Magog is the territory under the rule of Gog as described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Magog was the land of the nomadic Scythians, the region north and northeast of the Black Sea and east of the Caspian Sea, according to the first century historian Josephus. The area would have included territory that is occupied today by Russian, Ukrainian, and Kazakhstan populations. Ezekiel 38:2 also speaks of Gog as the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. These entities are Magog’s allies. While the identification of Gog and Magog still remains disputed, the identifications of Meshech and Tubal have for a long time not been in doubt. Since the late 19^th century, Assyrian texts have been available which locate Mushku (Meshech) and Tabal (Tubal) in central and eastern Anatolia (Turkey) respectively.

Another key indicator pointing to Russia as Gog coming from the far North is the size of the coalition army. There is Lebanon and Turkey to the North of Israel, but these nations are unable to field a massive army that could threaten Israel. Ezekiel 38:6 says “Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands:  many people with thee.” Ezekiel 38:15 says “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.” Ezekiel 39:2 says “and I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel.” Today, Russia is to the far north of Israel. If you draw a straight line north of Jerusalem on the map, you will reach Russia. During Ezekiel’s time, Magog was located in southern Russia.

Finally, the fact that the Anti-Messiah is not mentioned in these verses is viewed by so

me prophecy teachers as a good indication that Russian invasion occurs before he arrives on the scene. If the Anti-Messiah were a great world leader at this time, it is not likely that he would stand on the sidelines and leave Russia unchallenged. If this were the middle of the Tribulation Period, he would be in control of some of these nations and they would not be in Russian coalition. His absence is a good indication of a Pre-Tribulation Period attack.

PRIMARY SOURCES

Ice, Thomas., and Demy, Timohty. “Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy.” Harvest House Publishers. 1997. Duck, Daymond R., and Richards, Larry Ph.D. “Gods Word for the Biblically-Inept Series”. Starburst Publishers. 2000.