A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Chapter 37 contains a prophecy of both the Jews’ and Israelites’ return from captivity to their own land; of the union of the each tribes with one another; their restoration is represented by a vision of dry bones made alive. Such a major world event is known as the Second Exodus but is this the start of the Millennium?

The Dead shall be resurrected, so says the Sciptures

“Thy dead men shall live; together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” Isaiah 26:19

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” Daniel 12:2

Why are many resurrected to shame and everlasting contempt. One reason is that so many of today’s Christainity are deceived into believing Sunday is the day of worship. But God’s Sabbaths remain the same as the Jews have always kept them; and thus the Sabbaths are greatly despised and poluted, drawing God’s judgement and fury to consume them:

But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They walked not in My statutes and they despised My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My Sabbaths they greatly polluted. “‘Then I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness to consume them. Ezekiel 20:13

Ezekiel 37

¹ The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

— since Ezekiel’s message is for the endtime and meant for the house of Israel, which is the United States and its European allies and “thy remnant shall fall by the sword . . . and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire”

— that is, if those remnant are put to the sword, and any residue be put to the fire, then no more would be left, reaffirming there is no place of safety for those hopeful to have one. Second, any living would have to be resurrected from the valley of dry bones;

— further details and enlightenment could be derived from Ezekiel 23:

And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire, Ezekiel 23:25

— the Targum says,

“The spirit of prophecy from before the Lord rested upon me; and He brought me out by the spirit of prophecy which rested upon me from before the Lord, and He set me down in the midst of the plain (valley), and it was full of human bones.”

² and caused me to pass by them round about; and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and lo, they were very dry. — this dryness reaffirms they are from the dead;

— or if they are living, they are useless except for the fire. Or, together with their shepherd, they are either BLIND or DUMB, but they could also be DEAF, for it was prophesied:

“His watchmen are BLIND; they are all ignorant; they are all DUMB dogs, they cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber” Isaiah 56:10

— the Targum affirms they were very dry, says,

“And He led me by them round about, round about; and behold, they were very many upon the face of the plain; and behold, they were very dry.”

³ And He said unto me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, Thou knowest.” — and he said unto me, son of man, can these bones live? ~ is there any probability to believe they shall live?

— the Targum says,

“And He said to me: Son of man, can these bones live? And I said: O Lord God, it is revealed before You.“

⁴ Again He said unto me, “Prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, ‘O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. — so these dry bones are prophesied to be able to hear; hence their Deafness taken away;

— the Targum says,

“And He said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and you shall say to them: O dry bones, receive the word (decree) of the Lord.“

⁵ Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. — the word of prophecy from the Lord, indicating, as usual, it it a prophecy and a reference to a future time;

— the Targum says,

“Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will bring breath (spirit) into you, and you shall live.”

⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.’”

— God said of these dry bones “and ye shall know that I am the Lord” implying that they never have known God, at best pretenders claiming they are Christians;

— how could they? In today’s world, no less than 99.99 percent of professing Christians don’t even know the basic tenet of understanding the Oracles of God!

— the Targum says,

“And I will put sinews upon you, and I will bring up flesh upon you, and I will spread skin over you, and I will put spirit in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

— the Targum says,

“And I prophesied as I was commanded; and there was a sound as I prophesied, and behold, a shaking (commotion); and the bones drew near, each bone to its fellow.”

⁸ And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.

— these from the house of Israel would be resurrected, but because they still need breath, they are resurrected into only a mortal life, not spiritual as yet. Most of the time, these sheep have been fleeced by their shepherd; and are only told lies after lies;

— the Targum says,

“And I looked, and behold, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin was spread over them from above; but there was no spirit (breath) in them.”

⁹ Then said He unto me, “Prophesy unto the wind. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’”

— and breathe upon these slain or dead, that they may live; as in the proper form of living men; and yet no principle of spiritual life in them; but, like Adam’s body, of the earth, earthly, and breathless, till the Lord stirred up their spirits;

— the Targum says,

“And He said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord God: From the four winds come, O spirit, and enter into these slain, and they shall live.”

¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

— among these in this great army in the flesh would probably be (1) Pharaoh, the one during the Exodus (2) Nebuchadnezzar and (3) Judas Iscariot: they would be great characters during the Millennium to preach and witness to the whole whole how sinful they were and how they come to the conclusion that God, the God of Israel, in his kindness and mercy, is Greater than all!

— the Targum says,

“And I prophesied as He commanded me; and the spirit (breath) entered into them, and they lived, and they stood up on their feet, an army very, very great.”

¹¹ Then He said unto me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried and our hope is lost. We are cut off from our parts.’

— these bones are the whole house of Israel; this phrase takes in the ten tribes, as well as the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah inclusive.

— in Isaiah 8:14 it is expressed as the “two houses of Israel” or “both houses of Israel;” which means the house of Judah could also be expressed as the house of Israel! ~ and depending on context, the house of Israel could only meant the 2-tribes house of Judah as in Ezekiel 8:6,11,12 and Matthew 15:24;

More from Ezekiel 12:15, after God had scattered them among the nations and disperse them in the countries; then “the whole house of Israel” shall all be coming back, all in their Land of Promise, between the two Great Rivers: the Nile and the Euphrates!

And further details of the “whole house of Israel” from Ezekiel 36:4

“therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about”

— the “mountains of Israel;” that is, concerning the United States, France and the United Kingdom (including Canada, Australia and New Zealand);

— and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys; the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark (including Greenland), Norway, and Sweden, Finland and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg;

— and to the rivers (or ravines), where during the nineteenth century, the British Navy were known to “Rule the Waves;” their colonies, their new territories; and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British Navy left the scene;

— the “whole house of Israel” would include the house of Judah, which today, is the modern state of Israel already well established in the Promised Land;

— the Targum says,

“And He said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel; behold, they say: Our bones are dried up, our hope is severed (lost), we are perished (cut off) from ourselves.”

¹² Therefore prophesy and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

— the Targum says,

“Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, and I will bring you up from your graves, O My people, and I will bring you into the land of Israel.”

¹³ And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves,

— from God’s perspective, death is both unclean and an insignificant event, hence he forbid his priests to come near the dead among his people; but the high priests, only their parents and close relation (Leviticus 21:1-11); all others are forbidden;

— the Targum says,

“And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and when I bring you up from the midst of your graves, O My people.”

¹⁴ and shall put My Spirit in you and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then shall ye know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it, saith the Lord.’”

— this phase ye or they “shall know that I am the Lord” or a variation here implies that neither those teaching in the synagogues nor those in their numerous churches know God today! Hence this re-affirms they are all either BLIND or DUMB, and they could also be DEAF, for it was prophesied in Isaiah 56:10

— the Targum says,

“And I will put My Spirit in you and you shall live, and I will settle you upon your land; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have decreed by My Word (Meimra) and I will establish (fulfill) it, says the Lord.”

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, — the Targum renders it as the word of prophecy from the Lord. If Ezra sees it as a prophecy, it is a reference to a futuristic time.

¹⁶ “Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write upon it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’

— earlier in Ezekiel 36:1 these are described as “the mountain of Israel;” this prophecy is concerning the top dog, the United States; followed by its European allies, UK and France;

— and in Ezekiel 36:4 “the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” these are the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg;

— the Targum says,

“And you, son of man, take for yourself one tablet (board) and write upon it: ‘For the tribe of Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions’; and take another tablet and write upon it: ‘For the tribe of Joseph, which is the tribe of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions.'”

¹⁷ And join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand.

— the Targum says,

“And you shall bring them near, one to another, for yourself into one tablet; and they shall become one in your hand.”

¹⁸ And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, ‘Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?’

