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Waves upon the shore

​Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Biblical Case from Revelation & Ezekiel

... we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds ...

Jesus coming at the Pre-Tribulation Rapture to take His own with Him
Israel lives in a Pre-Tribulation time of unprecedented peace
King Gog from the north moves to invade unprotected and Pre-Tribulation Israel

Before examining the events commonly associated with the Tribulation itself, Scripture presents a sequence of developments that appear to occur prior to that period. These include the gathering of believers, a time of unexpected security in Israel, and a sudden northern invasion described by Ezekiel. This section brings those texts into conversation—not to force a rigid timeline, but to identify whether Scripture itself points to a coherent Pre-Tribulation framework.

The gathering of believers establishes the theological boundary of the discussion. The New Testament consistently describes this event as sudden, transformative, and distinct in purpose from Christ’s public return to reign. That gathering, in turn, is explicitly tied to exemption from a defined future period of divine judgment.

Ezekiel’s prophecies then describe conditions on the ground in Israel that do not align with the latter half of the Tribulation: a regathered people living in security, enjoying abundance, and dwelling without defensive walls. Those conditions form the setting for the Battle of Gog and Magog—a conflict initiated by God, executed through natural and supernatural judgment, and designed to reveal His holiness to the nations rather than to inaugurate the Messianic kingdom.

Taken together, these texts suggest a recognizable sequence:
the removal of the ekklesia, a brief period of stability in Israel, and a decisive northern invasion that reshapes the geopolitical and spiritual landscape—setting the stage for the covenant and the judgments that follow. The sections that follow examine each of these components on their own terms, allowing Scripture to define both their character and their place within the larger prophetic picture.

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The Gathering of Believers Before the Tribulation

Any evaluation of pre-tribulation events must begin with the gathering of believers, because this event functions as the theological gateway for the entire framework that follows. Rather than beginning with a timing conclusion, this section clarifies the assumptions behind rapture models and evaluates whether those assumptions are supported by the original biblical languages and Scripture’s internal consistency. An overview of the four primary rapture views was provided under the Revelation landing page.

 

While the term rapture is not stated directly in the Bible—just as the term Trinity is not—the concept arises from the text itself and has long been recognized as distinct in character from Christ’s public, reigning return.
 

The Term “Rapture” and Its Biblical Origin

Jesus Christ never explicitly defined a doctrine called “the rapture,” yet His teachings to the Apostles repeatedly allude to a sudden gathering of believers that is distinguishable from His visible and enduring Second Coming.  The term rapture comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where believers are described as being “caught up” to meet the Lord.

The Greek verb harpazō can mean:

  • to carry off by force

  • to claim eagerly

  • to snatch away speedily, or

  • to rescue from danger


When translated into Latin, harpazō became rapiemur (from rapio), from which the English word rapture is derived. The term simply gives a name to something the Bible already describes, rather than introducing a new doctrine.


Biblical Examples of Divine Removal

Scripture records multiple instances in which God acts to remove, transport, or relocate individuals—sometimes bodily, sometimes in ways Scripture does not fully define—either temporarily or permanently. These events do not all serve the same purpose, but together they establish that divine transport is neither unprecedented nor merely symbolic.

Examples include:

  • Enoch, who “was taken” by God and did not experience death

    • ... for God took him ... - "laqach" means to take (Genesis 5:21-24)

    • ... his being taken up ... - "metatithémi" means to be taken (Hebrews 11:5)

  • Elijah, who ascended bodily by whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1–11)

    • ... the Lord was about to take up Elijah by whirlwind to heaven - "alah" means to go up, ascend, climb; describes movement towards something (2 Kings 2:1)

    • And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven - "alah" (2 Kings 2:11)

  • Philip, who was suddenly taken away by the Spirit after baptizing the Ethiopian

    • ... the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away - "harpazó" (Acts 8:39)

  • Paul, who was “caught up” to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1–6)

  • Jesus Himself, who was bodily taken up into heaven (Acts 1:9–11; Revelation 12:5)

    • He was lifted up ... "epairó" means lifted or raised (Acts 1:9)

    • This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven ... "analambanó" means to assertively take up or raise (Acts 1:11)

    • ... and her [Israel] child [Jesus] was caught up to God and to His throne - "harpazó" (Revelation 12:5)


