The Prophecy of Ezekiel 38 & 39

Jonathan Cahn explores the Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecy, identifying the ancient nations foretold to invade Israel in the “latter years” and demonstrating how recent world events, specifically the October 7, 2023, attack, reveal a shocking alignment with this ancient script. Cahn asserts that while the full realization of the prophecy is yet to come, the groundwork—including the specific alliance and geopolitical disposition—is already in place.

The Uniqueness of the Ezekiel 38/39 Invasion

Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe a coming military invasion of Israel involving a coalition of nations. This prophecy is unique and confirms its setting in the modern end times for several key reasons:

1. Geographical Separation: Unlike the nations mentioned in Psalm 83, none of the nations listed in Ezekiel 38/39 border Israel. They are often separated by great distances, some over a thousand miles away.
2. Modern Feasibility: Earlier Bible commentators deemed a literal fulfillment of this prophecy “unlikely” or even “impossible” because the nations were too separated to pull off a coordinated military invasion. However, in the modern world, separated nations can easily join together and coordinate a war, making this prophecy more likely for our current day than any other historical period.
3. Context of Return: The entire context of the surrounding chapters (Ezekiel 36 and 37) discusses the Jewish people being scattered to the ends of the earth and their subsequent resurrection from nothing (the “dry bones”) and return to the land. God gathers them and promises to pour out His Spirit upon them, linking the prophecy directly to the modern era of Israel’s statehood.

The prophecy states that the invader, Gog, will devise an “evil plan” to attack a land of “unwalled villages” whose people “live securely”. The invaders seek to “capture spoil” and “seize plunder” from the people “gathered from the nations” who “live at the center of the world”.

Ezekiel 38 vs. The Final War (Armageddon)

Cahn clarifies that the Ezekiel 38/39 war is not the final war (Armageddon) spoken of in Zechariah 12, Joel 3, or Revelation 16.

• Scope of Nations: The final war involves the gathering of “all the nations of the earth” against Jerusalem. Ezekiel 38/39, however, mentions only a handful of nations, not all 200 nations currently existing.
• Target and Outcome: The final war is centered specifically on Jerusalem, resulting in the coming of the Messiah and the Kingdom. The Ezekiel 38/39 war is focused on pillaging and occupying the whole land, and the prophecy ends only with the burying of the dead.