— the Targum says,

“And when the children of your people shall speak to you, saying: ‘Will you not show (declare) to us what these things mean to you?'”

¹⁹ say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in Mine hand.’

— behold and they shall be one stick; that is, that they shall no longer be two kingdoms; hence the twelve tribes will come together and form One Kingdom;

— the Targum says,

“Prophesy to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am bringing near the tribe of Joseph, which is the tribe of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them upon him, with the tribe of Judah, and I will make them one people, and they shall be one before Me.”

²⁰ And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

— the Targum says,

“And the tablets upon which you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.”

²¹ “And say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations whither they have gone, and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land.

— “and bring them into their own land” that is, from God’s perspective, the land they are now residing are not considered their land;

— the Targum says,

“Prophesy to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am bringing near the children of Israel from among the nations where they were exiled; and I will gather them from all around, and I will bring them into their own land.”

²² And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one King shall be King to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

— and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, as they were during the times of David and Solomon;

— the Targum says,

“And I will make them one people in the land, on the holy mountain of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall no longer be two nations, and they shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms anymore.”

²³ Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places wherein they have sinned and will cleanse them. So shall they be My people, and I will be their God.

— the Targum says,

“And they shall no longer defile themselves with their idols, nor with their abominations, nor with all their rebellions; and I will redeem them from all their dwelling places wherein they have sinned before Me, and I will cleanse them; and they shall be a people before Me, and I will be their God.”

²⁴ “‘And David My servant shall be King over them, and they all shall have one Shepherd. They shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. — is this the Millennium? Is this the same King David of ancient Israel? Or is he an equivalent?

— and they shall also walk in my judgements, and keep my statutes, and do them; these would definitely include the statutes and ordinances which they had dismissed as “ceremonial” law;

— and since the Temple will be rebuilt; and which the Jews, who control Jerusalem, will be performing them for and on behalf of all the other tribes of Jacob, and for all other nations;

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. (Genesis 49:8) — Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, comes in for the supremacy;

— thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; that is, always ready to strangle its enemies to death;

— thy father’s children shall bow down before thee; before the kings that should spring from this tribe of Judah, and should rule over all the rest of the eleven tribes, as David and Solomon had done, to whom civil adoration and respect should be given to them.

— the Targum says,

“And My servant David shall be king over them, and one provider (leader) shall be for them all; and in My judgments they shall walk, and My statutes they shall keep and perform them.”

²⁵ And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they and their children and their children’s children for ever. And My servant David shall be their Prince for ever. — is this the Millennium? Is this the same King David of ancient Israel? Or is he a type, or an equivalent?

— the Targum says,

“And they shall dwell upon the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, in which your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell upon it, they and their children and their children’s children forever; and David My servant shall be a king to them forever.”

²⁶ Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. — the Temple will be rebuilt, and the Glory of God, the Shekhinah will return; for more see Ezekiel chapter 40 to chapter 48;

— the Targum says,

“And I will decree for them a covenant of peace; an eternal covenant it shall be with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and I will place My Sanctuary in their midst forever.”

²⁷ My tabernacle also shall be with them. Yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

— the Targum says,

And I will cause My Shekhinah to dwell among them; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be a people before Me.”

²⁸ And the nations shall know that I, the Lord, do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.’” — the Temple will be filled with the Glory of God; the Shekhinah will be manifested before all the nations of the world.

— the Question remains, is this the start of the Millennium? If so the Messiah (Christ) and His saints would rule the world, some over one city, others ten. Would these saints be given power over the nations, yet so powerless with no power to allow their subjects, Gog and Magog, to go all the way to Jerusalem and mount a war against its inhabitants? And all the way from east Asia, say China, Korea or even Japan? It seems inconceivable. Or, is “My servant David” a form of John the Baptist that came in the name of Elijah? Your thoughts?

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Malachi 4:5

— the Targum says,

“And the nations shall know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst forever.”

