The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Ron Rhodes on End Times Chronology: Timing of the Gog-Magog War

Prophecy 48

In the chronology of end time events, when does the Gog-Magog War happen?

For a fascinating discussion of this and other questions concerning end time chronology, we invited Dr. Ron Rhodes to our television program Christ in Prophecy. Dr. Rhodes is a prolific Bible prophecy author with over 80 books to his credit! He is a professor and also the founder and director of a ministry called Reasoning from the Scriptures which specializes in defending Christianity against atheists, agnostics, skeptics, the cults, world religions, and any group that teaches false doctrine. As an expert in the field of Bible prophecy, we’re going to focus on one of his books in particular titled, The End Times in Chronological Order.

Timing of the Gog-Magog War

Dr. Reagan: When it comes to the War of Gog and Magog, the Bible does not specifically say when it is going to occur.

Dr. Rhodes: I believe that it is going to happen in the end times. Number one, I say that because in Ezekiel 36-39 the Scriptures say that it is going to take place in the “last days” and the “latter years”. Those terms always point to the end times.

Number two, the Scriptures do give us some chronological clues. For example, the text specifically indicates that at first Israel must become a nation once more. Ezekiel prophesied that Jewish people from all over the world, from all the countries of the world, must flow back to the Holy Land. We’ve been seeing that every decade since Israel became a nation again.

Israel must become a nation once more because there is going to be a coalition of nations that will arise against Israel: Russia, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, and the nations around the Black Sea. In fact, Russia now has an alliance with Iran. It has an alliance with Libya. Turkey has been with NATO, but recently Turkey has been moving away from NATO and buddying up with Putin over in Russia. And so, we are seeing the stage being set for this coalition of invaders.

Dr. Reagan: I agree that the Bible is quite clear that the Gog-Magog War is going to occur in the end times. But, when I say that the timing is not given in Scriptures, I’m talking about the precise timing. So then, is it going to be before the Tribulation? At the beginning? In the middle? When is the Gog-Magog War going to happen on the prophetic timeline?

Dr. Rhodes: Here’s a chronological problem, and I’m going to try to explain it real clear. It hinges on when Israel is in a state of peace and security. Now, some people say that Israel’s peace and security will come from the covenant that the Antichrist signs with Israel and which starts the Tribulation period.

Dr. Reagan: That is surely the historical position.

Dr. Rhodes: That’s right. But, there is another position that a lot of people hold to, and I think it’s got good credence to it, and that is Israel’s state of security could be due to its own military and its air force. If this is the case, then this invasion wouldn’t have to wait until the Tribulation begins, but it could actually take place a number of years before the Tribulation. What we do know that is really clear, though, is that the Gog-Magog War happens in the end times.

Dr. Reagan: Ron, you have written a very outstanding book about this topic called Northern Storm Rising. I highly recommend it to people. It’s all about the Gog-Magog War. If I remember right, you concluded that most likely the war might occur three-and-a-half years before the Tribulation begins?

Dr. Rhodes: That timing really does open up some convenience, if I might put it that way, because if God destroys the Muslim invaders prior to the Tribulation, number one, it makes it much easier for the Antichrist to sign a covenant protecting Israel. Number two, it makes it much easier for Israel to rebuild its Temple. Right now there is too much Muslim resistance, but if the Muslim invaders are taken out beforehand, that would make rebuilding the Temple much easier. Third, it would make it much easier for the false religion to emerge in the end times because the two primary people groups that would stand against that false religion are now removed — Christians are removed at the Rapture and Muslims are taken out in the Ezekiel 38-39 invasion.

Dr. Reagan: The timing also solves another problem, and that is that Ezekiel says that the Israelis are going to spend seven years cleaning up the battlefield. The Israelis are not going to be there after the middle of the seven years as they will have fled into the wilderness due to the Antichrist’s abomination of desolation.

