Deep Dive into the Messianic Era

Part 3: The War of Gog and MaGog

In the previous article, we spoke about Chevlei Mashiach – all of the challenges and upheaval that will be found at the end of days preceding the coming of Mashiach.

The war of Gog and Magog will be a great war that will also take place right before the coming of Mashiach. This battle is seen as a necessary prelude to the Messianic era, as it will rid the world of evil and pave the way for a new age of peace and harmony. We read about it in chapters 38-39 in the book of Yechezkel. Let’s take a look at how the pesukim say this final war will play out:

Gog, the King of the land of Magog, prince of Meshech, and Tubal will join together with various allies – Persia, Cush, and Put. (38:1-7)
These various groups will attack Israel – “the land [of a people] restored from the sword, gathered from the midst of many peoples—against the mountains of Israel, which have long lain desolate—[a people] liberated from the nations, and now all dwelling secure.” (38:8). Passuk 12 describes the inhabitants of the land as “a people gathered from among nations” which is an apt description of the state of Israel today, with Jews coming from countries all over the world.
Hashem says to Gog “I will bring you to My land, that the nations may know Me when, before their eyes, I manifest My holiness through you, O Gog!” (38:16). This seems odd seeing as Gog is the enemy of Israel. Metzudat David explains that what this means is “Through you, Gog, for when I perform judgment, my great name will be sanctified.” Thus, in a way similar to the destruction of the Egyptians in Yetziat Mitzrayim, Israel’s enemies will serve as a vehicle for the world to see the Hand of Hashem, through Him executing justice on the wicked.
When Gog steps foot in Israel “a terrible earthquake shall befall the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that move on the ground, and every human being on earth shall quake before Me. Mountains shall be overthrown, cliffs shall topple, and every wall shall crumble to the ground.” (38:19-20) Malbim suggests that this ‘earthquake’ could refer to the magnitude of the war and the sound of the artillery and weapons that will be present at the end of days, demolishing mountains and shattering walls with a great and very mighty noise.
“Every man’s sword shall be turned against his kin.” (38:21) This means that those nations that initially united with one another to attack Israel will eventually turn on each other – we will discuss this more below.
“I will punish him with pestilence and with bloodshed; and I will pour torrential rain, hailstones, and sulfurous fire upon him and his hordes and the many peoples with him.” (38:22) Malbim explains that this depicts that the beginning of the judgment will involve things like pestilence and blood, which are natural and common occurrences that can be attributed to chance and nature and individuals will deny Hashem’s great hand. Then a torrential rain and hailstones of fire will fall upon them, which are heavenly punishments, and it will become evident to all that it is the finger of God. And then ‘and I will be magnified’ will be recognized, signifying that I am great and that all the causes originate from Me. I am holy and distinct from nature, and I am elevated above it with signs and wonders.
Eventually, Gog will be destroyed – “You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your battalions and the peoples who are with you; and I will give you as food to carrion birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field” (39:14)

Though we might be able to find allusions to current day events in these pesukim and the rest of the chapters they are in, and this may indeed give us chizuk for the difficult situation we are currently in, as we mentioned previously, Rambam writes (Melachim u’Milchamot 12:2) is לֹא יֵדַע אָדָם אֵיךְ יִהְיוּ עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ – “[All matters surrounding the coming of Mashiach] cannot be definitely known by man until they occur.” There are those who have seen allusions to a nuclear war within some of these passages, but whether that will be the case, we do not know.

Before, we mentioned nations that were initially united in wreaking destruction on Israel, then turning on each other. Malbim (on Yechezkel 32:17) explains as follows:

In the End of Days, after the Children of Israel have returned to their land, the children of Ishmael and the children of Esau will unite to attack Jerusalem. They will form a world coalition against the tiny nation of Israel. But something will go wrong with their plan. The religious beliefs of the children of Ishmael and the children of Esau will clash, and the two nations will collide and destroy each other. This is what is referred to as the War of Gog and Magog. Following this cataclysmic conflict, the Final Redemption of the Jewish People will occur with the coming of Messiah the Son of King David.

This commentary of the Malbim implies that there will be various ideologies fighting against each other to prevail over one another. The end result will be a revelation of Hashem’s mastery over the world and the execution of His justice toward all those who go against Him, as it says (Yechezkel 39:21-22):

Thus will I manifest My glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see the judgment that I executed and the power that I wielded against them. From that time on, the House of Israel shall know that I the Eternal am their God.