Ezekiel 38

The Gog and Magog Prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39 had been over narrated by various shepherd of different shades to further their illusions; but enough to cause their sleepy sheep to wake up once in a while if any fire broke out in the Middle-East.

This Gog and Magog Prophecy comes after Ezekiel 20 to 21: The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South! after the Psalm 83 Prophecy; after Ezekiel 29 to 30: A Greater “Out of Egypt” Exodus; after Ezekiel 36 and 37: the Return of the Full House of Israel!

Only AFTER all the above have been fulfilled, would Gog and Magog Prophecy appear on the scene.

Notice ALL his shepherd are either blind or dumb; or both:

“His watchmen are BLIND; they are all ignorant; they are all DUMB dogs, they cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber” Isaiah 56:10

Then the Lord said unto me, ‘The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them. They prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart’” Jeremiah 14:14

¹ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, in the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him — Gog¹⁴⁶³ גוג (Agag ⁹⁰אגג) of the land of Magog, is an abbreviated expression for “Gog from the land of Magog;”

— Magog, Meshech and Tubal, these are the sons of Japheth; Gomer, and his son, Togarmah, are mentioned later in verse 6; omitting the Japhetic tribes of Madai, Javan and Tiras; Genesis 10:2), and led by their chief, Gog, Russia; and Gog is acting as their Chief; their Prince;

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. ³And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah ⁴And the sons of Javan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. Genesis 10:2-4

— in Revelation 20:8, after the thousand years are over, “Gog and Magog” might be a term adopted by John either as mystical names or symbolic names of rebellious nations against the eminence of those ruling from Jerusalem; or rebelling “against the mountains of Israel” with Jerusalem as its Capital;

— second opinion says the countries of Gog and Magog, which they call Gug and Mungug; from hence came the Turks, even from Tartary; Josephus (Antiqu.l.1.c.6.sect.1) says that the posterity of Magog are called Scythians, and these inhabited Tartary; so some commentaries make Gog to be the general of the Ishmaelites or Edomites or Turks. This land of Magog is the same with Cathaia or Scythia, that part of Tartary from whence the Turks came;

— most old maps of the posterity of Japheth went north and dwelled in Anatolia or somewhere nearby, which is where Turkey today, and hence the phase “in the land of Magog” is referring to the land where Turkey is situated today; prominent support of this second opinion comes from Joel Richardson;

— a third opinion; could the term chief or title “Gog” be translated as Agag or as the Amalekitish kings instead? The name Gog occurs only in connection with Magog, except in 1 Chronicles 5:4. In Numbers 24:7 the Agag in the Masoretic was translated as “Gog” in the Septuagint. And since Gog was not a son of those listed in the table of nations (Genesis 10), it is most probable that Gog and Agag was a dynastic name of the kings of Amalek, a grandson of Esau; just as Pharaoh was used as a dynastic name for the ancient Egyptians, Caesar of Rome; or of more modern times, the Czar of Russia;

There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased. Numbers 24:7 (Septuagint) “Agag” in the Masoretic; throughout history there is no concept of any “kingdom of Gog” but a “kingdom of Agag” could be conceptualized as the kingdom of the Amalekites; and hence by extension, it would be a posterity of Esau;

— a fourth opinion confirms the third, it arose from the Targum, the prophecy of Eldad and Medad (Number 11:26 Jonathan), referring to endtime, “Behold, a king will arise from the land of Magog, at the end of the days” which says similarly a king will arise from the land of Magog at the end of the days. Thus this solidifies that Gog is a dynastic title of a king, a king of the Amalekite vigour for their hatred of Israel;

— the Targum says,

“Son of man, accept prophecy against Gog [of] the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.”

³ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. — Gog is not a name among the sons of Japheth, but designated as from the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal;

— some from the first opinion identify Moscow as Meshech and Tobolsk as Tubal; a country called Ros; from whence the Russians came;

— the Targum says,

“And you shall say: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am sending My anger (wrath) against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.”