Dr. Rhodes: Ezekiel prophesies that the Jews are going to be burning the invaders’ weapons for seven years. Here’s the problem, how is it possible that Israel could burn the weapons for seven years if it starts at the beginning of the Tribulation, because right in the middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist claims to be God, and he sets up his headquarters in Jerusalem, and he even sits in the Temple and demands the world worship him as if he were God. Jesus says that when that happens, don’t even pack your bags; get out of town. Run for your lives! That warning seems to indicate the Jews are not going to have time to grab all of those weapons on the run. So, that would seem to indicate that Israel will start burning those weapons prior to the Tribulation.

In the fourth and final part of our discussion with Dr. Ron Rhodes concerning end time chronology, he will identify where in the timeline the Gog-Magog War takes place.

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

6 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • Gog and Magog: Revelation 20:7&8.

    E.C’s read scriptures literally, so according to the book of Revelation, The war of Gog and Magog does not take place till after the 1000 year millennial reign, so why are Christians aways looking for Gog and Magog headlines in the newspapers?! Also, if there were as many humans living on earth as the sands of the sea, humanity would cease to exist. Planet earth does not have that much space!

  • Ron Rgodes states that all the Muslim countries in the Gog Magog war will be destroyed, so it makes it easier for Israel to build their Temple. But all the nations in this Abrahamic Accord (as more join) are Muslim & even though they won’t participate in Gog Magag war, & be destroyed, they want the Temple site to be Islamic. Perhaps they will cooperate with the Israelis more than Iran, Turkey, Syria or perhaps Israel gets to build their Temple thru the covenant/confiming of the Antichrist?

    • I believe that K.P. Butler’s statements are more correct as I see things. This is clearly a war that happens before all of the soon to come prophetic events and we do not know when the certain rapture will occur, but I see no problem with the Ezekiel 38-39 war happening before the rapture and it would surely open the way for the rebuilding of the Temple that Jesus was talking about. As God’s time moves on prophecy becomes a bit more clear to us. We should be aware of these prophecies so that we will recognize them as they approach. Sincerely Rev. D.M. Qualls

    • The early church fathers wrote copiously among themselves as to verify what the apostles taught. They obviously believed that the tribulation starts immediately after the believing are leaving. It is also obvious that it is impossible for Israel to be toting along a bunch of weapon to use as fuel when even getting their elders and children to safety is going to be impossible.This fleeing takes place exactly halfway through the tribulation so it starts on a Passover. It’s always been known that the Tribulation starts on Yom Kippur (even the Jewish rabbis know this). It is suspect that perhaps the rapture event occurs on a feast day time AKA the day and the hour no man knows which is Rosh Hashannah.But no one knows which day or the hour except the last trump is the Tekiah HaGadol which is the call for the righteous dead to raise to life. BUT this is all sheer speculation and no one knows for sure until it actually happens. There are 2 days to the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) Rabbis look for patterns and clues as to events of prophecy. Christians usually focus on prophesy fulfillment. Gog means roof or shelter and it has for millennia been thought that the Gog-Magog war will start on the Feast of Tabernacles (sukkot) because it ties into a pattern with the meaning of Gog. We can also know the tribulation lasts for one entire shemitah cycle because Daniel talks about weeks of years or a shabuah which is a full shemitah cycle. There really is a reason God has had the rabbis mark out these cycles.Daniel prophesied Messiah would be “cut off” (killed) mid week, and He was on Passover exactly 3 1/2 years into His ministry. I have heard people say we can’t know when Christ’s ministry started, which is silly. Of course we can. Every day there is readings from the Bible to be read in the Temple and synagogues and it is repeated year after year with prophetic events that tie into them on the years God has seen fit for them to happen (another pattern). Jesus read a passage that always occurs during the feast of Tabernacles.I suspect the Gog-Magog war will happen first if the apostles were correct with the tribulation occurring immediately after the rapture. BUT if not then the Gog-Magog war must occur 3.5 years before the tribulation.
      As far as the Muslims being destroyed… read Obadiah. They will be.

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