“North quarters” refers to the northern provinces of Turkey
Gog and Magog is Turkey not Russia!
Ezekiel 38:6
By Craig C. White
Almost every modern day Bible prophecy teacher says that Gog and Magog in Ezekiel chapter 38 refers to Russia. Ezekiel chapter 38 describes an end time invasion into Israel. They say that Russia will lead Iran, Sudan, and Libya into Israel. Very unfortunately these Bible prophecy buffs are wrong. They use the following verse to conclude that the term “north quarters” identifies the nation that is located furthest to the north of Israel. But hold on just a minute. The term “north quarters” is used elsewhere in the Bible. It always refers to the northern part of a region. It does not refer to a far north nation that is outside of a particular region.
Ezekiel 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
For decades Bible prophecy teachers have exercised exegetical gymnastics to equate the name Togarmah to mean Russia. That is because they are trying to fit the text to their preconceived interpretations. When identifying nations and places the Bible is typically much more straightforward. Togarmah isn’t a nation to the far north of Israel. Instead Togarmah is a northern province inside of the borders of Turkey. Most Bible maps identify Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Togarmah as provinces located inside of the land that we call Turkey. All of these names are mentioned in Ezekiel chapter 38. Just for your information, the highest population density in Turkey is around Istanbul in the far northwestern region of Turkey. Ezekiel is saying that the people of northern Turkey will participate in this invasion into Israel.
The term “north quarters” is comprised of two Hebrew words. Tsaphon meaning northward or northern side and yerekah meaning to the rear of the border. These definitions are from the Strong Hebrew dictionary.
tsâphôn tsâphôn
tsaw-fone’, tsaw-fone’
properly hidden, that is, dark; used only of the north as a quarter (gloomy and unknown): – north (-ern, side, -ward, wind).
yerêkâh
yer-ay-kaw’
properly the flank; but used only figuratively, the rear or recess: – border, coast, part, quarter, side.
Outside of the book of Ezekiel the words tsaphon and yerekah are used together only twice more in the Bible. In Psalm 48:2 and also in Isaiah 14:13 tsaphon and yerekah refer to the north side of Mount Zion. In Psalm 48:2 the phrase “the sides of the north” are the same two Hebrew words that are translated as “north quarters” in Ezekiel 38:6. In Psalm 48:2 below “the sides of the north” identify the north side of Mount Zion in Jerusalem. From there you can view all of the city of Old Jerusalem.
Psalm 48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
The north quarters of Mount Zion are within the boundaries of Mount Zion. They are not identifying a far distant northern land. The phrase “the sides of the north” is used in the same way in Isaiah 14:13.
Here is a side note. The two words Hebrew words tsaphon and yerekah are also used in Jeremiah 6:22 but they are not used together. Jeremiah 6:22 does describe a north country. The Hebrew word erets is translated as country in Jeremiah 6:22. The Hebrew word erets very specially means land, or nation, or country. For example, the official Hebrew name for the nation of Israel is Eretz Yisrael meaning the land of Israel. So you can see that the Hebrew language could have very specifically identified Togarmah in Ezekiel 38:6 as a nation but it did not!
Jeremiah 6:22 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.
Jeremiah chapter 6 describes the same invasion into Jerusalem and Judea as does Matthew chapter 24. This is the time of Jerusalem’s great tribulation (Matthew 24:21). I won’t take the time to prove it here but Turkey is the northern nation that attacks Jerusalem and Judea to begin their terrible time of trouble.
So the “north quarters” in Ezekiel 38:6 refer to the northern provinces inside of the borders of Turkey. The term “north quarters” never refers to Russia. Turkey is the nation that will lead Iran, Sudan, and Libya into Israel. By the way all of these nations are fighting inside of Syria today! After Turkey conquers Syria and destroys Damascus then Turkey will lead the armies that are fighting in Syria into Israel. Ezekiel chapter 39 describes another Turkish led invasion into Israel. It is the same as the battle of Armageddon. The ancient Assyrian invasions into northern Israel in 734 BC and the separate invasion into southern Israel in 701 BC are models for these two Turkish led end time invasions. It is very likely that after Turkey destroys Damascus that then they will lead an invasion into the Golan Heights. In the news lately there has been a world wide effort to take the Golan Heights away from Israel. Over the past couple of years Israel has already been forced to defend the Golan Heights from Iran and Libya in southern Syria.
In Ezekiel 38:6 “north quarters” refers to the northern provinces of Turkey. In the Bible “north quarters” never once refers to far northern nation beyond the borders of the previously identified nation.
