01/18/2025 – Day 209 – Ezekiel 37 – 42 / Chapters 38 – The Defeat of “Gog” / 39 – The Disposal of “Gog” / Recommended Book: “The Mid-East Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist” by Joel Richardson (ASIN reference B001DL482Y)
Here is the Amazon summary along with customer reviews of Joel Richardson’s book:
https://endtimebible.com/timelines/4empires
Who are the Four Empires in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 and how does it relate to these “Gog” chapters in Ezekiel. See the attached link:
https://endtimebible.com/timelines/4empires
I’ll come back and complete this by end of day tomorrow. (Sunday, Jan 19th). But here is what this comes down to: Up until 2024, I would have sided with majority opinion that the 4th empire prophesied in Daniel 7 was Rome. Thanks to Joel Richardson’s book and Brother Byron who introduced our class to it in our Daniel study , 1st semester of 2024, I changed my mind, convinced with substantial evidence and scriptural connections that it is in Islam, not Rome (modern Europe). And I’ll briefly relay Joel Richardson’s thoughts of why this is so significant to us?
Sunday:
Ok, first, I’ll summarize the difference between the two interpretations with respect to our two chapters, #38 and #39, “Gog”. Joel’s book covers these two chapters in Chapter #13 through #15 in his book, or pages #189 through #269. Let’s get started:
“The ‘majority’ traditional interpretation”:
Gog is Russia. Russia and a confederation of Middle East Muslim countries will surprise attack Israel, before the “7 Year tribulation” period with a huge army. The LORD defeats wipes them out. ending the Muslim threat to Israel forever. That clears the way for the “anti-Christ” in Europe (“Rome” – the 4th kingdom) to besiege Israel on the back-end of the 7 year of tribulation.
“The ’emerging Majority interpretation’ (haha):
Gog refers to the Antichrist (*) This battle culminates the final battle before Christ’s 2nd coming.
I’m not nearly articulate Joel’s case spread over 81 pages. His evidence is overwhelming and consistent across not just these two chapters, but connecting and consistent with Daniel, Isaiah, Micah and Revelation. Let Scripture testify to Scripture. He outlines seven key principles in Chapter 1: “End Times Simplified”. So, if we overlook these principles, we not only confuse interpretation to these two chapters but across the entire Bible.
Now, I’m going to get back to just the two chapters in our reading:
(*) – Just by way of example of evidence, on pages 225 – 226, Joel lists twenty instances of commonalities between Gog & Antichrist, complete with multiple references to specific scripture in each instance. His preface to this instances reads: “The reason Gog’s methodology of creating and using false peace in order to destroy his enemies is precisely the same methodology as Antichrist is simply because the two are the same person.“
So, to conclude: I am going to share an excerpt that runs from page #6 to page #7, speaking to: What is the significance of missing this interpretation?:
“I want to state that the purpose of this book is not to debate what many feel is irrelevant or even morbid end-time trivia. Many may ask why it even matters if the Antichrist will emerge from Europe or the Middle_East, whether he will be a Humanist or a Muslim. The fact of the matter is that the practical and the applicational implications of the many subjects in this book are profound. If in fact Islam is the religion of the Antichrist, the implications of this are earth shattering. As much of the Church today, including large segments of the missions movement, increasingly embraces an approach to outreach toward Muslims that flirts with syncretism and outright heresy (I am referring to what has become known as “The Insider Movement”), it is imperative that followers of Jesus determine exactly where they stand concerning the origins and nature of Islam. As we strive to love Muslims, must we also love Islam? Or is it possible to passionately care for Muslims, while hating Islam? Is Islam a faith system that can create a genuine relationship with God, or is it purely a soul-destroying ideology? Can one be both a Muslim and a follower of Jesus as many evangelical missiologists claim? Are the Allah of the Qur’an and the God of the Bible one and the same? And what about Israel and the Jewish people? As a fierce anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism spreads from the Muslim world into a Christian Church, what do the prophets say about these things? Where is a disciple of Jesus seeking to love both Muslims and Jews to stand on these matters? What about the ‘Arab_Spring’? Does the Bible inform us as to where this sudden and drastic change in the Muslim world is heading? Further, while numerous demographic models inform us that Islam will soon emerge as the world’s largest religion, many within the Christian Church teach and believe that most of the Islamic world (and Russia) will soon be destroyed in a series of prophesied battles, resulting in the religion of Islam virtually disappearing from the earth. But does the Bible really teach this? How we answer these questions and what we believe about these things will drastically affect our approach to prayer, intercession, evangelism and missions. These are not questions that the Church can afford to get wrong. Carefully search the Scriptures so as to answer these questions accurately is absolutely essential. It if for this reason that this book was written. While this study will certainly answer many questions concerning the end end-times, it is far from irrelevant or morbid eschatological trivia. As the Church seeks to plot its way forward into the ever changing world, it is essential for the Church to grasp the truths brought forward in this study.”
Last quick note that I should have brought up later: I don’t know why this book, at least in Amazon, appears to be available in only audiobook form. Funny, back in the day when I was making long-distance commutes to and from work, audiobooks were my first choice.
Soli Deo Gloria!