⁴ And I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords;

— “Gog and Magog” seems to have a evil design for the mountains of Israel, hailing a war cry: “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance,” sounding like a decree from today’s Ayatollah of Iran, hence drawing God’s response;

— the Targum says,

“And I will entice (lure) you, and I will put armor (hooks) upon your jaws, and I will bring you out and all your armies, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in perfection; a vast camp armed with round shields and bucklers, all of them holding swords.”

⁵ Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet; — Persia, or Elam (for more, see Jeremiah 49), today’s Iran, these, with Ethiopia, and Libya, are known to be from among the sons or grandsons of Ham (or with a mix with Shem)

— the Targum says,

“Persians, Ethiopians (Kushites), and Libyans (Putites) are with them; all of them armed with round shields and helmets.”

⁶ Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters and all his bands — Gomer, the eldest son of Japheth, is here mentioned; and many people with thee; in Revelation 20:8 Gog and Magog shall go out to deceive the nations to the four quarters of the earth;

— but here, Persia (which, today is Iran) is from the east; Ethiopia or Cush is from the south; Libya or Put represents the west; and the house of Togarmah is from the north; that is, all four directions; and representatives from all the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth;

— the Targum identifies the house of Togarmah to “Germamya,”

“Gomer and all its armies; the province of Germany, the ends of the North, and all their armies; many nations who are with you.”

⁷ “‘Be thou prepared and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. — TLB translation says “Be prepared! Stay mobilized. You are their leader, Gog!”

— the Targum says,

“Be prepared and get ready, you and all your armies (camps) that have gathered upon you; and you shall be for them a guard (an object of watch/target).”

⁸ After many days thou shalt be visited. In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste; but it is brought forth out of the nations and they shall dwell safely, all of them.

— after many days thou shalt be visited; this expression “after many days” indicates that what is predicted through Ezekiel’s eyes is far into the future; hence it is our endtime days, or our near future;

— led by “Gog and Magog” ‘in the latter years,’ numerous rebellious nations will launch an attack on the mountains of Israel from all directions; note: mountainS in plural, indicating more nations are then within the land between the great Rivers, the Nile and the Euphrates (for more, see “I am thy shield!” (Genesis 15);

— the nation of ‘Israel’ today is only one nation; but here until the end of chapter 39, it is against “the mountains of Israel” indicating that the United States, the United Kingdom and France have returned to the Land of Promise between the two Great Rivers (for more, see “I am thy shield!” (Genesis 15) and Return of the Full House of Israel);

— note that (1) Damascus or Syria is not among “Gog and Magog” by which time a larger portion of Syria, including Damascus, it capital; would have been destroyed; Isaiah 17; (2) Lebanon, including Tyre and Sidon; (3) Jordan, known by its biblical name as Ammon and or Moab; would all have been absorbed into Greater Israel!

— the Targum says,

“After many days you shall appoint (order) your armies; at the end of years you shall come into the land that has returned from those slain by the sword, gathered from many nations, onto the mountains of the land of Israel which had been a continual waste; and they were exiled from among the nations, and now they all dwell in safety.”

⁹ Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm. Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy troops, and many people with thee. — ‘in the latter years,’ yet not within the Millennium where wars and fighting would have stopped;

— the Targum says,

“And you shall go up, coming in tumult (storm); like a cloud that rises and covers the land you shall be, you and all your armies and the many nations that are with you.”

¹⁰ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: It shall also come to pass that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought; — is this the Millennium? If so, Satan would be bound and he won’t be able to influence the nations?

— at the same time shall things come into thy mind; when the Israelites shall be in their own land, dwelling in great security; and when Gog and his companions shall make preparation to enter into their land suddenly and furiously;

— and thou shall think an evil thought, suggesting Satan is still around, with many schemes and devices; to do mischief, to dispossess them of their land, and plunder their substance;

— the Targum says,

“Thus says the Lord God: And it shall be at that time, thoughts (fancies) shall rise up upon your heart, and you shall devise evil plans.”