In addition, both Ezekiel and John the Apostle are repeatedly described as being lifted, carried away, or transported “in the Spirit” during visionary encounters:

 

  • Ezekiel is lifted up in a couple of visions (Ezekiel 3:12-15; 8:1-4)

    • Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing [throne room of heaven] - "nasah" means to lift (Ezekiel 3:12)

    • The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away ... I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed. - "nasah" means to lift; - "laqach" means to take (Ezekiel 3:14-15)

    • The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court ... - "nasah" means to lift (Ezekiel 8:3)

  • John the Apostle is carried away in the Spirit (Revelation 1:9-10; 4:1-2; 17:3; 21:10)

    • On the Lord's Day, I was in the Spirit ... "pneuma" (Revelation 1:10)

    • At once, I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven ... "pneuma" (Revelation 4:2)

    • Then an angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert ... "apēnenken [to carry off] pneuma" (Revelation 17:3)

    • And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain ... "apēnenken pneuma" (Revelation 21:10)

 

While these examples differ in duration and purpose, they demonstrate a consistent biblical category: God is able to remove or relocate His servants by His own initiative, in ways that are neither symbolic nor constrained by ordinary physical limits. These precedents form the conceptual background for Paul’s teaching on the future gathering of believers. 

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Two Apostolic Perspectives on the Gathering and Its Timing

With the biblical pattern of divine removal established, the New Testament addresses the future of believers through two complementary apostolic perspectives. Paul explains the gathering itself—what happens to believers when Christ acts—while John identifies the future period from which believers are promised exemption. Together, these perspectives frame the discussion by distinguishing the event of the gathering from the time it precedes, allowing each to be examined on its own terms before drawing conclusions about timing.

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Paul’s Teaching on the Gathering

Paul was not part of the Twelve Disciples during the earthly ministry of Jesus. Formerly known as Saul, he was a Pharisee of the highest regard and a persecutor of Christians. Upon his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), he eventually withdrew and spent three years in Arabia (Galatians 1:11–20). While Scripture does not tell us when or how Paul received instruction from Christ, his testimony of direct revelation, his withdrawal into Arabia (possibly Mount Sinai; see Galatians 4:25), and his later account of being caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1–7) together allow for the possibility that Paul’s instruction included extraordinary heavenly revelation. Significantly, Paul never appeals to this experience as authority, underscoring that revelation served the message—not the messenger.

The primary doctrinal text governing the gathering is 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. Paul describes a sudden, divinely initiated event involving:

  • the resurrection of the dead in Christ,

  • the transformation of living believers, and

  • their collective meeting with the Lord


The passage is written to comfort and instruct, not to satisfy curiosity about timelines. Paul does not identify this event with a defined period called “the Tribulation,” nor does he describe it as a response to unfolding global judgments. The emphasis is on resurrection, transformation, and abiding presence with the Lord. Crucially, Paul immediately continues into a discussion of timing and wrath.

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John on the Hour Believers Are Kept From
While Paul explains the event of the gathering, John addresses a different but related question: what believers are promised exemption from. John does not describe the mechanics of the gathering itself, but he does identify a future, defined period from which Christ promises protection. Jesus tells the ekklesia of Philadelphia in his letter through John:
 

“I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world, to test the inhabitants of the earth.” — Revelation 3:10
 

Several features of this statement are critical. First, the promise concerns an “hour”—a defined period of time, not a general condition or recurring hardship. Second, the use of "going to come" points to a future event. Third, this period is global in scope, coming upon the whole world rather than a local region or specific people. Fourth, its stated purpose is testing or judgment, directed toward those Revelation repeatedly identifies as ‘the inhabitants of the earth,’ a term consistently applied to the unbelieving world under judgment (Revelation 13:8-14, 16:9, 17:8).

Equally important is the language of protection itself. Jesus does not promise to preserve believers through this hour, but to keep them from it. The Greek construction (tēreō ek) indicates removal or exemption from the time period rather than protection while remaining inside it. This same author uses identical language in John 17:15, where believers are kept from the evil one, not preserved while under his dominion. In Revelation 3:10, the promise is even more specific: believers are kept not merely from danger, but from the hour itself.

Taken together and combined with the realization that the ekklesia is no longer mentioned in Revelation after the letters, this promise introduces a clear category distinction. John identifies a future, global period of testing and judgment, and Jesus explicitly promises that faithful believers will not experience it. The next step is not to catalog events, but to understand how Scripture defines this period in terms of divine wrath.

