EAR (23 Apr 2023)
"Re: Donna Danna (26 March) 2023 - Gog's horses, bows, arrows and spears"

 

Reply: Donna Danna (26 March) 2023 – Re: Gog’s horses, bows, arrows and spears

Text Box: https://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2023/donnad326-9.htm With all of today's modern technology of airplane bombers and tanks and missiles, why are horses being used in the Gog-Magog war? Is it because there was a nuclear war or wars before the Gog-Magog war and none of the modern day technology is now available so that they have to resort to riding horses to invade Israel which means that the Gog-Magog war is not likely to happen when modern airplane bombers and tanks and missiles are still available which may mean that the Gog-Magog war is more likely to happen near the end of the Great Tribulation period of 1,260 days prior to the Lord Jesus Christ's return to Earth. Ezekiel 38:15 says that they are ALL riding horses. And Ezekiel 39:9 indicates that the enemies' weapons that are to be burned by the Israelites for 7 years are shields, bucklers, bows, arrows, handstaves and spears. These are not modern day weapons of war. Even at the battle of Armageddon horses are being used when they gather against the Lord Jesus Christ because the fowls are told to gather themselves together to eat the flesh of men and the flesh of horses according to Rev. 19:17-18.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Hi Donna,

The reason for the lack of modern weapons in Gog’s latter-day invasion of Israel is because Revelation 20:1–10 states unequivocally that the attack (involving Gog as chief/leader) occurs after the Messiah’s 1,000 year millennium rule of peace. 

‘Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.  [Jerusalem] And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. (Rev. 20:7–9) What does Revelation 20:9 mean? | BibleRef.com

It is logical to conclude that during this very long peaceful period, offensive modern weapons are no longer manufactured!  Note also the introduction of a new entity: i.e., the camp of the saints, which seems to be separate from Jerusalem’s precincts. This might be where those ‘saints’ who were worthy of being raised up during the first resurrection, lived and reigned with Christ during the millennium. (Rev. 20:4)

Isaiah 2:2–4 and Micah 4:1–8, both confirm that in the latter days, after the LORD’s house is established in Zion and the law goes out from Jerusalem, the nations ‘shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.’ Ezekiel 37:24–28, confirms that this peaceful era—when God’s sanctuary is forever established in Jerusalem—occurs prior to Gog’s invasion in Ezek.38–39.

Although some Bible scholars believe that the terminology used for these old-fashioned weapons is just a metaphor for weapons of war in general, I believe the ‘specific words’ used for weapons in the Gog passage of scripture (Ezek. 38:4–5), indicates a total lack of modern munitions being available to the rebellious, unbelieving,  outlying nations led by Gog in the latter days, who live to the far north, east and south of Israel, whose distant ancestors must have survived the battle of Armageddon, and who in the latter days (i.e., after the millennium), dress in old fashioned ‘national clothing’ (see below), and who carry old-fashioned ‘swords, and wooden and leather weapons’ (cf. Ezek. 23:23–24). These invaders likely come from the rebellious nations that suffered deprivation during the millennium period, because they refused to go up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles and to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, during the ‘rod of iron’ rule of Jesus Christ (cf. Zech. 14:16–19; Rev. 2:27, 12:5, 19:15). Hence they suffered the consequences, i.e., ‘they shall have no rain!’ Thus, this hodgepodge of many assembled people groups that formed a ‘great army’ would have hugely pressing and dire needs to invade Israel in the latter days to plunder the material wealth (silver, gold, animals and goods) that have accumulated there, during the millennium (Ezek. 38:11–13).

Furthermore, Gog’s troops are all ‘splendidly clothed’ (Ezek.38:4). Interestingly, a cross-reference guides us to an earlier passage (Ezek. 23:12–15) that hints at what and who Ezekiel meant by using that phrase, i.e., the clothing worn by Israel’s neighbouring Assyrian and Chaldean (Babylonian warriors), who were ‘clothed most gorgeously in purple, vermillion, girded with belts around their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like captains, in the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity.’ Ezekiel 23:23–24 further infers that these same troops ‘come against Israel with chariots, wagons, and war-horses, with a horde of people. They shall array against you buckler, shield, and helmet all around.’ (It sounds to me, as if these people groups have had to loot the ancient national museums where they lived, to clothe, arm and provide armour and transport for themselves, for the intended battle!) 

Consequently, if ‘the land of the nativity’ of these far northern troops is indeed Assyria and Babylon, then these territories are where the majority of these troops come from in the latter days (Ezekiel 38:9, 15) plus others who join them from Persia (Iran), Ethiopia (Cush) and Libya (Put); whose territories are later pillaged (in return) by Israel (Ezek. 39:10). These are the nations that comprised the ‘known world’ when Ezekiel was alive.

I don’t believe this Gog led battle has anything at all to do with the so-called ‘Great Tribulation,’ neither do I think it occurs during the near-future time-period that you, Gary B (12 March 2023), and Chance (16 April) suggest, nor do I believe the lack of modern weapons during Gog’s invasion is caused by the aftermath of a nuclear exchange. Gog’s invasion—after 1,000 years of peaceful existence—proves Gog’s opposition to God’s rule, which causes God’s fury to show in His face! The result is an earthquake, pestilence, bloodshed, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone. (Ezek. 38:18–22).

Most certainly, because the Gog invasion occurs at the end of the millennium (as per Rev. 20:1–10), the people living in Jerusalem and surrounding areas would have plenty of time to bury Gog and his troops in (today’s) southern Jordan during the ensuing seven months, and go out to burn the weapons they left behind for seven years (Ezek. 39:9–16).

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We should remember that the timetable for (still future) end time events was given by Jesus—in His ultimate Revelation— to John who was imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. Nothing was to be added, or taken away, from this revelation, including the passage about Gog. (cf. Rev. 22:18–19)