Reading Salem Kirban’s novel, 666, many decades ago, I was somewhat incredulous that he portrayed the Ezekiel 38–39 Gog-Magog attack on Israel as he did. The author had it that the Russian-led coalition came down into the area on horseback—and with more or less primitive weapons, exactly as the prophet described. There were no modern-day weapons.

The reason only primitive weapons were used, he gave as a new heat-ray development of some sort. I can’t remember the exact technology. The heat-ray technology, a laser of some sort, I suppose, heated up the metal and fuel, making the advanced weapons—the tanks, aircraft, even the hand-held weapons—too hot to handle, I guess. So the force had to invade using mostly wooden or non-heat-affected weaponry. Neither human flesh nor horseflesh could be affected by the weapon, as I remember.

This article is intended to look a bit into why Ezekiel’s Gog-Magog prophecy does in fact seem to say, on the surface at least, that there one modern weapon will be absent from the invading force’s repertoire.

The force doesn’t use nuclear weapons, according to the prophecy. The force seems to be strictly conventional.

Many have conjectured that this is because the Gog leader has in his mind the evil thought to come and take “great spoil” from Israel. Petroleum and natural gas, it is thought by many–myself included—might be the chief spoil on which the invaders place their crosshairs. Thermonuclear weapons would: 1) destroy any and all things in their path, and/or would contaminate things for centuries with radiological contamination; and 2) ignite all petroleum/gas assets except, perhaps, for those underwater in the Mediterranean.

Israel now has vast such fields, and this is, some believe–again, including me—the reason a Russian leader would want to plunder those assets. Israel almost certainly is more and more to be supplying all of Europe, while Russian oil and gas seems to be a diminishing commodity–especially since the obviously American-inspired, and perhaps carried out, destruction of the Russian underwater pipeline some years ago.

Another important matter in looking at the question of why no nuclear weapons’ usage during the Gog-Magog assault is the current situation with regard to Iran’s uranium enrichment program. This is of utmost concern to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has vowed that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal–or even one bomb.

It’s a matter, literally, of life and death to the Jewish state, according to Netanyahu and most all of the IDF general staff.

We who believe God’s prophetic Word is absolutely Infallible know that Israel will never be destroyed–by any weaponry brought against it–nuclear or otherwise. But, apparently, for all the Israeli Defense Force people we know about, they don’t hold the same view. I’m sure there are some who believe Israel is invincible due to God’s promises, but for the most part those in charge of Israel’s defense look through a nonspiritual prism in their planning and concerns.

To that point, consider the following:

Iran recently tripled its enrichment of uranium to 60%, reversing a slowdown earlier this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Tuesday.

Tehran has “increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023,” said the U.N. watchdog, summarizing a confidential report sent to member states and obtained by Reuters.

Iran is enriching uranium up to 60% at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) in Natanz and at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), which is located deep in a mountain, according to the report…

Iran already has enough enough high-enriched uranium, if enriched further to 90%, to make three nuclear bombs, Reuters reported, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s theoretical definition…

Uranium enriched to 60% purity is just a short technical step away from 90%, considered weapons-grade…

Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi warned in September that Jerusalem will have no choice but to act if Iran enriches uranium above 60% purity.

“If Iran moves to enrich uranium above 60% and we identify it—and there is no possibility that we won’t, that the world would not recognize it—the result is that Israel would act out of necessity,” said Hanegbi. “There would be no choice” (“IAEA: Iran accelerates production of near-weapons-grade uranium,” 12/26/23, JNS)

Iran’s nuclear centrifuges are, it is said, deep in the Bushehr Mountains to protect against attacks. Israel has in the past inflicted cyberattacks that disrupted Iran’s progress in doing their nuclear production work.

The Bushehr facilities are also used to hide progress from the AIEA investigations, as the above report in its full scope indicates.

We have written previously that Bible prophecy says this area of Persia (Iran) will be so devastated that people will have to scatter to places far away. Is this nuclear contamination from an attack Israel is almost certainly about to launch?

That would explain why Iran, as part of the Gog-Magog coalition, would be without nuclear weaponry. But Russia would continue at that time to have its arsenal of nukes, it seems. So it remains a mystery why there is apparently no advanced nuclear-type weapons in the coming Ezekiel 38–39 assault on God’s chosen nation.

Maybe Kirban will be proven factual with his fiction. However, my own thought is that, as God will intervene to save Israel from the Gog-Magog forces, He will cause any and all such thermonuclear weaponry that might be launched toward Jerusalem to stray from Israel’s direction and instead land on the Magog environs and on the isles, as those areas are indicated in the prophecy to suffer “fires” of some mysterious sort.

And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:6–7)

Here, I believe the Holy Spirit urges me to appeal to you if you are a nonbeliever. Jesus is the answer to all of your anxieties, to all of your worries. He is willing and ready to forgive all sin that separates you from God the Father in Heaven. Simply do the following. I have put it in today’s English, rather than the King James Version.

(If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart (your mind and spirit) that God has raised him (Jesus) from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart men and women believe and are made righteous by God, and with your mouth confession is made that saves you from sin and its consequences, which separate the soul of unbelievers from God for eternity. (This is my paraphrase of Romans 10:9–10)