¹¹ and thou shalt say, “I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates”

— evil thoughts abound with these nations, thus this couldn’t be the Millennium where all people would be given a new heart with a new spirit;

— the Targum says,

“And you shall say: I will go up against a land that dwells in tranquility; I will come upon a people who are quiet and dwell in safety; all of them dwelling without a wall, and they have no bars or gates.”

¹² to take a spoil and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited and upon the people who are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.

— this intended plundering by Gog as the chief of numerous rebellious nations and peoples with him against a reconstituted Israel will be met with God’s judgement and retribution of his might;

— the Targum says,

“To plunder spoil and to take booty; to gather your armies against the ruins that are now inhabited, and against the people gathered from among the nations, who have prospered in goods and possessions, dwelling upon the strength (center) of the land.”

¹³ Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, “Art thou come to despoil us? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”’

— Sheba refers to an ancient kingdom located in southwestern Arabia, known for its wealth and trade. The Queen of Sheba is a prominent figure in Jewish and Islamic traditions, famous for her visit to King Solomon to test his wisdom and witness his riches; Dedan (now part of Al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia) was an oasis and city-state of north-western Arabia;

— and “Tarshish and all her strong lions;” Tarshish could be Malta, Sicily or some coastline along the Mediterranean Sea; the Targum interpretes this as “and the merchants of the sea, and all their kings;” whereas the Septuagint says the “Carthaginian merchants, and all their villages.” So who really is modern-day Tarshish “with all the young lions”? Ancient Carthage

— all these nations joining together to inquire of the advancing armies of Gog: “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off their silver and golds and to plunder?” Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait would be anxious, wondering if the confederate would come to the Persian Gulf to loot off their wealth?

— the Targum says,

“Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of the sea, and all its kings, shall say to you: ‘Have you come to plunder spoil? Have you gathered your armies to take booty? To carry off silver and gold, to take away goods and possessions, to plunder a great spoil?'”

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: On that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

— the nations would be tested whether they could learn from the Israelites experience or if not, they could face God’s judgement and retribution of his might; this while King David would be ruling over the Israelites Ezekiel 37:24-25

— the Targum says,

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: Is it not so, that at that time, when My people Israel dwell in safety, you shall know the punishment of My power?”

¹⁵ And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army.

— in relation to Jerusalem, Gog, the chief of their princes, a confederation of nations, is indicated as coming from the north. So who is their Chief? The two major nations lying north of Jerusalem are Turkey and Russia;

— most Evangelicals including the CoG Communities say Gog is Russia; whereas Joel Richardson says Gog is Turkey; so who is this chief, Gog, from the land of Magog? Both Russia and Turkey lying north of Jerusalem. During medieval times, the Turks managed to overthrow the Byzantine Roman Empire, conquered Constantinople and then claimed the whole Anatolia as their homeland. No small feat, so we’ll have to wait and see;

— the Targum says,

“And you shall come from your place, from the ends of the north, you and many nations with you, all of them riders of horses; a vast camp (army) and a mighty people.”

¹⁶ And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days; and I will bring thee against My land, that the nations may know Me when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

— the timing is during “the latter days” so in this context it is before the Millennium; the Targum says, “that the people may know the vengeance of my power, when I shall be sanctified in thee, who shall see thy vengeance, O Gog;’

— the Targum says,

“And you shall go up against My people Israel like a cloud that rises and covers the land; at the end of days it shall be. And I will bring you against the land of the House of My Presence (Shekhinah), so that the nations may know the punishment of My power, when I am sanctified through you while they are looking upon your punishment, O Gog.”

