Gog Magog – the War between Christianity and Islam

If you do a Google search on Gog Magog, will undoubtedly get thousands upon thousands of websites and blogs that speak of and teach about the Gog Magog War.  Most of them are either Christian or Muslim.  Very few are from a Jewish perspective and even fewer are even taught or written by an authentic rabbi – and if they are, the information is not as detailed as one would like.  The following article is a summary of the teaching of Israeli Rabbi Zamir Cohen on the events of the Gog Magog War(s).  You can watch his 1:38:00 minute Hebrew lecture at TV for TORAH with English subtitles.

As Rabbi Zamir Cohen tells it, the Gog Magog War is a war between the Christian West and the Muslims over the rights to the city of Jerusalem.  The Rabbi brings many proofs from Jewish sacred literature to explain this intriguing biblical prophecy as only the holy rabbi’s can tell it.  Judaism believes that the Gog Magog War occurs after the ingathering of the exiles that is to occur in stages.  This of course has occurred since the early 1900’s and continues to this day.  The rabbi explains that the person called Gog is not a king or prime minister but a president (from the Hebrew word Nasi).  This president is the leader of Edom, which according to rabbinic literature is Rome/Europe/USA.  See Rabbi Zamir Cohen’s lecture – The End of the World – for clarification.

The Modern State of Israel

Before we get to the Gog Magog War, we must look at some relevant history and rabbinic prophecies about the current State of Israel.   While in the extreme minority, some Ultra-Orthodox Hareidi espouse the belief that the current State of Israel is an abomination, the work of men and not brought about by HaShem.   This idea while having some merit is not what the majority of the rabbi’s believe and does not really fit the facts, from a modern perspective.  Rabbi Cohen tells us in his lecture that the modern State of Israel was prophesied in the holy Zohar.  Even the brilliant MALBIM (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel) a rabbi who lived over 150 years ago, said that before the arrival of Mashiach, that Israel would not be in exile and that Jerusalem would be in Jewish hands.  He spoke of Jewish sovereignty over the land of Israel prior to the redemption and that the Jewish regime would govern the land contrary to the Torah and Halacha (Jewish Law). This rabbinic prophecy has now indeed come to pass and is the current state of affairs in Israel.

The Gemara (Tractate Sota) states that prior to the coming of the Messiah, it’s [the Jewish State]  reign will be profane like one of the heathen nations.  The modern State of Israel is set up as a European style democracy.  Democracy is not a biblical political structure.  Democracy can be (and has been) easily corrupted to serve the interests of the powerful.  In America this is the reality (since at least the Civil War).

In Baba Batra, a parable is given which in turn has been interpreted by Gaon of Liza (see the video) to mean that the Jewish people would return to the land of Israel, would rule over another nation (the Palestinians) that presumably could not overcome the Jewish people.  The Jewish people would subdue and subjugate them until they were so vexed that they would turn on the Jewish people and openly struggle against them.  The Jewish state would become so entrenched with chaos and terror that had not the Redemption been so near they would have drowned in a sea of troubles.  This series of events is exactly what has transpired in modern Israel.

Gog Magog

The rabbi taught that Jerusalem would be cause of the Gog Magog war and that the war will constitute three primary groups:

1.  The Jewish people who are regathered from the nations.

2.  The Christian West (Edom)

3.  The Muslim’s (Ishmael)

According to the rabbi, the Gog Magog War occurs  to smite the enemies/nations that have through violence shed the blood of the Jewish nation/people throughout their long history.  If one note the cast of characters in Ezekiel 38, none of the nation or the Far East are named, that is because they have not harmed the Jewish people.  The Gog Magog war will be a full scale Holy War for the right to Jerusalem.  The MALBIM states that the war will actually be fought between the Christians and Muslims who once they arrive in the Land of Israel, undoubtedly on the Megiddo plain, will begin to fight among themselves and be destroyed.

The Pretext to War

Before the Gog Magog war, Babylon (Iraq) would fall at the hands of a Christian nation (which has come about by the USA).  Based on what RADAK (Rabbi David Kimshi) wrote about the black chariot of Zechariah, the MALBIM is basically saying that the Christian nation which conquers Babylon (Iraq) would be the head of the coalition against Israel.  The coalition will come against Israel over the status of Jerusalem, that Gog says does not belong to the Jewish people.

Timing the Redemption

While the Talmud pronounces a curse upon those who try to idly calculate the End of Days, there are some basic parameters that can be understood.  Based on hidden secrets in the Zohar, the kabbalists have discovered that the time of redemption would begin during the 6th millennium during a 66th year (5166, 5266, 5366…).  The year 2006 corresponds to the Hebrew year 5766.  This year is 5771.  Since that time many incredible events have begun to occur, particularly this last year.  As hatred for Israel grows in the world, we are seeing the staging of the nations and prophecies of the Gog Magog war.  Israel has spent many hours negotiating for a peace with the Palestinians.  All the negotiation stall on the status of Jerusalem, which Israel rightfully states is theirs and will not turn it over to the PA.

The Re-awakening and a New World

In Malachi 3:23 we find that HaShem will send us Eliyahu the prophet before the awesome fearful day of HaShem and that he would reconcile fathers with their children and children to the fathers.  This understood to be referring to a spiritual re-awakening from the soul of Eliyahu which will awaken them and inspire the person to return to the Jewish faith.  this re-awakening occurs without the person even understanding from where the re-awakening stems forth from.  This re-awakening has been going on for some time.  Many people are returning to the faith of Israel and abandoning the false religions such as Christianity, Islam and so forth.

In Zechariah 14 we find the Gog coalition attacking Jerusalem during Sukkot.  The text speaks of a plague that melts the body, eyes and tongues of the people’s that warred against Jerusalem.  Zechariah tells us of a very special time when there shall be continuous light even at evening.  Some have postulated that this is the starburst of a atomic detonation.  Judaism teaches that in the pre-messianic era, the sun would have it’s protective sheath removed.  It’s intense light will be used to destroy the wicked and heal the righteous.  This belief is also espoused by the Mayans of the Yucatan Peninsula who Rabbi Mattityahu Glazerson (an eminent scholar of the Torah Codes) believes were the descendants of Joktan (pronounced Y’katan in Hebrew) the son of Eber (Genesis 10:26).  This very idea stems from the biblical narrative:

“For lo! That day is at hand, burning like an oven.  All the arrogant and all the doers of evil shall be straw, and the day that is coming – said HaShem of Hosts – shall burn them to ashes and leave them neither stock nor boughs.  But for you who revere My Name the sun of righteousness shall rise to bring healing.  You shall go forth and stamp like stall fed calves, and you shall trample the wicked to a pulp, for they shall be dust beneath your feet on the day that I am preparing.  Be mindful of the Torah of Moshe whom I charged at Horeb with laws and rules for all of Israel.  (Malchi 3:17-22)

See the video of this excellent lecture at TV for TORAH