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The Biblical Language of “Wrath”

In both the Old and New Testaments, the primary words translated as wrath convey more than emotional anger; they describe a decisive response not primarily to violated order, but to violated holiness. Divine order matters because it reflects God’s righteous nature. Wrath occurs when unrighteousness can no longer coexist with God’s holiness and His long-suffering restraint comes to an end.

 

In the Hebrew Scriptures, several terms are used, but the most significant share a common feature: wrath is active, consequential, and boundary-enforcing. Words such as ʾaph (anger that flares), ḥēmāh (burning fury), and ʿebrāh (overflowing rage) are frequently associated with moments when God intervenes decisively—sometimes suddenly, sometimes catastrophically—to address corruption, rebellion, or defilement. Importantly, these terms are applied both inside and outside Israel, showing that wrath is not limited to covenant discipline but reflects God’s intolerance of actions that violate His holiness or threaten created order.

The New Testament narrows the vocabulary while sharpening the concept. The Greek term orgē is used most frequently (see scripture verses below) and conveys settled, judicial intent rather than impulsive anger. Taken together, Scripture presents God’s wrath as an end-times reality with a beginning and an end—entering history during the Tribulation and ultimately culminating in the Second Death. Scripture addresses divine wrath from two complementary angles: Paul defines its meaning and destination, while John reveals its historical outworking.

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Paul on the Coming Wrath
In Paul’s letters, God’s wrath is consistently treated as a future reality that is coming, not as a detailed map of how judgment unfolds in history. Paul speaks of wrath:

  • as something already revealed against godlessness and wickedness (Romans 1:18)

  • as stored up for a coming day of God's righteous judgment (Romans 2:5)

  • as something approaching to be rescued from through Jesus (“the coming wrath,” 1 Thessalonians 1:10)

 

Paul’s concern is not to outline the steps of judgment, but to make clear who it is for and who it is not for. For believers, Paul is explicit:

  • they are not appointed to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). That assurance is not based on where a believer is located, how alert they are, or how long they endure, but on what Christ has already done.

  • the blood of Jesus is justification from God's wrath (Romans 5:9), not in historical circumstance or end-times positioning.

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Wrath, in Paul’s thought, is judicial and terminal—it is the end result of rejecting God, not a general term for suffering or turmoil. His reference to “the coming wrath” points to a real, future manifestation, not an abstract idea. That coming wrath is not left undefined. John uses the same term but shows it entering history, being recognized (“the great day of their wrath has come,” Revelation 6:17), intensifying, and finally being brought to completion (“with them God’s wrath is completed,” Revelation 15:1). In this way, Paul defines what wrath is and who is rescued from it, while John shows how that same wrath unfolds.

John on the Wrath That Enters History
That future reality is the same one John later describes in Revelation. John, writing in Revelation, doesn’t define God’s wrath in abstract terms. He shows it happening. Wrath enters history, it becomes visible, it intensifies, and it eventually reaches its end. The world does not recognize the spiritual significance of the first five seals, even though many of their effects are experienced physically. John identifies wrath with all of these seal judgments by revealing the world response to the sixth seal: “the great day of their wrath has come” (Revelation 6:17). Later, he describes the last of the bowl judgments as the point at which God’s wrath is brought to completion (Revelation 15:1).

Instead, wrath unfolds across the end-time period in stages. It begins, it escalates, and it is finally finished. Early judgments are the initial instruments signaling that divine wrath has entered the world; later judgments show it being poured out without restraint.

At the same time, John does not present wrath as indiscriminate. Even while wrath is active, Revelation consistently distinguishes between those who are its objects and those who are sealed, preserved, or martyred. Wrath is real and present, but it is also directed. It moves toward a final judgment without being exhausted in any single moment or event. With the gathering defined — the period believers are promised protection from identified and clarified as divine wrath — the remaining question is how these pieces fit together.

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The Interpretive Move in Pre-Tribulation Theology

By this point, several things are already on the table. We have traced the word rapture back to its Greek and Latin roots, observed repeated biblical examples of God removing or transporting His servants, examined how Paul and John describe the gathering of believers, and connected that gathering to God’s wrath as a future reality tied to the Tribulation.

