Dear Doves,

 

There has been some speculation about the closeness of the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39 in the light of the Russian invasion of the country of Ukraine.  I thought I would join the discussion with an update to an old post.
I do not know for sure if this Purim, which falls on March 17, 2022, will be prophetically significant. Purim does, however, have some intriguing parallels to the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39. And the Gog-Magog War holds some interesting possibilities for us Rapture watchers. Consequently, I would like to share the following information and speculation.

Purim is celebrated on the 14th and 15th of the month of Adar, which is the final month of the Jewish religious year. It is based upon the events of the book of Esther and commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from genocide. The name Purim is derived from the Hebrew word for "lots." According to the book of Esther, the evil Haman plotted to kill the Jews of Persia and cast lots to determine the best day to kill them.

The Gog-Magog War Connection

A while ago, someone on this site made a connection between the celebration of Purim and the timing of the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39. I cannot remember the source, but I have since found others who have made similar connections.

But first, let me explain why the timing of the Gog-Magog War may even be relevant to us Rapture watchers.

The Rapture is a resurrection event that could be accompanied by a massive earthquake. In Scripture, earthquakes are connected to resurrection events:  For example, Jesus in Matthew 27:50-51, some Old Testament Saints in Matthew 27:52, and the 2 Witnesses in Revelation 11:11-13. If this pattern holds true, then the Rapture of the Church may result in an earthquake of catastrophic proportions, theoretically because of the large number of people who will be resurrected.

Consequently, it is possible that one of the prophesized earthquakes of the Bible could be the earthquake that will accompany the Rapture. Although we are not given the exact timing of the Rapture, we may have been given clues from the accompanying earthquake.

Significantly, the Gog-Magog War will include a massive earthquake. Although it begins in Israel, it will have a global impact. If this earthquake is also the Rapture earthquake, then the timing of the Gog-Magog War becomes very relevant to us.

Parallels between Purim and the Gog-Magog War

The most obvious parallel between Purim and the Gog-Magog War is that both have rulers that have set their minds upon killing all of the Jews. Both end up getting killed and the Jews are delivered from genocide.

The setting of the book of Esther is in Persia or modern day Iran. Coincidentally, the participants of the Gog-Magog War include Iran and other countries of the Persian Empire.

Quote from internet article "The Purim Connection" ("Notes on Revelation" from juchre.org): "Keep in mind that the Persian Empire in Esther’s day (around 484 B.C.) comprised all of Asia Minor, which includes modern day Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It also stretched over towards to Egypt and Libya. Interesting that many of these same countries will be allied with Gog when he attacks Israel (see Ezekiel 38:3-6)."

The place of Gog’s burial will be called Hamon Gog. See Ezekiel 39:15. "Hamon" means "horde." This could also be a play on words or a pun for the name Haman. Haman, an Agagite (see Esther 3:1) was a descendant of King Agag. See 1 Samuel 15:20. The name Agag is also a sound-alike word for the word Gog.

The bodies from the Gog-Magog War will be collected and buried for a period of seven (7) months. See Ezekiel 39:12. Note that Purim falls on Adar 14-15. The Feast of Tabernacles begins on Tishri 15 exactly seven months from Purim.

 

Drunkenness

Purim is also a holiday during which the celebrants are encouraged to get drunk. After the Gog-Magog War, the birds and wild animals are told to feast on the dead bodies and to get drunk on the blood. See Ezekiel 39:17-19.

Last major holiday

Nisan is the first month of the Jewish religious calendar. God established this calendar at the time of the Exodus. "This month [Abib/Nisan] is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." Exodus 12:2.

Adar is the twelfth or last month of the Jewish religious calendar.


According to Esther 3:7, Haman cast lots in the month of Nisan. However, action was not to be taken against the Jews until the 12th month, practically a full year later.

Could it be possible, then, that Adar 2022 will be prophetically significant? Will Purim, the last major holiday of the Jewish religious year, have a prophetic fulfillment for Israel or the Church?