¹⁷ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old times by My servants the prophets of Israel who prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

— besides Ezekiel, there would be other prophets that spoke of Gog, hence the plural form of prophet;

— the Targum affirms there would be numerous prophets, prophesying over many years, saying,

“Thus says the Lord God: Are you the one of whom I spoke in the days of old by the hand of My servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days from of old for many years, to bring you against them?”

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall come upon My face. — these are rebellious Gentile nations allied around Gog who are stubborn and refuse to learn from the experiences of the Israelites;

— the Targum says,

“And it shall be at that time, on the day that Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, My anger and My wrath shall be kindled.”

¹⁹ For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken: Surely on that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel,

— why this “great shaking” in Israel only; more probably it is because Gog and his confederate are there in the land of Israel; or is this inclusive of the whole world?

— or perhaps this is about a scene in Isaiah 24:20; and if it is the earth, this would be inclusive of the whole world, which shall reel to and fro like a drunkard; the cities in confusion; the land utterly emptied!

“The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again” Isaiah 24:20

— the Targum says,

“And when My punishment is revealed, in the burning of the fire of My anger, I have decreed by My Word: surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake (shaking) upon the land of Israel.”

²⁰ so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

— this scene runs parallel like when the Israelites were at the foot of Mount Sinai when the mountain quaked with thunders getting louder and louder, with Moses speaking with God in a voice also like thunders that frightened the Israelites as written in Exodus 19:18–20;

¹⁸ And Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

¹⁹ And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

²⁰ And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount; and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up. Exodus 19:18-20

— the Targum says,

“And the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the people who are upon the face of the earth, shall shake (shudder) before Me; and the mountains shall be torn down (thrown down), and the towers shall fall, and every high wall shall be cast down to the ground.”

²¹ And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord God. Every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

— this will be a civil war within “Gog and Magog” warring among the confederate, with numerous nations swords against each other’s throats;

— the Targum says,

“And I will summon against him the sword to fall upon the mountains of Israel, My people, says the Lord God; the sword of a man shall be against his brother.”

²² And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him and upon his troops and upon the many people that are with him an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone.

— and I will plead against them with pestilence and with blood; not only the sword against the confederate and the sword of Gog’s soldiers against one another; but the Lord himself would plead with them by his laws and commandments, “and they shall also walk in my judgements and keep my statutes and do them” or be executed judgement against them;

— and send a pestilence in his army, which should destroy vast numbers of it; as the army of Sennacherib was destroyed by one when he went before Jerusalem; and make a great slaughter among them by that and other judgements;

— or with six plagues; namely, pestilence, blood (by guns or by the sword certainly), torrential rains, hailstones, fire and brimstone;

— the Targum says,

“And I will take vengeance (exact punishment) from him with death (pestilence) and with slaughter; and mighty rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone will I rain upon him and upon his armies, and upon the many nations that are with him.”

²³ Thus will I magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.’

— “and I will be known in the eyes of many nations” could be known by another term, “the times of the Gentiles;”

For the day is near, Even the day of the Lord is near;
It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles. Ezekiel 30:3

— the “day of the Lord” had been mistaken as Sunday; but it is the times of the Gentiles where God revealed himself to them as he had earlier revealed to the Israelites, and Gentiles would be given an opportunity to learn all of God’s ordinances and statutes, his laws and his judgements;

— and even observe his Sabbaths: weekly, annual and land Sabbath; those who refuse to obey will similarly be horse-whipped with “hailstones, fire and brimstone” like the Israelites before them; given an opportunity, and after that, a judgement;

— and lastly, “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” (together with verse 16 “that the nations may know Me”) indicate these Gentiles would have learned their lessons, repented and survive at the end; that is, all nations, all nations without exception, would have their share of opportunity for warning, repentance and redemption during their judgements before the Glory of God;

— the Targum says,

“And I will be magnified and I will be sanctified, and I will reveal My power (might) before the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

~ by Joel on February 21, 2026.

Posted in Ezekiel