This is where pre-tribulation theology makes its defining move.

Pre-tribulation views understand the entire Tribulation period as an expression of God’s wrath—not merely the final judgments, but the whole period in which restraint is removed and judgment is allowed to unfold. If that definition is correct, then the gathering of believers must occur before the Tribulation begins, because Scripture repeatedly states that believers are not appointed to wrath.

Whether one insists on strict imminence or allows for prophetic developments without denying suddenness remains a secondary discussion. What defines pre-tribulation theology is the conviction that the gathering of believers occurs before the period identified as God’s wrath—and that conviction arises from how Scripture connects gathering, judgment, and wrath across multiple passages, not from forcing a single text to carry the entire argument.


The Rapture as a Distinct Event

Several New Testament passages support the conclusion that the rapture of believers is distinct in character from Christ’s public return to reign or Second Coming:
 

  • John 5:28-29 — a future resurrection of the dead

    • for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live

  • John 14:2-3 — Jesus promises to return and take His followers to be where He is, rather than remaining to rule immediately.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:51–57 — Paul describes a “mystery” involving instantaneous transformation and immortality.

    • we [the Ekklesia] will be changed [given glorified bodies] (v. 51)

    • in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye (v. 52)

    • at the trumpet sound (v. 52)

    • the dead (believers in Christ) will rise and be changed (v.52, also v. 23 "But each in turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him [the Ekklesia].​

  • 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, 5:9 — Jesus rescues believers from the coming wrath.

    • Jesus will rescue us [the Ekklesia] from the coming wrath (1:10)

    • sleep in death and fallen asleep means physical death of the body (4:13-14)

    • "brothers and sisters [in Christ]" means it applied to believers only (4:13)

    • dead in Christ will rise first, then believers [the Ekklesia] who are alive (4:14-17)

    • Lord himself will come down from heaven (4:16)

    • a loud command from the archangel (4:16)

    • a trumpet call (4:16)

    • caught up in the clouds with the Lord (4:17)

    • God did not appoint us [the Ekklesia] to suffer wrath (5:9)

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As part of the Second Coming, Jesus returns to remain and to reign. In the Rapture event, Jesus will come back and take believers "back" to be in the Father's house. Ultimately, the Father's house will be brought down from heaven as the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21).

 

By contrast, descriptions of the Second Coming emphasize public judgment, sustained presence, and the establishment of rule. These differences do not settle timing, but they explain why many interpreters treat the Rapture Event as a separate event in purpose and function, even when understood as part of a broader End-Times sequence.

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A Period of Peace in Israel (Ezekiel 38)

AFTER PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE - "PEACE" IN ISRAEL

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Ezekiel 38 describes a future moment in Israel’s history that is marked not by crisis, but by confidence. Israel is regathered from the nations, recovered from war, living securely, prosperous, and—most strikingly—unwalled and unsuspecting. These conditions do not describe the present age, the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming, or the Millennial Kingdom. Instead, they point to a brief and specific window of stability that precedes the invasion of Gog and his allies. This section examines those conditions and explains why they align most naturally with a post-rapture, pre-tribulation setting.

 

There will be a future time in Israel's history where several things will happen prior to the Battle of Gog and Magog.  These events are outlined in Ezekiel 38:8-13 " 8 After many days you [Gog] will be called to arms. In future years you [Gog] will invade a land [Israel] that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. 10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, “I [Gog] will invade a land of unwalled villages; I [Gog] will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. 12 I [Gog] will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.” 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?”’

  • Why Pre-Tribulation / Post Rapture?

    • Not Pre-Rapture because these events would give evidence to Rapture and that time is unknowable

    • Not Pre-Great Tribulation because there would be 3.5 years of false peace brokered by the Anti-Christ

    • Not Pre-Millennium because the Battle of Armageddon is a conflict against a global alliance, not a northern alliance

    • Not Post-Millennium because the final rebellion is all nations, not a northern alliance.

  • They will have come out of a war 

    • It is assumed that this war results in removal of the people currently called the "Palestinians", and Israel may have full control of all areas, including Gaza, the West Bank, the Golan Heights and all of Jerusalem with the Temple Mount, which allows for the rebuilding of the Temple.  Such actions would not be acceptable to certain nations.  

      • Ezekiel 36 speaks to the treatment of Israel by the nations and the Lord's zeal for his land and people, possibly resulting in the war from which they are recovering.

