Are the End of Days upon us? Radical religious zealots of all faiths would like you to think so. Are the great conflicts of Isaac and Ishmael coming back? Are the Prophecies of Ezekiel, Daniel and others coming true? Have we crossed the Rubicon into a new era of humanity? Before I get too much further, there are some sections that are copied word for word and proper credit is listed as needed. Some of this due to the fact, that I am not a religious scholar and the people who did this research have put it in terms that I could never do. As Jews, we believe the Mashiach will be mortal. According Maimonides, the twelfth foundation of Judaism is:
And this is to believe that in truth that he will come and that you should be waiting for him even though he delays in coming. And you should not calculate times for him to come, or to look in the verses of Tanacha to see when he should come. The sages say: The wisdom of those who calculate times [of his coming] is small and that you should believe that he will be greater and more honored than all of the kings of Israel since the beginning of time as it is prophesied by all the prophets from Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, until Malachi, peace be upon him. And he who doubts or diminishes the greatness of the Messiah is a denier in all the Torah for it testifies to the Messiah explicitly in the portion of Bilam and the portion of “You are gathered (towards the end of Deut)”. And part of this principle that there is no king of Israel except from the house of David and from the seed of Solomon alone. And anyone who disputes this regarding this family is a denier of the name of God and in all the words of the prophets. Why is so hard for people to realize that the Mashiach will be mortal? If G-d intended to help humans with every issue that arises, the Mashiach would have come many times over. The majority of humans’ problems today, we created. NOT G-d! The Mashiach will rise to power when it is time. When it is time for all Jews to gather in Jerusalem at the Third Temple.
In Talmud, the end of days will be signified with tumultuous events the will end the “old world order” and a “new world order” will be created. In this new world order, G-d, as the Jews see him, will be recognized as the only G-d. The only ruler of everyone and everything. According to Talmud, this will happen in the year 6,000 AD. As we enter 5767, we have 233 years to go before this happens. BUT Talmud also states, the Mashiach can come earlier if G-d feels it is right to do so. But are the events we are seeing happen today around the world the signal that Mashiach is planning his return soon?
Some major events have happened with in the last 100 years that lead to me believe that end of days and the return of the Mashiach is upon us: 1) The Holocaust2) Major strife in the Middle East since 1948 and the founding of the Modern State of Israel:a. War of Independenceb. War of Atonementc. Six Day ward. Yom Kippur Ware. Lebanonf. Islamic Infadas’ I and II3) Attacks on Western entities:a. 1993 World Trade Center Attachb. Various embassy bombings around the globec. September 11th4) Rise of dictators and radical Islamists5) The rise and fall of Sadam Hussein6) The impending destruction of Iran7) Call by Al-Qaeda for all Muslims to leave the United States in advance of a nuclear attack
Is some of this speculation? Is some of this freight? Probably. But it doesn’t discount pass events and the knowledge that something, somewhere, especially in the US or Israel is about happen soon. Recently, I read a series of books by Joel Rosenbaum. Mr. Rosenbaum was born an Orthodox Jew and converted to Evangelical Christianity. What his reasons for converting, I don’t know. But his books, The Last Jihad, End of Days, The Ezekiel Option and The Copper Scroll are all based upon the writing of Ezekiel and other prophets.
In the books, Israel’s enemies rise together, Magog and Gog, (assumed to be Russia and Iran) will form a multi-national force of terror that attacks Israel and the US. But through research and connections with a retired Mossad agent, the main character learns about the End of days prophesied by Ezekiel. And, as you would expect, he doesn’t believe it. Until he sees it with his own eyes. And the forces of evil and the Antichrist are destroyed by supernatural powers. But what does Ezekiel say exactly1:2Son of man, set your face toward (HC)Gog of the land of (HD)Magog, the prince of (HE)Rosh, (HF)Meshech and (HG)Tubal, and prophesy against him 3and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. 4“I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will (HH)bring you out, and all your army, (HI)horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; 5(HJ)Persia, (HK)Ethiopia and (HL)Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6(HM)Gomer with all its troops; (HN)Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops–many peoples with you. 7“(HO)Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. These seven versus specifically spell out which countries will rise together against Israel and will bring on the end of days. These countries are2:
Libya, Persia, Ethiopia Libya (Put) remains today, bearing the same name, lying just west of Egypt. Persia, also remaining to the present, is now known as Iran. Biblical Ethiopia (Cush, KŠ) is not the Ethiopia of today but rather the land just to the south of Egypt, Northern Sudan.Togarmah Togarmah (TGRM) presents only a little more difficulty. Togarmah was a descendant of Noah through Japheth then Gomer (Gen.10:1-3). He is known to Assyrian records as Tilgarimmu (TLGRM). The inserted “L” is not uncommon and, more than likely, was silent. Tilgarimmu was a city state in Eastern Anatolia (Asia Minor, modern Turkey), more specifically, as Ryrie states, “the southeastern part of Turkey near the Syrian border.” This identification is generally acknowledged by all.
Gomer Gomer (GMR) has often been mistaken to refer to Germany because of a supposed similarity of linguistic construction. This position has two serious errors. One is that the “R” and “M” are reversed. Ezekiel wrote of GMR not GRM. The reversal is unwarranted linguistically. Furthermore, this similarity and inversion is based upon a comparison of Ezekiel’s GMR with a modern English (from Latin) designation for Deutschland. Clearly, the similarity is only superficial. These two errors rule out, absolutely, any possible identification of Gomer with Germany.
