The following entry is part of a commentary on Ezekiel 36-39, which is fictionalized in my book, The Last Aliyah – Book 1 of The Time of Jacob’s Trouble trilogy.
Ezekiel 38:1-2 – And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were all sons of Japheth in Genesis 10:2.
The Magogians were known as the Scythians to the Greeks, and they are recorded as being an extremely brutal people who frequently raided their neighbors by horseback. They were expert horsemen, and lived much of their lives in the saddle. The Great Wall of China was built specifically to keep them out, and it used to be known as the “Ramparts of Magog”. They originally settled north of the Caucasus Mountains, but spread out all across the lands of Russia.
Meshech later became known as the Moschi, and settled in the region of the Moschian Mountains. The modern city of Moscow is a derivative of this name “Moschi”. These people were also earlier called the Muscovites, a more-direct link to Moscow.
Tubal dwelt near the Black Sea area near Georgia, and the city of Tobolsk probably originated from this group when they migrated over the Caucasus mountains.
It appears that Gog is the the spiritual power behind the land of Magog and the others. Daniel 10 has an interesting description of the spiritual powers and rulers behind the nations of Greece and Persia. It’s not a far stretch to assume that every nation has it’s own set of spiritual rulers and principalities.
The phrase “set thy face against” is typically used when God is describing upcoming wrath or judgement. When God “turns His face away from” a group or nation, He is basically turning His back to them. When He “turns His face towards” a group, it is typically for blessing and kindness.
Ezekiel Watch 