Ezekiel 38-39 – Part 2

A timeline of events from the beginnings of the modern Zionist movement that led to the עֲלִיָּה ʿălīyyā (migration) of European and American Jews back to Israel in the latter half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century and the establishment of the present nation state of Israel.

In order to analyze the prophecies found in Ezekiel 38-39 it is essential to be familiar with the names we find in the text. The names themselves frequently have significant meanings in Hebrews. It is also helpful to understand the histories and geographical home locations of the people groups identified by these names. This helpful table is handy for familiarizing ourselves with the names found in this prophecy.

These maps show the possible locations of the homelands for people groups mentioned in the Genesis 10 “Table of Nations.”

This map shows the extent of the Persian Empire around the end of the Babylonian captivity of Israel.

This map shows the boundaries of the modern state of Israel. The areas highlighted in green are the so-called “occupied territories” taken by Israel during the 1967 Six-day War – Gaza, The West Bank (Judea and Samaria), and The Golan Heights (Bashan). These areas are now governed by the Palestinian Authority except Gaza which is controlled by Hamas. The areas marked with blue stripes are the United Nations managed “demilitarized” zones between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. Notice that on this map there is no national capital for the state of Israel. When the state of Israel was established, the provisional capital was Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was divided. When Israel took Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-day War, she declared Jerusalem as her capital. The UN does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and neither do many of the UN’s member nations.