High Time to Awake 
Hi Craig,
I am starting to think that Damascus will have to be smoldering, and the AC’s armies will have to be approaching the northern border of Israel before some
start recognizing that It is Turkey. The evidence you have set forth, and recent developments with the rise of the OIC is overwhelming. Just like the first coming of Christ, there is a lot at stake for religious leaders who want to save face. I challenged someone the other to apply your AC check list to Russia and it’s chief leader? It doesn’t work. The sad thing is that Christian leaders need to be warning Israel of what is coming. Your voice really is much like the voices of Amos and Hosea, but hey what does a tree pruner and farmer know?
Thank you for your faithful voice,
David
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Thank you David. Personally I am completely underwhelmed by the reception of my analysis.
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Well, we see in God’s word that few have ears to hear the true prophetic word. They look for Prophecy to fit their own understanding. Let him who has ears hear what……….. Few respond to the message of the cross anymore, much less the truth of his coming.
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Craig,
Well I for one am convinced that Turkey will lead the Gog/Magog attack and the “facts on the ground;” history of the various Empires; Daniel 2; geography; current history; Islam past and present; History of Ottomans; and the History of modern Turkey in support of this is simply unanimous and vast. Only Turkey has it all. You can read my analysis here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11frJbOPo8ySAK_qPHdYROrzDMGelNny2Kg3SHKSoA0U/edit?usp=sharing
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Craig,
Additionally, your analysis is shared by Joel Richardson and Walid Shoebat. And me! I believe this truly represents a “paradigm shift.” I believe there were a LOT of factors that misled the Protestant Reformers into concluding that the Papacy/Western Europe would be the AC and Gog/Magog. Both Daniel and Revelation both indicate they will be “sealed” until the End of Days. The Protestant Reformers were fighting for their lives, and made a “deal with the devil” by forging an friendly-relationship with the Caliphate. I believe that is the basis for the lingering belief that the AC/Gog Magog will come out of Rome.
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Hi Larry. I am glad that you are looking in the right place. Turkey will attack Hamah and Tell Rifaat (Arpad of Jeremiah 49:23) and then destroy Damascus. Turkey will then lead Iran, Libya, and Sudan into the Golan Heights of Israel. All of these nations are now fighting in the Golan Heights of Syria. This is the Gog and Magog war that is described in Ezekiel chapter 38. It is a shame that most Bible teachers can’t see this. The world is falling into the Tribulation period unaware. Worse yet Christians are refusing to understand the events that are happening before their eyes even though they are being told.
Where is this great revival that so many are touting? Christians can’t even accept the truth.
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Hi Craig! Thanks for your kind and thoughtful reply.
I became a Christian just 2 years ago. I spent six months in Greece as an undergraduate, and toured Syria, Turkey and Israel. I was in Aleppo back when it was still in one piece. I heard from people in Syria and some Christian friends in the US when I got back, that Syria would be the center of End Times. Quite Frankly, I thought they had lost their minds. I thought NOTHING could possibly make Syria the center of world attention. IT was a sleepy, dusty, backwards hellhole that couldn’t even manufacture a common pencil, let alone a computer or a smartphone. I abandoned my Christian faith over this. I thought Christians had to be dingbats to believe in such utter nonsense, after being in Syria. I mostly forgot about Christianity for the next 25 years, as I immersed myself into my career. I did have an afternoon with Michael Oren in Israel as a student. He has written the definitive book on the Six Day War. That is when I began to believe that Israel had some supernatural interventions in all of the wars that they fought – 1948, 1967, 1974. Quite frankly, what little faith I had was based on God’s clear intervention on behalf of Israel during those years in the “spiritual desert.” I believed in Israel, but I knew nothing about the Gospel and was pretty much impervious to it (I grew up in a cult, so never really understood what the Gospel was).
Two years ago, the Gospel jumped up and bit me HARD in the face, on a day when I had better things planned (or so I thought). It had nothing to do with my own choice or exertion of will. Over the years, I had encountered the Gospel a few times, but always managed to brush it off as though nothing had happened.
Two years ago, the Gospel finally “took.” I STILL thought all of the prophecy stuff was nonsense until about a year ago, when IT jumped up and bit me in the face. I was just stunned and awestruck by the fact that Israel was the Supersign of the End Times. My pre-Gospel faith also turned out to be more real than I imagined! And now I have co-authored a book about the cult I grew up in, and the chapter I linked previously is going to be a new chapter in the 11th Edition of the Book. It will be the first time that something like that has been included. The cult is founded on severe-misconceptions about Prophecy (Seventh Day Adventist, btw) and growing up in that had made me adverse to prophecy. Now I am just stunned by God’s sovereignty and Goodness and watching how prophecy is playing out in my old stomping grounds. It has truly been amazing.
Thanks so much for your website. I believe that you are on the right path and God is leading you. I am convinced that Turkey is both Gog/Magog and the AC. I am convinced that things are boiling rapidly to a finish in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Israel.
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This is a little late, but I havn’t read this article in awhile. Anyways, God bless you Larry. What a tremendous testimony. It’s great to read your comments here on Craig’s site.
David
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