- "Diarna (ديارنا) has been at the forefront of digitally preserving Jewish history in the broader Middle East and North Africa, including the traditional shrines of Jewish prophets from the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles. As a son of Iraq, I followed with a great deal of interest the Iraqi State Antiquities Authority’s renovation in 2008-2009 of Ezekiel’s tomb, which damaged its ancient Hebrew inscriptions and ornaments. Hundreds of other Jewish communal sites across the Middle East face similar dangers of decay and desecration. I ask those who care about this heritage to join me in supporting Diarna, so it can continue its vital work to preserve and conserve the memories of these sites before, as in the case of Ezekiel’s tomb, it is too late."
While the actual tomb has suffered “irrevocable damage,” Diarna presents a virtual exhibit, featuring a slideshow of archival and contemporary photos, a brief description of the tomb’s history, video (courtesy of photo-journalist Tsur Shezaf), and satellite imagery situating the site in context.
According to Iraqi Jewish tradition, the biblical prophet Ezekiel is buried next to a covered bazaar (the Daniel Market) near the Euphrates River, south of Baghdad, in a town which may once have been home to the Talmudic academy of Sura. For centuries, up until the 1960s, Iraqi Jewish families used to make pilgrimages to this site, often staying overnight in the guest rooms outside the shrine. While no Jews remain in al-Kifl, a Muslim family guards the site, now a shrine for Shia pilgrims.
The earliest written account attesting to this site’s significance stems from Benjamin of Tudela’s visit in 1170. His trip report states that the synagogue attached to the tomb contained a Torah scroll purportedly written by Ezekiel himself along with books from the period of the first Temple in Jerusalem. In the 1300s, Muslim officials turned the synagogue on the site into a mosque, which was ruined by flooding in 1778 (though the minaret still exists). Until the 1820s, Jews were banned from passing through the external courtyard to the tomb.
"The Word of Ha Shem came to me, saying:
¨Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog,
the head prince of Meshekh and Tuval, and prophesy against him.¨
Persia, Kush and Put are with them,
all of them with shield and helmet,
Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarmah from the far north
and all his bands, many peoples with you."
Yehezqel 38:1,2,5,6
The Prophet Hezekiel is speaking about the nations that will come against Israel in the Last Days' time.
Conclusion:
There are two possible interpretations of Yehezqel's prophecy: the Prophet may refer either 1) to these peoples according to their geographic position in his time or else 2) to the same peoples in the future.
1) What he prophesied, then, is an end-time battle involving the following nations coming against Israel: Turkey (Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Togarmah); Iran (Persia), Sudan (Kush), and Libya (Put).
At present, only the last three states are openly against Israel, while Turkey is the main military settlement of the Western Alliance in the Middle East.
2) Gog is not called "king", but "head prince", that means, one that leads a coalition of states not being the actual ruler of each of them. He is an international leader. This aspect fits with the present world political situation. Turkey is the land from which Israel will be attacked, as clearly stated by the geographic description given by the Prophet, yet, the leader may be someone from other nation.
The descent of these peoples are now present in western nations, among which the following:
British Isles: Celtic, Gaels, Irish, Welsh, Britons (Gomer); Scots (Magog, according to the Milesian genealogy); Anglo-Saxons (Gomer, Magog and Meshekh).
France: Gaul, Britons (Gomer); Franks, Goths, other Germanic peoples (Gomer, Magog and Meshekh); Gascons (Tuval).
Spain: Celtiberians (Gomer and Tuval); Basques (Tuval); Goths (Meshekh).
United States: every one of the above mentioned, though the leadership is from British/Irish stock (Gomer, Magog). Besides, this nation includes a large number of people of African stock (Kush and Put).
Turkey is the main ally of these countries in the Middle East. Their apparent "friendship" with Israel should not be misleading, as the "evil one" is also the betrayer that seals an agreement to break it later. Of course, the present political evolution does not discard the possibility that Russia may join them in the future, but according to the prophecy she will not. Source
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