        • Ezekiel 36:3-7 "3 Therefore prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they ravaged and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander, 4 therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you— 5 this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’ 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations. 7 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn."

        • The Battle of Gog and Magog is for the purpose to invade and plunder.  The Battle of Armageddon is to destroy [Daniel 9:26 "... The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed."]

  • Jews will be gathered from other nations

    • They will need this area to house all the returning Jews from the nations. Ezekiel 36 and Zechariah 2 speak of the return to Israel.

      • Ezekiel 36:10-11 "10 and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

      • Ezekiel 36:24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land."

      • Ezekiel 36:28 "Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God."

      • Ezekiel 36:33-36, 38 "33 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35 They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’ 38 ... So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

      • Zechariah 2:6-7 “6 Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the Lord. 7 “Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!”"

  • Israel will live in safety and peace / no walls

    • This safety and peace are through the successful efforts of Israel in battle. No walls may mean that the walls surrounding Gaza and the West Bank are no longer needed and the Israelites have reclaimed the land from the "Palestinians".

      • Zechariah 2:4-5 "4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’" (This is the hope Israel has, but this time has not come because Jehovah does not dwell there again yet)

      • Ezekiel 38:14 "“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it?"

  • Israel will be blessed with abundance

    • This may be part of the enticement for the Battle of Gog and Magog to attack Israel.  This blessing will be from the Lord, not science and technology. Ezekiel 36 speaks to this abundance:

      • Ezekiel 36:9-12 " 9 I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, 10 and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children."

      • Ezekiel 36:29-30 "29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine."

      • Ezekiel 36:34-38 " 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35 They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’ 37 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, 38 as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

  • Who are Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages?

    • References in Ezekiel 27:12-23 speaking a lament to Tyre in Phoenicia, "12 “‘Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise. 13 “‘Greece, Tubal and Meshech did business with you; they traded human beings and articles of bronze for your wares. 14 “‘Men of Beth Togarmah exchanged chariot horses, cavalry horses and mules for your merchandise. 15 “‘The men of Rhodes traded with you, and many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony. 16 “‘Aram [Edom] did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies for your merchandise. 17 “‘Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, honey, olive oil and balm for your wares. 18 “‘Damascus [Syria] did business with you because of your many products and great wealth of goods. They offered wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar 19 and casks of wine from Izal in exchange for your wares: wrought iron, cassia and calamus. 20 “‘Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you. 21 “‘Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats. 22 “‘The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and gold. 23 “‘Harran, Kanneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Ashur and Kilmad traded with you."

      • Sheba may be Yemen on the southern horn of Arabian Peninsula at the mouth of the Red Sea. When the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, 1 Kings 10:10 says "And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon."

      • Dedan is Saudi Arabia, known for its Arabian horse domestication and breeding. Saddle blankets would support this industry.

      • Tarshish may be the Tarta at the mouth of the Tartis River in the Tartessian Gulf on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern, Spain. It was known as a Phoenician mining colony.  It is the location where Jonah tried to flee from God in Jonah 1:1-3 "1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord."

    • These people groups seem to be bystanders watching, but not participating nor supporting in the invasion.

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Ezekiel repeatedly states that the purpose of this invasion is not merely Israel’s survival, but God’s self-disclosure to the nations. The Lord allows Gog to attack at a moment when Israel appears vulnerable so that the victory cannot be credited to military strength or alliances. The outcome is designed to reveal God’s holiness, sovereignty, and covenant faithfulness on a global stage (Ezekiel 38:23; 39:21–22). The conditions described in Ezekiel 38 are not accidental. They form the precise setting God uses to draw Gog into judgment, turning Israel’s apparent vulnerability into the stage for His decisive intervention.

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The Battle of Gog and Magog

PRE-TRIBULATION ATTACK ON ISRAEL

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The Battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39)

  • Location:  The mountains of Israel 

  • Spiritual Driving Force: God the Father

    • Ezekiel 38:3-4 "3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords."

    • Ezekiel 39:1-3 "1 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. 2 I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand."

    • Zechariah 6:1-8 "I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between [the] two mountains—mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3 the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. 4 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. 6 The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses after them [to the north, not west], and the one with the dappled [pale] horses toward the south.” 7 When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth. 8 Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north."