Rosh The identification of Rosh (RŠ) presents some difficulty. Some understand it to be a proper noun referring to Russia rather than as a simple noun or adjective, “head” or “chief” (KJV), which is its normal meaning. Although this interpretation may be allowable on grammatical grounds, it suffers from several problems. The first is that there is absolutely no place on earth known by this name, Rosh. Of all the occurrences of Meshech and Tubal (MŠK and TBL) in Biblical and non-Biblical writings, they are never associated with a place called Rosh, as the translation “prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal” would suggest.
Russian Cities: Meshech
Meshech (MŠK) is often mistaken for the Modern Russian city of Moscow, capitol and largest city of the Soviet Union. Again, this identification, as even Ryrie admits, is unfounded also. The problems are similar to those associated with the identification of Gomer with Germany. First of all, the Š is changed to S. This again is unwarranted linguistically. Furthermore, the similarity is based upon a comparison of MŠK with the English designation Moscow; the Russian word is Moskva (MSKV) and is less similar still. However, Mushki (MŠK) of central and western Asia Minor, known in the classics (Homer, etc.) as Phrygia, fits very well. These people were well known to Ezekiel, and this seems clearly the easier interpretation.
Tubal Tubal (TBL) is commonly identified with the Russian city of Tobol’sk. Although this is allowable linguistically, it is not the best hermeneutically. Ezekiel knew nothing of Tobol’sk (or Moscow or Germany, for that matter); it did not exist. He was, however, well acquainted with Tabal (TBL) of Eastern Asia Minor (and Gimarrai and Mushki) of central and western Asia Minor). Granted, God could have revealed Tobol’sk (and Moscow and Germany) to the ancient prophet, but to assume so when Tabal was well known to him is unjustified apart from Biblical warrant. If a man in New York, for example, speaks of Manhattan, he would not want anyone to assume that he is speaking of a Manhattan, Kansas; much less would he want anyone to interpret his words as referring to a Manhattan somewhere else in the world of which he is unaware! Similarly, to assume a place unknown to the prophet (Tobol’sk) when clear options are available is both hermeneutically and exegetically untenable. Tabal is clearly to be preferred.
Gog Gog is extremely difficult to identify. Some have identified him with Gyges (seventh century B.C.), king of Lydia (extreme western Asia Minor), who is called Gugu in the Ashurbanipal texts. Some have suggested the place name Gagai, referred to in the Tell el Amarna letters as a land of Barbarians. A god named Gaga found in the Ras Shamra writings; Gagu, a ruler of the land of Sakhi, North of Assyria; and Gaga, a mountainous region north of Meletene, have all been offered as alternatives. Some have understood Gog to be a historical figure such as Alexander the Great. One plausible explanation is that Gog is merely an official title or general designation for any enemy of God’s people. This interpretation is based on the Septuagint rendering of several Kingly names in the Old Testament. Perhaps Gog is only a derivative of the related word Magog. None of the above suggestions has sufficient evidence for certain identification. It is most probable that Gog is a person, but geographical identification is not given.Magog
Magog, a descendant of Noah through Japheth (Gen. 10:1-2), presents the most difficulty. Those who see it as Russia appeal to Josephus who said “Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians,” who lived north and northeast of the Black Sea. The fact of the matter, however, is that nothing is known about Magog–nothing. Josephus’ guess may be as good as any, but the place is as yet unidentified. The appeal to Gesenius is impressive, but it must be remembered that Gesenius was a great lexicographer and grammarian, not an authority on ancient history. His statement was but a guess also; in fact, it is highly probable that Josephus was Gesenius’ source for this information. Furthermore, though the Scythians are of the Japhetic line, they are believed by historians to be descendants of Gomer through Ashkenas; this is not true of Magog. To identify Magog as the Scythians is without support from historical anthropology. Although Magog cannot be identified specifically, it seems that Scripture does give a clue at least to its general vicinity. First, “Gog” is known to be an Anatolian name. Further, if Meshech and Tubal have been identified correctly and are in Asia Minor, Magog must be a part of Asia minor as well since “they [Meshech and Tubal] lived in the neighborhood of Magog.” Ezekiel 38:2 states that Gog, who is the “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal,” is “of the land of Magog.” If Gog is prince of Meshech and Tubal and lives in the land of Magog, it seems reasonable that Magog is in close proximity.
In summary, the Scythians were a people other than Magogites, and Magog is not able to be specifically identified, unless it is a general reference to the land of Asia Minor.WOW! I realize that is a lot of information to take in. But is very important to understanding end of days. The majority of these countries, if not all, have had a conflict or issue with Israel as well as the United States. Russia and the US have never directly been in war against each other, but look at the number of conflicts that both have been in that they have indirectly gone against each other. Korea, Vietnam, Mid East Conflicts. And then the diplomatic side. Russia doesn’t want to end Iran’s nuclear program. In fact, Iran is just another slave to Mother Russia. The Iranians owe the Russians Billions of dollars for military hardware from past conflicts. Plus many of these other countries are against the sanctions to be put against Iran. Though the may be afraid of Iran, they want equal footing in the Mid East. If Iran has to give up its nuclear program, they want Israel to do the same. Logical argument. To an extent.
But Israel, which has never officially said they have nuclear weapons, will use them only in a defensive scenario. Iran has too many radicals and too many ties to radicals that would use the nukes for a first strike scenario. Amazing, just twenty years ago, the US and Russia stood head to head with nuclear weapons, but both also went on the premise of MAD or Mutually Assured Destruction. Could or would the philosophy work in the Middle East?
