No Quarter!: Desolation of Gog, Restoration of Israel

By Jean-Louis Blackburn

This book is unlike any other interpretation of Ezekiel 38 and its context. It requires intense study of context and parallel prophecies, and disputes the interpretations of numerous scholars more respected than Jean-Louis Blackburn. But this interpretation has a niche in the annals of Bible study.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664238695

Jean-Louis Blackburn

Jean-Louis Blackburn has a background in military photography, and has spent long nights reading Bible and history. These studies, though admittedly not qualifying him to be a scholar, have contributed a repertoire of knowledge that has come into play in discourse, debate, the occasional sermon, and now, this compelling book.

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No Quarter!

Desolation of Gog, Redemption of Israel

The Hidden Meaning of Ezekiel 37–39

by Jean–Louis Blackburn

Copyright © 2021 Jean-Louis Blackburn.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.

www.Lockman.org

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3868-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3870-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3869-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021913124

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/25/2021

ii. Dedication

In memory of James, my dad.

iii. Epigraph

Matthew 6:31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

v. Preface

Welcome to my study of what is popularly known as the War (or Battle) of Gog and Magog, or sometimes the First War of Gog and Magog, given that a Second War of Gog and Magog seems to appear in the book of Revelation. This first war, the subject of my study, is the one documented in Ezekiel 38–39.

I hope that you enjoy reading this manuscript as much as I’ve enjoyed studying the Scriptures, collecting my thoughts for this, and finally writing this all down. Every day has been full of realizations of the love and wisdom of God, and challenges to refine my efforts to convey an understanding of what the prophecies have revealed to us who are living in the modern world. Every day of study and meditation on these Scriptures has also been blessed with an evolving understanding of the intent and meaning of the prophecies.

Through the course of this study, many of the ideas that I started out with have become obsolete, while others have changed radically from what I thought I knew. I have always welcomed discourse with people who have beliefs about the interpretations of prophecy and other Scriptures, even – or rather, especially – if their beliefs differ from mine, because their reasoning impresses upon me the need to research the source documents, and understand them thoroughly. Listening to others – and understanding what they believe, and why – also guides me in my preparation to present my argument in a way that I think will appeal to their interests and understanding the best. My favorite benefit of such dialogue is the potential for mutual edification and instruction.

I do believe that the prophecies were written to be engaging to the people who read them at the time the prophets published them; I also believe that prophecies were meant to be understood by the people who read them at the time that they were fulfilled. Furthermore, I believe the prophecies were meant to remain as witnesses to future generations of the wonderful works of God, so that once the canon of Scripture was eventually completed, we could continue to refer to these fulfillments, and remember the power of God, and the veracity of the Scriptures. If the Scriptures are indeed so enigmatic that they truly lend themselves to the myriads of supposed interpretations available from their factious proponents today, then God is the author of confusion, not peace. But I believe that God is in fact a proponent of peace, and that his word is given for the express purpose of peace.

Fortunately, the Scriptures contain enough passages with similar images – even the ones that are considered enigmatic – with varying degrees of context that can be readily understood, to the end that we can collect various scenarios, with their contextual explanations, to build a picture of what any particular prophecy that seems to stand alone is telling us. With proper study and research, we can then be equipped to understand and interpret such prophecy correctly.

Throughout the text of this manuscript, in order to both prove and take advantage of my premise above, I shall cite or quote many Scriptures, as I build the framework that will provide the correct interpretation of the prophecy in question. Within said framework, I shall find the picture, meaning the event in history, that fits the formula that the images in the prophecy point us to. Thus we can find the actual fulfillment of the prophecy.

Even though I certainly understand the necessity to cite my sources and their context – to keep us grounded on the subject at hand, while concurrently maintaining a path in accuracy and truth – I do not want to obscure my own message in vast quotes of Scripture. Therefore, where appropriate – in many places – I have added scriptural citations in parentheses at the end of paragraphs, rather than paste the whole passage.

Please have a Bible on hand to read these citations as they appear, as I do not always copy the entire passage of Scripture that completes the picture that we need to visualize in the manuscript.