Jesus, Purim, and John 5

Some scholars believe that Jesus observed Purim in John 5:1: "Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews."

Quote from The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, Chapter 17 by Alfred Edersheim: "Purim was never more than a popular festival. As such it was kept with great merriment and rejoicing, when friends and relations were wont to send presents to each other. There seems little doubt that this was the “feast of the Jews,” to which the Saviour went up to Jerusalem (John 5:1), when He healed the impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda. For no other feast could have intervened between December (John 4:35) and the Passover (John 6:4), except that of the “Dedication of the Temple,” and that is specially designated as such (John 10:22), and not simply as a feast of the Jews.

Quote from "Jesus Celebrated Purim" by Gordon Franz (from ldolphin.org): "Most people are unaware of this, but Jesus celebrated the feast of Purim! In John 5, the Lord Jesus is up in Jerusalem for an unnamed feast. Scholars have debated whether the feast was Passover, Purim, Succoth or even Pentecost (Bowman 1971). Some have objected to Purim because it is a "minor" feast and not one of the three "major" pilgrimage festivals (Deut. 16:16). That argument is irrelevant because Jesus also celebrated another "minor" holiday, Hanukkah (John 10:22; Franz 1998:25, 26). Chronologically, the only feast that makes sense is Purim in AD 28. The feast of John 5 fell on a Sabbath (5:9). The only feast day to fall on a Sabbath between AD 25 and AD 35 was Purim of AD 28 (Faulstich 1986). The Spirit of God intentionally left out the name of the feast because the Lord’s name was deliberately left out of the Book of Esther. In John 5, Jesus healed a man who had an infirmity for 38 years near the Pools of Bethesda (John 5:1-9). It is also the first time in His public ministry that He declared that "God was His Father, making Himself equal with God" (5:18). He also said that He was the "Son of God" (5:25) and the "Son of Man" (5:27).

If the events of John 5 occurred on Purim, then the passage takes on exciting prophetic overtones.

Jesus heals a man who has been an invalid for 38 years. This increment of 38 years connects us to the wilderness experience of the Israelites. According to Deuteronomy 2:14, the Israelites were in the wilderness for 38 years, from the point that they rebelled against the command to enter Canaan. It was only after this period of time that the Israelites were able to go into the Promised Land.

Jesus asks the invalid man if he wants to get well. He then tells him to get up and walk. Later, Jesus tells the Jews that he also has the power to raise the dead. "I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself." John 5:25-26.

In Ezekiel 37, the chapter that directly precedes the passages about the Gog-Magog War, we find the prophecy of the dry bones. We see that Israel will be re-gathered physically before God breathes spiritual life into her. Consequently, modern-day Israel is like an invalid “unable to get up and walk.” She is waiting to receive the breath of life. "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet “a vast army." Ezekiel 37:10.

Will Jesus revive Israel and resurrect the Church on a future Purim?

Name of God Hidden and Revealed

The book of Esther is known for being the only book of the Bible that does not have the name of God in it. In a figurative sense, God is hidden.

Purim, then, could be a fitting time for God to reveal Himself to His chosen people.

Presently, God has hidden His face from the Jews. But this situation is temporary. God’s purpose behind the Gog-Magog War is to make His presence known to the world and, most importantly, to Israel. "I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God .... I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord." Ezekiel 39:21-22, 29.

God will also make His name known as a result of the Gog-Magog War. "I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel." Ezekiel 39:7.

It is interesting that in John 5, and possibly on Purim, Jesus revealed his true identity to the Jews:

"Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:17-18.

Significantly, Jesus also connects Himself to the name of God: "I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him." John 5:43.

Conclusion

Regardless of when the Gog-Magog War occurs, I believe that it will represent the point when God will return His primary focus onto the Jews.  The fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy will be indisputable to the Jews.  Israel will be dramatically rescued by God.  Secular Jews will have proof that God is real and that they are His people.

 

These are exciting times.  We are witnesses to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

 

Maranatha,

 

                  – Lisa Taylor