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Gog's Invasion in Ezekiel's Prophecy--Part 4

Ezekiel's prophecy about Gog's invasion is somewhat difficult simply because there is no evidence that any nation has ever called itself "Gog," and this is the only place in Scripture where this name appears as well--except for a Reubenite by that name (1 Chron. 5:4). The only way to identify Gog in this prophecy is by studying the OTHER names associated with Gog. This we have done in the previous articles of this series.

The overthrow of Gog is prophesied in a grotesque manner. Just how literal this should be taken is yet to be seen. Ezekiel 39:4 says,

"You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the peoples who are with you; I shall give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field."

Later, in verses 17-19, we read,

" (17) And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field. Assemble and come, gather from every side of My sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. (18)You shall eat the flesh of mighty men, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. (19) So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you."

Most prophecy teachers say that these are Russian troops that will be "eaten" in Israel. But as I have shown, the Rus (Russians) were a Scandinavian tribe, not from Magog, Togarmah, nor any others listed in Ezekiel's prophecy. That incorrect viewpoint looked feasible during the Cold War, but after 1991 it has been increasingly difficult to maintain it. It is not likely that Russian troops would be allowed to march (or ride on "horses") through the Ukraine, Georgia, or Turkey to Palestine. In fact, if they attempted such a march, the Israelis would simply nuke them before they got anywhere near Palestine.

The advent of atomic weaponry and missiles has made it virtually impossible to mount a large-scale invasion against any nuclear country. For example, if Russia or China were to send a million troops across the ocean on a huge fleet of ships in an attempt to invade America, it would be quite easy to sink the whole fleet with one or two hydrogen bombs. End of invasion.

The only feasible way to invade today is by immigration, and that is precisely how the descendants of Togarmah and their confederates have invaded both Palestine and America. Because it happened in an unexpected way, most prophecy preachers did not see it coming. And because they are not military men, they did not understand how modern warfare has been changed forever.

But as for the dead carcasses being eaten by the birds and beasts, this terminology is used in similar fashion at the overthrow of Mystery Babylon in Revelation 19:17-21. It is not certain just how literal this should be taken. The great harlot of Mystery Babylon is a corporate "woman," not an individual, and yet she is pictured prophetically in the story of Jezebel, who was literally eaten by the dogs. In 2 Kings 9:10 the prophecy says,

"And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her."

What is literally fulfilled in the Old Testament is usually fulfilled in a different manner after the Cross. The Old Testament fulfillments were types and shadows of things yet to come. So even though the book of Revelation uses imagery taken directly from the Old Testament, it does show the shift from a physical sword to a sword coming out of Jesus' mouth--that is, the Word of God.

But that discussion is for another time. For now, we must focus on other things. Revelation 17-19 is about Mystery Babylon, and we see that its fate is the same as that of Gog in Ezekiel 39. This biblical identification shows us that the great whore (the counterfeit bride) is also Gog.

For this reason, when the "woman" of Mystery Babylon is overthrown, we read in Rev. 18:23, "the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer." Verse 24, however, is the key to identifying this "woman."

"And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth."

Such terminology takes us back to that first murder when Cain killed Abel. How is it that anyone or any nation can be made responsible for all murder going back to the beginning? This is explained by Jesus Himself in Luke 11:47-51, as he speaks "woe" to the scribes and Pharisees:

" (47) Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets and it was your fathers who killed them. (48) Consequently, you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. (49) For this reason also the wisdom of God said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, (50) in order that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, (51) from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged to this generation [race]."

Jesus said, in effect, that in the end those people would be charged with all the blood of the prophets and apostles since the time of Abel. Revelation 18:24 says this about the "woman" called Mystery Babylon. This is, in fact, repeated in Rev. 16:6 in the context of the third bowl being poured out in judgment upon Babylon.

Legally speaking, it would seem to be unjust for God to charge any single person, ethnic group, or religion with all the murders of the earth from Abel to the present. However, when we understand the law of authority and responsibility, that problem is resolved. The whole idea of being "chosen" in Scripture is about being given authority over the earth. It is bound up in the Dominion Mandate given to Judah, which rightfully belonged to Jesus Christ.

When the Jewish leaders usurped the Scepter of Judah, even as Absalom had done a millennium earlier, they did not realize that an equal level of responsibility always goes with authority. Because they took the authority over the earth to themselves, they were made responsible for what their subjects had done from the beginning--including Cain's murder of his brother, Abel.

In its ambition, the carnal mind covets authority, but the carnal mind does not want an equal level of responsibility. Carnally-minded people want servants, but do not want to be held accountable either for oppressing their servants or for the sins of their servants. But as President Harry Truman's sign read on his desk, "The Buck Stops Here."

Jesus came as the King of the earth to claim the Dominion Mandate given in Gen. 1:26-28. This is made clear from Psalm 8:5, 6 and from Hebrews 2:6-9. In claiming the Dominion Mandate, Jesus took upon Himself the responsibility for the sins of the whole world, for that was the price of authority. He was made responsible, but the priests usurped the authority, desiring rulership without accountability.

Hence, Jesus' authority was disputed, even as David's authority was disputed by Absalom. This dispute will not be resolved until the second coming of Christ, even as David staged a "second coming" in his day. Meanwhile, those who usurped His authority will be held accountable for Abel's murder. It is the law of authority and responsibility.