The version of Scripture that I use is the New American Standard Bible. I encourage you to read the Scriptures in whichever version you have on hand, so that you can see it in print apart from my quote, and in context, and in the version you are most comfortable with. I shall endeavor to give enough summary and paraphrase of the pertinent Scriptures, so that you can read through and understand my message without constantly flipping through pages in the Bible, but unless you do refer to the Scriptures at some point – preferably during the reading – you will in fact be missing some important aspects of the lesson. There’s always a risk of losing intent of Scripture when paraphrasing, so you shouldn’t depend upon my writings when seeking truth.

Ezekiel 38, considered an apocalyptic prophecy, seems to have people scouring maps and genealogies – both modern and ancient – for clues as to the actors in its fulfillment. I shall not dispute the apocalyptic nature thereof, but I will seek to establish what the Bible gives as parameters for these last days, known as the apocalypse. Very likely, what we discover about this period will differ very much from the mainstream definition. I can say that my own opinions and understandings of the mysteries in Scripture are in an almost constant state of flux, hopefully for the better, and to a more mature level of spiritual growth. Subsequently, I hope my studies can also contribute to the spiritual growth of my readers.

So far, every third party attempt at an interpretation that I’ve seen of Ezekiel 38 relies on naming modern physical geopolitical states whose names resemble those of ancient empires or kingdoms, or whose ancestors are considered to be one of the names in the prophecy, or who are located on land considered to be that of a settlement inhabited by descendants of one of the names listed in the prophecy.

Full disclosure: I do not support the interpretation that asserts that modern states attack the modern geopolitical state of Israel, but I’ll give due diligence to a review of the physical interpretations that I find the most common.

Given that all of the commentaries and studies that I find available on Ezekiel 38 promote some version of the modern states involved in a physical battle, I shall assume that anyone reading this manuscript has already been exposed to at least one of these general premises, and is coming into this study with either a belief in a certain one of such, or an inclination toward one such.

There may perhaps be some who already have the same idea that I do about the interpretation of Ezekiel 37–39, but I’m sure you would have first heard the physical battle version of the interpretation. Therefore, I shall not go to great lengths to provide details and footnotes about the schools of thought that I believe are in error, because I’m sure that most of you have already had plenty of exposure to them, and are familiar with at least one. You can easily find the most prominent versions on the Internet or in other publications. The important item is the correct interpretation, which I shall go to great lengths to demonstrate and document. And I believe that I shall be able to prove that the correct interpretation is already found in Scripture.

Only rarely shall I quote from a source outside the Bible, and then only to establish a historical fact, not a doctrine. Many secular sources exist that prove the historical accuracy of the Bible, or rather vice versa, as I assert that history needs to be proven true or false by testing it against the Scriptures.

On a side note, I should state that I consider the theory of evolution an imaginary universe parallel to God’s work of creation, a fantasy in the mind of man, that attempts to reverse engineer the reality in the mind of God. I could expound on this, but that will require a future volume. I feel the same way about teachings that take apocalyptic prophecy and reverse engineer history or current events to fit a certain interpretation.

Interestingly, many of the secular sources that agree with historical records in Scripture have been discovered during archaeological excavations long after the close of the inspired canon, while the accuracy of the historical record in the Scriptures was still being hotly debated.

Likewise, the absence of secular historical evidence – before its discovery arises as detailed by Scripture – is still being cited in claims that the biblical event never happened, thus promoting the premise that the Scriptures cannot possibly be true. The existence of the Hittites is one of these historical facts. Until the definitive evidence of their empire – written by both themselves, in their own language as it evolved over the course of their existence, and by the Pharaoh of Egypt – was discovered in ancient warehouses that were once used to store their grain, the Hittites were considered by secular historians to be completely made up by Moses.

Naturally, I believe that God planned the discoveries this way, to prove his power to foretell world events before the secular record logs them in the historical chronicle, and to prove his faithfulness to the accuracy of the details recorded as current events during the time of his prophets.

We shall study each of the three chapters in the whole prophecy of Ezekiel 37–39 verse by verse, or paragraph by paragraph to see the various fruits that each passage yields. We shall also study a great breadth of context – including parallel prophecies, and records of fulfillment of prophecies – to make sure we understand the framework the Scriptures build. Within this framework, we shall focus on the details of the prophecy, as bricks in a building. We shall also examine the context of the passage for clues that will help us understand the prophecy correctly. Then I shall give what I believe is the correct interpretation. I believe this is the only way to rightly interpret the Scriptures.

