It is written:
Ezekiel 38:2-“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
We are also told in this passage about Meshech and Tubal.
In the Bible, these two peoples are usually listed together.
For example:
Ezekiel 27:13-Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
Ezekiel 32:26-“There are Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes, With all their graves around it, All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, Though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
Some have identified these two places as ancient names for Moscow and Tobolsk, two Russian cities, because they sound similar. However, this is not sufficient evidence to make this connection.
So then, who are they?
Notice that in the earlier reference (Ezekiel 27:13), the city of Tyre was doing business with these two countries.
So, who are they?
Many believe that these cities are the same ones identified in Greek writings as Moschoi and Tibarenoi. The Assyrians referred to them as Tabal and Musku.
They are located in modern day Turkey.
This is especially interesting because of a specific reference in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 39:2-and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.
Look at that phrase, “from the far north.” In Hebrew, it literally reads as “Mount Tsaphon.” This was a mountain in Turkey!
“The phrase in Ezekiel 38: 6, which is repeated in 38: 15 and 39: 2, is one we mentioned earlier in this book: yerekah tsaphon. It is used only two other places in the entire Old Testament….You have to read between the lines, but this passage (Psalm 48, M.T.) is a polemic against Baal. As mentioned earlier, everyone in the ancient world knew that Mount Zaphon, the modern Jebel al-Aqra, was the home of Baal’s palace. In the 48th Psalm, Yahweh’s mount of assembly (Zion) is compared to Baal’s (Zaphon) through of clever wordplay: har Tsiyyon yerekah Tsaphon…Isaiah 14: 13 is key. The rebel from Eden wants to establish his mount of assembly, Zaphon, as supreme above that of Yahweh, Zion. A few English translations reflect this desire: I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. (NIV) You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. (Good News Translation) I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon. (NET Bible) Even the ESV offers this alternate translation for the last part of verse 13: “in the remote parts of Zaphon.”…The supernatural war is for control of the mount of assembly, the har môʿēd. Isaiah 14 and Psalm 48 point to Baal’s mount of assembly, Mount Zaphon. That’s Jebel al-Aqra, on the Mediterranean shore in Turkey, just across the border from Syria…..By naming yerekah tsaphon as the point of origin for the armies of Gog, Ezekiel pointed to the mountain of the storm-god, Baal, the mount of assembly of the divine rebel from Eden, Helel ben Shachar, AKA Lucifer.” (Derek Gilbert, The Last Clash Of The Titans: The Second Coming Of Hercules, Leviathan, & The Prophesied War Between Jesus Christ & The Gods Of Antiquity, 2751-2839 (Kindle Edition); Crane, MO: Defender Publishing)
It is interesting that we are now seeing several headlines regarding Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
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