At 3:00 AM Friday morning, over 200 Israeli fighter jets launched into Iranian airspace in an operation codenamed “Rising Lion” ā Am KeLavi. The strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz, eliminated top Iranian military commanders including the Chief of Staff and Revolutionary Guard commander, and killed six nuclear scientists racing toward a nuclear bomb. Sirens wail across Israel and 100 Iranian drones speed toward the Jewish state, demanding an answer to a question that has puzzled Bible scholars for centuries.
Are we witnessing the war of Gog and Magog unfold before our eyes?
For thousands of years, rabbis and Bible scholars have speculated about the identity of Gog and Magog, assuming that the great wars of their generation must fulfill Ezekiel’s prophecy. Yet their confident predictions crumbled with time, and the final redemption stubbornly refused to arrive. The prophet himself anticipated this uncertainty: “So said the Lord God: Are you he about whom I spoke in ancient days through My servants, the prophets of Israel who prophesied in those days many years ago, to bring you upon them?” (Ezekiel 38:17). Only “at the end of days” would Gog’s true identity become clear to all.
That distant future may be today.
The Sages identify the Land of Magog as “Germanya” ā but not the Germany we know. According to Rabbi Yechiel Zvi Hirschenson, a 19th-century scholar, “Germanya” refers to Kerman, the second largest province in modern Iran. This identification follows ancient Hebrew linguistic rules where the letters G and K interchange. The city of Kerman remains Iran’s regional capital to this day, and it was the birthplace of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general eliminated by the United States in 2020.
Could this be a coincidence? Iran’s genocidal stance toward Israel and its command over Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis make the identification compelling. Modern Iran perfectly embodies the biblical description of Magog ā the northern power that will lead a coalition against Israel at the end of days.
Friday morning’s strikes confirm what Israeli intelligence discovered: Iran was racing toward nuclear weapons in a covert program that would have produced bombs within months. The elimination of Iran’s top military leadership ā the Chief of Staff Mohammed Bagheri, Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, and emergency command chief Gholam Ali Rashid ā represents a decapitation strike against the regime that has sworn Israel’s destruction.
The motivations driving Iran and its proxies differ fundamentally from historical enemies of Israel. The Sages teach that “all opposition of earlier enemies who attacked Israel derived from self-serving motives,” but “the war of Gog of Magog will derive purely from a desire to cause harm and destruction.” Israeli intelligence has uncovered Iran’s comprehensive blueprint for Israel’s annihilation ā literally called “The Destruction of Israel Plan.” This detailed strategy coordinates nuclear weapons development, advanced missile production, and terror proxy funding across multiple fronts. The plan calls for simultaneous ground offensives by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxies, all directed toward one goal: wiping Israel off the map.
Iran gains nothing economically from attacking Israel. Hamas brought only death and devastation upon Gaza. They are driven by genocidal hatred embedded in the founding principles of the Iranian regime, whose leaders openly proclaim their intention to destroy the Jewish state.
The prophet reveals God’s response to this ultimate challenge. The nations that gather against Israel will face divine judgment:
Operation Rising Lion represents Israel rising as the instrument of this divine judgment. The elimination of Iran’s nuclear scientists echoes Ezekiel’s promise that God will target those who seek Israel’s destruction. The precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities demonstrate that Israel will not permit the world’s most dangerous regime to acquire the world’s most dangerous weapons.
The Sages taught that the final war will pit Iran against multiple nations across the region. They warned that “The king of Persia will destroy the entire world. And all the nations of the world will panic and be afraid.” Iran has indeed united hundreds of millions across the Middle East in an “axis of resistance,” threatening not only Israel but also moderate Arab states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, fulfilling this ancient prediction.
Iranian drones speed toward Israel and the nation prepares for retaliation, witnessing the birth pangs of redemption. Isaiah describes this process:
The renewed State of Israel represents the “male child” ā the partial redemption before the final war. But the complete deliverance of many “children” awaits the conclusion of this cosmic struggle.
The prophet assures us of the outcome:
From the birth pangs of Gog and Magog, Israel’s complete redemption will emerge. Every prophecy will be fulfilled.
As I write these words, the IDF has just reported that Iranās first attempt at retaliation – a massive drone strike – has failed. Thank God, the Israeli air force succeeded in shooting down every one of Iranās drones.
The distant future of which Ezekiel spoke is today. We are living the Bible in real time ā watching ancient prophecies unfold with awesome precision across our headlines and airwaves. This is no academic exercise or theological speculation. This is history’s climactic moment, when the God of Israel reveals His power to a watching world.
The choice before every nation and every person is stark: stand with Israel and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or face the divine judgment reserved for those who curse His chosen people. God’s judgment upon Israel’s enemies will be swift and decisive:
Iran and its axis of evil have sealed their own destruction. The God of Israel will not be mocked. What a privilege to witness God’s promises fulfilled before our very eyes!
