when JESUS returns to ISRAEL

The Final Battles
Click on a selection hereoverviewtreading the winepressgreat supper of Godthe Lord known by allGog and Magog day of vengeance Gog, the King?Gog vs. Antichristextensions to the 70th Week30 daysBowl JudgmentsBattle of Armageddon45 daysOther Commentaries, or scroll down the page.
Summary of this commentary: HTML Version | Word Document | PDF Document
Read other commentaries.
overview
At the end of the 70th Week (the final seven years of this age), Jesus the Messiah (Christ) will return to earth to rule and reign. It commonly is believed that, at that time, He will attack and destroy the armed forces of the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. Although this encounter will occur, it can be demonstrated, by carefully examining Scripture, that it will not happen as soon as Jesus returns but, rather, soon thereafter (that is, a month later).

Concerning the day on which the armies of Gog/Magog are eliminated, the prophet Ezekiel wrote this:

From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God (Ezekiel 39:22).
In the past, there have been times when Israel acknowledged the Lord their God. However, never “from that day forward” have they maintained a constant acknowledgement and acceptance of the Lord their God. Instead, they always have back-slidden away from God, and they are in that condition today. Therefore, it makes no sense that the prophecy in (Ezekiel 39:22) can take place until Jesus returns and destroys those who are attacking Israel, because it is only at that time that Israel will see, recognize, and acknowledge Him as their Lord.

The armies Jesus will “trample,” like grapes in a winepress, on the very day of His future descent to earth from heaven, are the forces of Gog and Magog, along with those from the nations who have joined them—all of whom will be attacking Jerusalem and Israel. It will not be until 30 days after this bloody carnage, as the Antichrist and his armies gather to attack specifically Jesus in Jerusalem, that He will overcome them at the famed Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 17:12-14).

treading the winepress
As is written in the Book of Revelation, John envisioned the future return of the Lord Jesus—the “Faithful and True” and the “King of kings and Lord of lords”—to earth as the Rider on a white horse, with the armies of heaven following Him (Revelation 19:11-14). We know that this is Jesus, the “Word of God” (19:13b), because John previously had described Him as being “the Word” in John 1:1-18.

Besides coming to rule and reign on the earth, John described that Jesus will have yet another very specific mission (which is what the first verse of the song “Battle Hymn of the Republic” is referring to):

He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty (Revelation 19:15c).
John did not see Jesus being still or passive. Rather, John noted that “he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11b). Evidently, John observed Jesus in the process of making war in this vision of the future, since John saw Jesus’ “robe dipped in blood” (19:13a). Furthermore, Jesus was seen to be wielding a “sharp sword with which to strike down the nations” (19:15a).

The great Old Testament prophet Isaiah foretold this same scene of the future, including the crimson (red) garments, the treading of the winepress, and the Lord’s sword (Isaiah 63:1-6, 34:5,6). From these two passages (63:1a, 34:6b), we can see that Jesus’ future “touchdown” back on earth will be at or near Bozrah (in Jordan), which is the ancient capital city of Edom and is about 26 miles south-southeast of the Dead Sea, near Petra.

John foretold Jesus’ return in three parallel passages:

Revelation 11:13-17,
Revelation 14:14-20, and
Revelation 19:11-16.
Evidently, there will be a secondary rapture (catching up) of saved believers, just before Jesus descends to earth, at the end of the 70th Week (Revelation 14:14-16). Immediately thereafter, those who are left will be gathered, thrown “into the great winepress of God’s wrath,” and “trampled in the winepress” (14:17-20). It will be Jesus Himself who will “tread” these “ripe grapes” of armies of the nations.

Yet another Old Testament prophet, Joel, had a similar observation about swinging a sickle to harvest these wicked “grapes,” to be trampled in the winepress (Joel 3:13). Joel indicated that this would take place in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (3:12), which is a valley along the eastern edge of Jerusalem, next to the Mount of Olives. This “treading of the winepress” is not the Battle of Armageddon, nor is it associated with the Plain of Megiddo.

The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the primary location where Jesus will destroy the armies of the Gog/Magog nations attacking Jerusalem. These are not the armies of the Antichrist; all of the latter will be destroyed, 30 days later, as they are gathered on the Plain of Megiddo, with the intent of going to Jerusalem to attack Jesus—after He has returned and is sitting on His throne in Jerusalem.

Joel also wrote,

I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land (Joel 3:2).
This is a parallel description to a passage written by Ezekiel:
Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. … I will execute judgment upon him…and on his troops and on the many nations with him” (Ezekiel 38:14-16,22).
Note that both passages describe how God will enter into, or execute, “judgment” against/upon the “nations” who will be attacking Israel. God’s coming against these “nations” also is shown in the following parallel passages by Isaiah, Zechariah, and John:
But your many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff. Suddenly, in an instant, the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night… (Isaiah 29:5-7).

I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle (Zechariah 14:2,3).

Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty (Revelation 19:15).

great supper of God
After John’s reference to the treading of the winepress, he described how all the birds flying in midair will be told,

Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great (Revelation 19:17,18).
This description parallels that which was written by Ezekiel (in one of his God/Magog passages) in describing what will be told to the birds and wild animals, for which God will prepare a sacrifice on the mountains of Israel:
“Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth…. At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,” declares the Sovereign LORD (Ezekiel 39:17,18a,20).
Moreover, those who will be destroyed have been likened to “rams and lambs, goats, and bulls” (Ezekiel 39:18) by Isaiah (Isaiah 34:6,7).

the Lord known by all
Soon after the Lord Jesus returns to earth at the end of the 70th Week, the whole world (including the Antichrist) will know about it. For one thing, on that day, there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel; the people of the earth will tremble at His presence, and mountains will be overturned (Ezekiel 38:18-20). The Mount of Olives itself will split into two halves, moving in opposite directions, when the feet of Jesus stand upon it (Zechariah 14:2). A tenth of the city of Jerusalem will collapse due to the severe earthquake, which will be in association with the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet when Jesus will return to rule and reign (Revelation 11:13,15).

At that time, Jesus will become the Lord of Israel forever (Ezekiel 38:23, 39:21,22,28). It is then that the Lord will pour out His Spirit on Israel:

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 39:29).
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah also described how God would pour out His spirit on the house of David (Israel):
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me [Jesus], the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son (Zechariah 12:10).
Zechariah described, as well, how the nations will be gathered against Israel, in particular Jerusalem, at that future time (Zechariah 12:2,3, 14:2). Then, the Lord (Jesus) will come to attack and destroy all those who have attacked Jerusalem (12:9, 14:3). On that day, and forevermore thereafter, “The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name” (14:9).

Gog and Magog
In the Old Testament, a “prince” can indicate a demonic or angelic being who, in the spirit realm, is in control of a nation, such as Persia, Greece, or (in the case of the archangel Michael) Daniel’s people, Israel (Daniel 10:13,20,21). Ezekiel described Gog as being the “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” (Ezekiel 38:2,3).

Some translations add the “prince of Rosh” to the mix, and many have interpreted “Rosh” to be a reference to Russia. However, the regular meaning of “Rosh” is “head” or “chief”; for instance, “Rosh haShanah” means “head of the year”—that is, the Hebrew new year. Therefore, I believe that Gog will be, simply, the chief (“rosh”) prince of Meshech and Tubal.

Those who consider “Rosh” to be Russia usually will equate “Meshech” and “Tubal” with the two Russian cities, Muscova (Moscow) and Tobol’sk (Tubalsk), respectively. However, I feel that, more likely, they refer to Mushki and Tabal, cities in Anatolia or Asia Minor, most of which is present-day Turkey.

From Ezekiel 38:5,6, Persia has become Iran (and maybe part of Iraq); Cush probably is Sudan, just south of Egypt (and maybe Ethiopia); and Put is identified as Libya (but also may include Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania). Gomer probably refers to Gimarrai of north central Asia Minor (Cappadocia), in present-day Turkey. Togarmah apparently refers to Tilgarimmu, in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), near Syria. All of these regions are, primarily, Islamic.

Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and Gomer were sons of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), a son of Noah. Togarmah was a son of Gomer (10:3). Cush and Put were sons of Ham (10:6), another son of Noah. Magog’s descendants settled in central Asia, in the land that, today, constitutes the Soviet break-away republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as possibly northern Afghanistan.

Although there is some disagreement as to the extent of the land of Magog, we do know that Gog, the chief (“rosh”) prince of Meshech and Tubal, will be “of the land of Magog” (Ezekiel 38:2). If Meshech and Tubal refer to modern-day Mushki and Tabal, in Turkey, then it would seem that one region of Magog will be Turkey; thus, perhaps Gog’s origin is Turkey. In any case, there is little doubt that Magog will encompass nations that are, predominately, Islamic.

See more details on Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, and Put. See other theories about the identities of Gog and Magog.

day of vengeance
Jeremiah named Cush and Put, nations mentioned by Ezekiel as part of the Magog hordes, in association with the “day of vengeance”:

Charge, O horses! Drive furiously, O charioteers! March on, O warriors—men of Cush and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia who draw the bow. But that day belongs to the Lord, the LORD Almighty—a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes. The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood. For the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates (Jeremiah 46:9,10).
There are distinct similarities to Isaiah’s description, in which he equated the “day of vengeance” with a “year of retribution”:
The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat—the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in Edom. … For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause (Isaiah 34:6,8).
Jeremiah indicated that God would bring a year of punishment upon Moab:
“Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring upon Moab the year of her punishment,” declares the LORD (Jeremiah 48:44).
Most likely, then, the “day of vengeance” will last a year and will be the seventh year of the 70th Week.

Gog, the King?