting as being “in that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely.” This is certainly not the situation in the State of Israel to- day! The Israel described by Ezekiel is a nation that dwells in security, in unwalled villages, totally unprepared for war (38:8, 11, 14). (Southeast Asia in Prophecy. Ambassador College Press, 1985)

And while Ezekiel 38 does mention Russia and Iran, the tiny nation of Israel is not now a “land of unwalled villages” with “a peaceful people who dwell safely” (Ezekiel 38:10-11). We are not particularly close to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38. Those who believe otherwise are in error.

While he has other prophetic errors, Protestant Bill Salus basically understands that Ezekiel 38 is not ready to be fulfilled:

December 2, 2015

Ezekiel 38 has significant preconditions preventing its prophetic fulfillment. Ezekiel 38:8-13 mandates that Israel must be dwelling securely, without walls, bars, or gates, and in the center of their land, probably alluding to the landmass described in Genesis 15:18. Additionally, the Jewish State must be in receipt of great spoil. In my estimation, Israel today is not fulfilling these conditions.

Israel is unable to dwell securely as a result of the hostile Arab volatility that surrounds them. Walls, bars, and gates exist in Israel today in order to protect the Israelis from being terrorized by Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS and the Palestinians in general. In fact, Israel is probably the most fenced in country in the world. It has fencing at various stretches along all of its land based borders.

Additionally, the goal of the Ezekiel 38 invaders is to destroy Israel and take plunder and great spoil. Although Israel’s economy is flourishing, it’s debatable if it presently possesses the great spoil that Russia and their coalition someday come after.

Ezekiel 38 describes nine distinct populations by their ancient names including Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Libya but omits the historic name equivalents of Arab states and terrorist populations that share common borders with Israel. Some of those who advocate that Ezekiel 38 is imminent teach that the surrounding Arab nations are identified indirectly in Ezekiel 38:6. They teach that the clause, “many peoples with thee,” includes the neighboring Arab states. However, there are three potential problems with this line of teaching.

1. The Arab states and terrorist populations within them are pinpointed directly in a distinctly different prophecy described in Psalm 83. The Psalm lists ten entirely separate members not included among the Ezekiel 38:1-6 invaders. Thus, it is probable that they are not among the “many peoples with thee” in Ezekiel 38:6, but are “many peoples distinct from thee”, not listed in Ezekiel 38 among the invaders.

2. The hordes of Ezekiel 38 invaders must cross over much of the land possessed by these Psalm 83 nations and / or territories presently occupied by the terrorist populations in order to invade the nation of Israel. This beckons the question; why aren’t these nations, terrorists, or refugees listed among the Ezekiel 38 invaders?

3. Most importantly, Ezekiel 38 identifies nine specific invading populations, but oddly doesn’t mention any of the Psalm 83 Arab confederates among them. http://www.prophecydepotministries.net/2015/why-ezekiel-38-is-not-a-now-prophecy/

And it is still not time for Ezekiel 38 to be fulfilled.

Do not rely on Harbinger Daily or other Protestant prophecy proclaimers.

In the Continuing Church of God, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? Are we close to the battle with Gog and Magog? Four related videos are available: Ezekiel 38 Gog and Magog War: Is it Soon?, Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now?, Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code), and Gog, Magog, Vladimir Putin, and Ezekiel 38?

Dangerous Protestant Prophetic Errors What are some errors that various Protestants hold to that will tend to prevent them from knowing when the Great Tribulation will begin? A related video is titled Ten Dangerous Protestant Prophetic Errors

Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy as are two video sermonettes Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy and Ukraine in Prophecy?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?

Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind? Here are links to threerelated videos Fleeing or Rapture?, Rapture or Fleeing? Which is Great Tribulation Protection? and Did Jesus Teach a Pre-tribulation Rapture?

There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety,’ Zephaniah 2 to ‘gather together,’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on fleeing to a place–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of related interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.