A blog on Gog and Magog

References to Gog and Magog are found in the bible and the Qu'ran. According to Genesis 10, Magog was a son of Japheth, the youngest son of Noah. He ventured northwards after the great flood and populated Europe and Asia. The best reference to Gog and Magog is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where God specifically says, "Son of man, set your face toward Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh (Russia*), Meshech (Moscow*), and Tubal (Georgia*); and prophesy concerning him."

As later references confirm that these forces come from the North, it is assumed to refer to a people or peoples in modern day Asia, notably Russia.

In Ezekiel 28:6-9, the prophecy alludes to a conspiracy: an evil plan is hatched, to attack the unwalled villages of Iraq in collusion with Persia (Iran), Egypt (Phut) and other North African Islamic states (Kush).

When Bush attacked Iraq, it was clear that he would win the early battles but he then faced a long-term war of surpassing consequences. The prize must be Iraq's vast oil reserves (Brookings.edu cite estimates of 300bbl or 25% of the world proven reserves).

The removal of Saddam Hussein, despot that he was, has created a dangerous power vacuum in the region, something that Hussein's dictatorship actually held in check. Militant factions are pouring into that vacuum, resulting in a high-maintenance, unsustainable and immensely constly headache for the US. This, and the fact that the US is distracted by its own economic and political problems back home, provides a pretext for a significant power to exploit the situation.

The most dangerous wild-card in this is Iran and its leader, Time newsmaker of the year: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He is colluding with Russia on nuclear technology and Vladimir Putin of Russia has sided with China against UN condemnations of Iran. Iran also provides a radical front with an appetite for mayhem and the potential to galvanize Islam, in a war that would trade oil rights for the demise of Israel.

The spectre of Gog and Magog and all its implications for a significant world crisis is emerging through daily news coverage of this troubled region.

* The implication of Russia and its allies in this prophecy is sourced from broad, but technically unsubstantiated theological commentary.

(c) Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/