Assigning a fulfillment from the modern era must be weighed against what other Scriptures tell us about the meaning of details within a prophecy. Otherwise, we risk replacing truth with fiction, and then ending up with a teaching that has no merit, and is patently false. My purpose in this study is to not only discover the true interpretation of the prophecy of Ezekiel 38, but to refute the interpretations that I consider false. Unless I perform both tasks side by side, and do this well, the entire effort leaves its work unfinished.

Please take a moment to read and meditate upon Ezekiel 37–39 to get the whole image and timeline of the prophecy in mind before we begin, and remember that if you feel that I am picking verses or using this specific version of a Bible translation to advance my own agenda, no one can forbid you from studying the context of each passage, as much as you want to read, from the version of your choice. And I am always interested in discourse or correction.

This manuscript is by no means a scholarly work, for several reasons, primarily that I’m not a scholar. Yet I believe that in this case, my naïvité contributes to making this work appealing to the eye of my peers, most of whom are not Bible scholars themselves – though some are – as academic definitions go, but love to study Scripture, and are the ones whom I ask when I have a question. So without a background in Bible scholarship, as represented by an academic degree, one of my goals in writing this is to prove that even the common layman can understand Scripture, even apocalyptic prophecy. At least, an understanding is quite possible, if one be willing to read carefully, dedicated to finding the truth, and without looking to see only what he wants to see, ignoring details that don’t fit the desired interpretation. I believe that anyone who reads this manuscript, and studies the passages that I cite, will reach a conclusion about the interpretation of Ezekiel 38 that is [somewhat] similar to the one that I profess. If not, then let us have discourse together and see whether we can reach the correct interpretation by sharpening each other, as iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17)

I should add that I very much dislike debates that are rife with personal or ideological attacks, and rely on treating the other proponent as an opponent, and trying to destroy his reasoning with deceptive fallacies of logic. Anyone who uses a fallacious style in debate should examine himself to see whether he really seeks truth.

vi. Acknowledgments

I am thankful to Bible Gateway (https://www.biblegateway.com) and Biola University for their Unbound Bible (http://unbound.biola.edu) for providing helpful search engines for my Bible research.

All passages are from the New American Standard Bible.

Many different brethren have edified me and helped me understand Scriptures over my years of studying Bible. I can’t possibly name every one of them, but I notice that different conversations come to mind when I’m pondering a question that a certain friend has addressed at some point, sometimes years ago.

I also thank all the people who have challenged me to defend my own beliefs. Some have done so by trying to convince me of a doctrine that I considered false, or at least questionable, but didn’t know enough truth to refute their teaching, or I didn’t know how to formulate my counter–reasoning, which required more study and meditation to develop. Some have used the Socratic method, which I have also often used as a teaching aid. Thanks to my wife and mom for their material and moral support while I was writing this, and thanks to everyone who climbed Mount Ararat with me, where the idea for this book was born.

Two organizations that deserve a special thanks are the Gary Sinese Foundation (https://www.garysinisefoundation.org) and the Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in Nederland, Texas, of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, for their compassion and support during the respective times that I needed their assistance. Their help has indirectly contributed to my having the time and slack in life to concentrate on this book.

Note: Throughout the manuscript, you will see several statements that are based on my current understanding of modern Judaism, which understanding is largely arrived at by a topical survey, including watching videos, reading articles on the Internet, or by asking friends who have knowledge by virtue of being Jewish, or having knowledge of Judaism.

I’ve done my best to represent the teachings I discuss accurately, even the ones I don’t subscribe to, but I am always interested in hearing other explanations that I have not yet encountered, or correction if I misrepresent a teaching. This is another subject that I will gladly accept education on. If someone takes the interest to offer me further counseling on a mistake about something I’ve written here, I’ll publish a correction in the next edition of this book, and credit contributers in the Acknowledgments section.

