Lesson 6 Overview

Ezekiel 38: A Study of Gog and Magog with Dr. Andy Woods

This lesson answers the “why” question: why these nations invade Israel in the last days. Dr. Woods gives two reasons from the text, one spiritual and one material, and then begins the “what” question. Use this overview to review the key points after watching the full video.

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The Spiritual Reason: Satanic Anti-Semitism

Dr. Woods argues the ultimate motive behind the invasion is anti-Semitism, and that it is ultimately satanic. He points to Ezekiel 38:10, where “thoughts” come into the invaders’ minds and they devise an evil plan. He notes that Scripture shows Satan can implant wicked thoughts, citing how Satan moved David to number Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1) and spoke through Peter to try to turn Jesus from the cross (Matthew 16:21-23).

Why would Satan target Israel? Because of Genesis 12:3, God’s decree to bless the world through Israel. Dr. Woods says God has already blessed the world through the Jewish people in two ways, the Scriptures (every biblical writer was Jewish, Romans 3:2) and the Messiah (Jesus was a Jew descended from Abraham and David). A third blessing is still future: the kingdom, which will be a Jewish kingdom headquartered in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-3). Satan failed to stop the first two blessings, so he now works to destroy the Jewish people preemptively, hoping that if he can wipe out Israel, the kingdom can never come and his rule as “the god of this world” will not be ended. Revelation 12 pictures this satanic hatred of Israel.

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The Material Reason: Israel’s Wealth

The second motive is greed. Ezekiel 38:12 says the nations come to seize spoil, plunder, cattle, and goods. Dr. Woods argues this fits modern Israel, which has become remarkably wealthy and innovative (he references the book Startup Nation), while its neighbors look on with jealousy.

He stresses that before the Jewish people returned, the land was barren, quoting Mark Twain’s 1867 account of a desolate, nearly empty country, to counter the claim that Israel displaced a prosperous existing population. He then points to Israel’s high GDP and large number of millionaires, the estimated trillions of dollars in Dead Sea mineral deposits, major offshore natural gas discoveries, and reports of very large oil and shale reserves. He connects this to Moses’ blessing on the tribe of Asher, “may he dip his foot in oil” (Deuteronomy 33:24), taking it at least as a picture of great wealth coming to Israel in the last days.

So on the human level the nations invade out of covetousness, while on the spiritual level Satan uses that greed to try to destroy Israel and prevent the kingdom.

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Beginning the “What” Question

Dr. Woods then turns to the outcome of the battle. According to Ezekiel 38 and 39, the invading coalition will be annihilated by God, the birds and beasts will feast on the corpses, it will take seven months to bury the dead, and it will take seven years to burn the weapons (Ezekiel 39:9).

He notes that the seven-year burning of weapons is often used to argue the battle must happen before the tribulation, since otherwise the burning would extend into the millennial kingdom, and many find the idea of weapons burning in the millennium troubling. Dr. Woods says he does not consider that a problem at all, and promises to explain why in the next lesson.