When is the Gog- Magog War?

[Cyprium]

The nearly universal teaching seems to place this war at the beginning or in the midst or at the end of the tribulation. It is what has spurred so many Christians to closely link the present political state of Israel with both the redeemed people of Israel and with the days prior to Yahushua's return.

I am not so sure we've ever been clearly told in scripture, though, that this war occurs at any of those times or that it is in any way linked at all to the present political state of Israel.

We've revisited the fact several times that the present state of Israel, its government, boundaries and laws are established by the same people who initiated the holocaust. It should seem strange that a government as willing to partake in false flag terrorism as any other should be suddenly defended by YHWH, who condemns just that kind of tyranny and declares the fate of those partaking in it an unpleasant one.

So, what does the bible say about the timing of Gog and Magog. Ezekiel 38,39 might not clear that answer up, by itself, but lets consider this section:

"Eze 38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
Eze 38:12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places [that are now] inhabited, and upon the people [that are] gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land….
Eze 38:14 ¶ Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know [it]?"

Dwell safely? Is that what is going on for the people in Israel today? Was that going on before the present troubles there? Has that happened at any length since the establishment of the present Israeli state?

As they always say, take things in context, so backing up to Ezekiel 37, we find out how the vision he received from YHWH began...

"1     The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2     and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3     And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4     Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5     Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6     and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
7     ¶ So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8     And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
9     Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10     So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11     ¶ Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12     Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13     And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14     and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. - Ezekiel 37: 1-14"

Nearly all mainstream clergy have been teaching consistantly that this is a metaphorical vision of the regathering of Israel. It is that, but why discount the obvious literal meaning? This is a vision of resurrection. Why would it not be the literal resurrection of the redeemed? Why would this not be a consistant foretelling of a regathering which takes place after the raising of the saved dead, whom we know will inhabbit His Holy City in the future? Revelation would seem to agree with that...

"4     ¶ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: Dan. 7.9, 22 and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5     But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6     Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7     ¶ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8     and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, Ezek. 38.1-16 to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9     And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10     And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." - Revelation 20:4-10

It is there, in the 20th chapter of Revelation, that an exact time frame for a Gog and Magog war is mentioned, and that time is stated plainly as being "when the thousand years are expired"...after the Millenial reign.