My greatest thanks, as you should easily guess, shall be to God, for giving us his word. I am thankful to Jesus Christ, for being the Word, and for giving his life to save the world from its sins. Otherwise, writing about Scripture would be an exercise in futility.

vii. Introduction

Mark 1:14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

1 Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well–pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

In Mark 1:14–15, Jesus introduces us to the precise beginning of what is often called the Apocalypse, or End Times. We shall see that God did not intend for us to believe that the end times occur at some time in the distant future after a gap between the end of the ministry of Christ, followed by apostasy, then establishment of an apocalyptic church, closely followed by a nuclear WWIII, but rather the end times are the present dispensation beginning with the ministry of Christ. I think that understanding the end times as beginning with the ministry of Jesus is the only logical approach, because there is really no spiritual reason for a break in continuity – which break would create a gap in Scriptural time, unaccounted for in prophecy and availability of salvation – from that beginning of the time of fulfillment until his return to planet earth to judge the world. Taking end times as beginning with Jesus on earth makes for a smoothly progressing story from Alpha to Omega, allowing us to revisit the prophecies and achieve the enlightenment desired for us by God, which is the entire purpose for prophecy and fulfillment.

Prophecy as a field of study has always fascinated me, and I love engaging in discourse over it. I enjoy connecting the dots in the details, which helps my own personal understanding. God must have made the prophecies both intriguing and challenging to hold our attention over the years, because that has certainly been the effect.

I have never wanted to write about prophecy for two reasons, which actually conflict.

1) I think that prophecy is already easy to understand when read in context of the rest of the Bible, and does not need to be further expounded upon by mere mortal man. For doubtless, a man writing will add his own ideas – as men obviously always do – which I tend to suspect will taint the message of Scripture. I very much do not want to be that man.

2) My own understanding at the time I write this may be mistaken, in which case a written record of such misunderstanding is better left out of existence. Suppose I gain a better understanding in the future, and I then have to disavow everything I’ve just written here. How tragic for myself to have produced false doctrine, and even more so for those who have believed me. And I certainly believe that understanding the prophecies can be a salvation issue, because their descriptions of Christ help us know him, and differentiate him from the false Christs who have appeared, and misled many. (Matthew 24:24)

Even so, and contrary to what I have just advised above, many books have been written about the Bible and biblical prophecy, in fact so many books that I almost have little hope of this one manuscript getting much exposure, except that I intend for it to make such a stir with its revolutionary premise – unfortunately revolutionary if correct, given that the mainstream is saturated with incorrect teachings – that perhaps, it may become recommended reading in the mainstream.

I have read commentaries and other books about the Bible, primarily for historical background and other authors’ thoughts. Yet I must admit that in general, I disagree with, and reject the interpretations of just about all of them. In discourse, I have spoken with people who understand the prophecies in a way similar to my own way of understanding them, but unfortunately, these people haven’t written their own books about the prophecies, which is one reason that I feel the need to go ahead and publish this study. If my understanding is completely original, then it’s probably not correct, so I would have preferred to have others to refer to, but hopefully, I’m just reporting something that has been understood yet not widely written about, since the beginning.

Granted, the mere fact that a certain group of people believes something does not make it true; I believe that we have arrived at truth through our study and discourse over the Scriptures.

To be completely frank, I don’t know why men come up with, and publish, interpretations of prophecy that are blatantly false. Or do men not take the time to study the Bible, and meditate upon the Scriptures enough to discern between doctrine and deception? This is more perplexing to me than incendiary, because I would think that one should see problems with a false doctrine.

I further do not understand why other people take such false interpretations seriously. Still, I know that people refer to, and believe these sources, and study Bibles – including paraphrases, even when said man–made sources disagree with the actual Bible. I’ve listened to various proponents giving lectures that promote false teachings, and heard how they sometimes even quote all the right Scriptures, then cite events from history – not very well studied history, but revised for the premise of the teaching – as fulfillments that require such a stretch of imagination that I can’t believe the lecturer even takes himself seriously. Hearing these things has often left me at a loss on where to begin, when building a case for a correct interpretation. So I’ve decided that the only correct thing to do is lay a foundation on bare bedrock, and build from the cornerstone up.

I believe that a trustworthy test of whether a teaching is true or false is whether one can quote an explanatory Scripture rather