Ezekiel 38: Who Are the Players in the Gog and Magog War?

When I wrote this, Russia had invaded Ukraine. They can’t even estimate how many people have died — both civilians and military. Putin was planning the attack for a long time, and as of May 2025, there still isn’t a path to peace. The Gog and Magog War in Ezekiel 38 and 39 (which is covered in the next post) centers on Israel. Is it next? First, we’ll read the scripture and then see what some Bible Prophecy Preachers have to say. Let’s dig in…

Ezekiel 38 – A Message for Gog

This is another message that came to me from the Lord: ²“Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. ³Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! ⁴I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. ⁵Persia, Ethiopia (Cush), and Libya (Put) will join you, too, with all their weapons. ⁶Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others.

⁷“Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. ⁸A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. ⁹You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

¹⁰“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. ¹¹You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! ¹²I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!’ ¹³But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’

¹⁴“Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. ¹⁵You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, ¹⁶and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁷“This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? ¹⁸But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! ¹⁹In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. ²⁰All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. ²¹I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord. Your men will turn their swords against each other. ²²I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! ²³In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 38 NLT

Who Are the Modern Players and Nations of Ezekiel 38?

The names you see here are ancestral labels from Genesis 10, which lists the descendants of Noah after the flood.

First, Gog is a title, like Pharaoh or Caesar. It is a person, not a name. Is Putin Gog? Maybe. Maybe not. He certainly does fit the bill.
Rosh – Russia
Magog – the Central Asian “stans”
Gomer, Meshech, Beth Togarmah & Tubal – Turkey
Cush – Sudan and Ethiopia
Put – Libya and Algeria
Persia – Iran

When will the Gog and Magog War Happen?

Unsure. It could happen…

Before the Rapture of the born-again Christians
Soon after the Rapture
During the Great Tribulation?
Any day now?

One thing’s for sure: it all centers around Israel. I highly recommend a book by Amir Tsarfati, “Israel and the Church”. He also has a new book coming out, “Exploring Ezekiel”. Follow Amir on Telegram.

Update 5/24/25: Israel is NOT safe, secure, and prosperous. So, technically, the attack from the north can’t happen at any time soon. It’s fighting enemies on 7 fronts.

They will attack Israel for its plunder. What could that be?

Oil?
Food?
Water?
Land?

God pulls the strings of history

Amir said that Isaiah 17 will lead to Ezekiel 38. That’s the total destruction of Damascus, Syria. Maybe, maybe not.

With what’s going on in the Middle East today, all I can say is that God is in control and He’s putting all the pieces into place. It will happen in HIS timing. All prophecy watchers are doing is speculating.

Israel is not yet “enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel” (verse 8). Are the wars they are fighting now the war that they’ll be recovering from?

True, Jews are returning from distant lands, making Aliyah. However, Israel is still fighting wars in Gaza against Hamas, in Lebanon against Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen haven’t stopped sending ballistic missiles their way. And then there’s Iran and Turkey, who, even though they are part of the Gog team, are in a state of uncertainty. “Put” is Libya. They are also in a state of uncertainty, even though Russia has its tentacles in there.

Why Studying Bible Prophecy is Important

You should know by now that God keeps His promises. If He says He’s going to do something, He’s going to do it. The timing is what is not so clear. That’s why we have to BE READY for anything. That means getting right with God.

Part of studying Bible Prophecy is listening to and reading the works of several preachers and teachers. Read the Bible passages over and over again. Then call on the Holy Spirit to help you discern what makes the most sense and what is the truth.

Pray before you study the Bible and ask God to open your heart, mind, and eyes to understand His Word.

Are YOU READY? Are YOU RIGHT with GOD?

If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…