      • the two mountains are:

        • Mt. Zion to the east; also the open Arabian desert is to the east

        • Mt. of Olives to the west; also the Mediterranean Sea is to the west

        • Kidron Valley (or valley of Jehoshaphat meaning "Jehovah judges") in the middle is the location of the four chariots (Joel 3:2; Zechariah 14:4-5)

        • bronze is a symbol of judgment

      • These four chariots share judgment imagery and directional focus with the Four Winds or the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

      • Black and white horses go north (Russia, Syria and Turkey)

        • black is economic hardship

          • v8 - "given my Spirit rest in the land of the north" means to appease God's wrath so that his judgment on the north country will be complete.

        • white is false victory / false peace

      • Pale horse goes south (Libya and Sudan)

        • pale is the four judgments of God by death through war, famine, plagues and wild beasts

      • Red horses did not leave the valley

        • red is anarchy from loss of law and order

  • Leader:  Gog of Magog - Many equate a northern power with Russia that will lead a number of eastern European and Muslim nations against Israel in an attack from the north.

  • Context: After Israel has recovered from a future war, God had gathered Jews from other nations to live in abundance and peace without wall in the land of Israel. The Russian economy seems to be in a severe period of internal instability or decline.

  • Why pre-tribulation?

    • There is a reference to the seven years of the Tribulation. The seven-year period of burning weapons does not require that all seven years occur before the Tribulation begins, but it does require conditions incompatible with the latter half of the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom.

      • Ezekiel 39:9-10 "9 “‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years [the Tribulation period] they will use them for fuel. 10 They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord."

    • ​There are references to merchants who are active. At the beginning of the Tribulation Period, the Black Horse of the Apocalypse will release an economic crisis. Toward the end of the Great Tribulation, Babylon the Great [City], who controls all commerce, will be destroyed and all the merchants will lament. 

      • Revelation 6:5-6 "5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages,[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

      • Revelation 18:11-13 "11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her [Babylon the Great] because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves."

    • There are reference to several specific nations or regions rising against Israel from the north, but the Battle of Armageddon will be a gathering of all nations, starting with the sixth bowl of wrath poured out.

      • Revelation 16:12-16 "12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” 16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon."

    • If the Anti-Christ is released at the breaking of the 1st Seal as the rider on the white horse with a bow (and no arrows), which marks the beginning of the Tribulation Period then Gog in the north is not the same since God makes both his bow and arrows useless.

      • Ezekiel 39:3 "Then I [God] will strike your [Gog] bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand."

      • Revelation 6:2 "I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider [Anti-Christ] held a bow, and he was given a crown [not royal], and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."

    • Gog and his army are killed on the mountains of Israel, but the Anti-Christ is captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire while his army dies on the Plains of Megiddo.

      • Ezekiel 39:4, 11 "On the mountains of Israel you [Gog] will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. ... 11 ‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog."

      • Revelation 16:16 "Then they [demons] gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon."

      • Revelation 19:19-21 "19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh."

  • How is the Battle won? 

    • Judgments using natural forces and elements, along with supernatural forces.

      • Ezekiel 38:18-22 "18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him."

      • Joel 2:18-20 "Then the Lord was jealous for his land and took pity on his people. 19 The Lord replied to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations. 20 “I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things! "

    • Notably absent from Ezekiel 38–39 is any description of the Messiah appearing to fight. God defeats Gog without revealing the Son, preserving the distinction between this judgment and the visible return of Christ described in Revelation 19. This absence further confirms that Gog’s defeat precedes the Second Coming rather than constituting it.

  • This Battle may serve as the pretext to a seven-year treaty brokered by the Anti-Christ and his 10-nation confederacy of the new Roman empire that establishes peace in Israel for 3.5 years.

    • Daniel 9:27 "He [Anti-Christ] will confirm a [satanic] covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

    • Revelation 12:6, 14 "6 The woman [Israel] fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. ... 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s [Satan's] reach."

    • This "peace" treaty will allow the building of the Third Temple. In order to obey all the sacrificial requirements and purify the Third Temple, a red heifer (Number 19:1-10) is required. Jewish Tradition says that only nine times has a red heifer been sacrificed. There was a Jewish sage named Maimonides who believed that the tenth animal would only be found and sacrificed when King Messiah was ready to appear.

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