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THE WARS of GOG and MAGOG
by Alexander Zephyr.
Part One.
In Criticism of the Great Scholar and Esteemed Ally of Brit-Am, Steven Collins.
One of the best experts on the Jewish-Israelite movement, and particularly on the Gog and Magog wars of the prophet Ezekiel 38 and 39 is the Christian theologian, Biblical Scholar, and esteemed author Steven M. Collins.
http://stevenmcollins.com/homepage.php
Mr. Collins provides excellent commentaries on a daily basis connecting the geopolitical events of the World with prophecies concerning the Wars of Gog and Magog.
In his work, 'What Ezekiel 38-39 reveals about a future WWIII', the author begins with the analysis of the three prophecies of Ezekiel 37, 38 and 39. Chapter 37, Steven Collins says, contains two separate prophecies, called 'Dry bones' and 'Two sticks', and the Chapters 38 and 39 consist of one prophecy of a future War of Gog and Magog. All three prophecies have distinct subject matters, different time-settings, and chronologically do not link together with each other.
In his opinion, the 'Dry bones' prophecy of Ezekiel 37:1-14 concerns the resurrection of the 'whole house of Israel' which will occur one thousand years after the advent of Messiah.
Another distinct prophecy of the same Chapter 37:15-28, 'Two sticks' prophecy, is a prediction of the complete and final reunification of all Tribes of Jacob under leadership of a resurrected King David which is going to occur at the beginning of the Messianic Age.
Concerning the third prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the War of Gog and Magog, he came up with a very bold and well argumented theory, basically saying that this war begins at the earlier stage of the redemption, 'in the latter years', at the end of our current age, prior to the reunification of the whole house of Jacob and advent of the Messiah, before the Messianic Age begins.
Steven Collins says:
# All three prophecies are not chronologically sequential, they are in three different 'Biblical ages', and they are written in reverse time order: Gog and Magog war, reunification of 'Two sticks', and general mass resurrection of the 'Dry bones' (with the interval of one thousand years). #
The geographical target of attach of the armies of Gog will not be the Land of Israel, where the modern 'tiny' Jewish state presently exists (Zephaniah 2:6-10), but rather the countries of the West Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zeeland and other territories, where the so called 'Lost Ten Tribes of Israel' in exile are residing. S. Collins identifies Gog as a chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, leader of Russia, and the 'land of Magog' as the region of Asia which is within the modern territory of Southern Russia.
'Gomer and all his bands' become the most populous nation of China. 'Togarmah of the north quarters and all his bands' he interprets as being a group of people closely related to the Chinese ethnically and located to the north of China's mainland: Mongolia, Siberia, Manchuria and North Korea. All of this is in accordance with his statement that Japheth's descendants were found in the Oriental regions of Asia. From what the Bible reveals, concluded S. Collins, it will be an alliance of Russia, China and Iran along with other former Communist or East-bloc nations and radical Islamic countries in South-Central Asia and North Africa.
In his explanation as to why the target of Gog's attack will be the countries of the West, North America, and NATO, rather than the Jewish state in the Land of Israel, S. Collins pointed out that there is no recollection of Judah in the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and 39 as, for instance, in Zechariah 12 and 14. When God speaks of Judah, he means the Jewish nation, the modern Israelis; and when God speaks of Israel, He means the Ten Tribes of Israel in exile. Therefore, since Judah and Israel will not yet have been reunited and will live separately in different parts of the World as distinct entities, and the only the name of Israel is written in the prophecies of Ezekiel, it means that the subject of Gog's attack will be the countries, where the Ten Tribes of Israel live. The Prophecy is therefore primarily directed at the modern nations of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh which are Great Britain and the USA.
Quite an interesting explanation is given by the author on the matter of the 'Mountains of Israel' which in the Scriptures are positively connected with the Land of Israel on multiple occasions.
God said to Gog:
'After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them.' (Ezekiel 38:8).
In the opinion of S. Collins, the 'Mountains of Israel' can not possibly be the Israeli nation for two reasons: (1) they are not high enough to be true mountains and (2) they have most assuredly not been 'always waste.' But if one flies over the Rocky Mountains of North America, it could be seen how high they are and there is no sign of human habitation over much of their expanse. So, the 'Mountains of Israel' in Ezekiel prophecies describe 'North America, not the Israeli nation.'
The nation which is 'brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people', continues the author, is the United States of America, 'the melting pot' nation.
How does he explain away such a descriptions of Israel's condition as 'they shall dwell safely, all of them' (Verse 8); or 'dwelling without the walls and having neither bars nor gates' (Verse 11)?
Well, he said, after winning the Cold War, Western nations of the house of Israel implemented the rapid disarmament which dramatically reduced military forces and their capabilities. 'By accident or design, the East Bloc nations have, by 'loosing' the Cold War, succeeded in weakening the West's defense of its own homelands.' It certainly does not make one to believe that 'Israel will dwell safely, all of them'!
And what about the Arab countries? Will they take part in Gog's alliance against Israel? Mr. Collins thinks that there are two possibilities:
Since Ezekiel 38:2-6 states clearly that the attacking evil alliance of Gog and Magog will include 'bands' and 'many people' who are not named, it allows the possibility that the Arab nations will be allied with Russia, China and Iran.
The second possibility, is that the Arabs are the descendants of Abraham, of the same Semitic stock as the Israelites; they 'have a great deal of oil wealth and are closely link to America, Great Britain and the Western nations via economical and commercial ties' and through the democratic values planted by America and the West in countries like Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, etc.; plus 'the fact that Iran (Persia, historical enemy of the Arabs) is allied to Russia, can also be a reason why the Arabs would NOT be part of the Russia-Chinese-Iran alliance.'
Another participant in Gog's bloody attack against the nations of Israel is Esau, son of Isaac, the oldest brother of Jacob, whom the Bible named Edom. S. Collins believes that the descendants of Esau through his oldest son Teman (Genesis 36:34) become the Ottoman Empire, the modern day Republic of Turkey, because 'the consonants of Teman and Ottoman are identical.' Turkey is a member of NATO and, as such, is allied to the West and Europe.
'However, there is one branch of Edomites family called Amalekites, which historically is intensely hostile to Israel; they likely will be allied with the armies of Gog and Magog at the end of this age.'
Mr. Collins concluded that, since from Abraham are descended the Semitic and Caucasian nations, and the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39 does not mentione a single Semitic nation in the attacking alliance of Gog's armies, 'it allows the possibility (another one'!) that all modern nations, descended from Abraham, will be on the same side' with Israel.
This, in short, is the theory of S. Collins theory concerning the War of Gog and Magog war as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39.