Rabbi Mendel Kessin, a well-known lecturer on end-times prophecy, recently declared that the United Nations’ recognition of a Palestinian state is nothing less than the biblical “Gog and Magog.” His comments, reported by Israel365 News, are stirring discussion among Jews and Christians alike as global politics collide with ancient prophecy.
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Kessin pointed to the vote in which 157 of the 193 UN member states, about 81%, affirmed the sovereignty of a Palestinian state. “They did this on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the day of judgment,” he said. “The United Nations is Gog and Magog.”
The Jewish View: A Messianic Moment
In his remarks, Kessin drew from gematria, Hebrew numerology, noting that the value of “Gog and Magog” (גוג ומגוג) is 70. “The UN represents the world, basically 70 nations, and therefore they must defy Israel, which is, of course, to declare the Palestinian state,” he said.
For Kessin, this is not a coincidence but a messianic event. “We are now witnessing the actual defiance of the United Nations in terms of Gog and Magog trying to overthrow Israel, which is incredible, because that is a messianic event.”
He stressed that this had to happen in the Jewish year 5785. “This means Moshiach is coming,” Kessin said.
Kessin also connected the year 5786 with the ten plagues of Egypt, citing the prophet Micah. “‘I will show him wondrous deeds as in the days when You sallied forth from the land of Egypt’” (Micah 7:15). He explained, “The redemption from Egypt is the framework for the final geula, the release of the 10 sefirot of redemption which are now back in the side of holiness.”
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The Christian Lens: Foreshadowing the Tribulation
Christians who hold to a dispensational understanding of prophecy see significant overlap in Kessin’s warnings, yet with important differences.
The Bible is clear that the nations of the world will one day rise against Israel. Zechariah wrote, “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations” (Zech. 12:3). From a Christian perspective, the UN resolution foreshadows that reality, but it does not fulfill it.
Dispensational teaching identifies the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38–39 as a future military invasion, led by a northern power with a coalition of nations. This is expected to occur around the start of the seven-year Tribulation. Another Gog and Magog rebellion is seen at the end of the Millennial Kingdom in Revelation 20. The UN’s declaration therefore resembles stage-setting rather than the completion of these prophecies.
Jesus and the Messianic Expectation
While Jewish voices like Kessin’s look for the coming of Messiah, Christians affirm He has already come in Jesus Christ. His first coming fulfilled prophecies such as Isaiah 53, the suffering servant, and Zechariah 9, the humble king riding on a donkey. His second coming will fulfill passages like Zechariah 14, when He will reign as King in Jerusalem.
Before that visible return, believers hold to the promise of the rapture. Paul wrote, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
Judgment Echoes: Plagues and Revelation
Kessin tied the year 5786 to the plagues of Egypt, suggesting they would reappear in more powerful form at the end of days. Christians recognize similar imagery in the Book of Revelation. Water turned to blood, boils, locusts, hail and darkness all echo the Exodus story, but are unleashed globally during the Tribulation as God judges the world.
In that sense, both Jewish and Christian traditions anticipate a return of the plagues before final redemption, though Christians view this through the lens of Revelation’s seals, trumpets and bowls.
Converging Views on the End of Days
Rabbi Kessin sees the UN vote as the opening act of Gog and Magog and the threshold of messianic redemption. Christians view the same developments as foreshadowing the Tribulation and the return of Christ. While the two approaches differ in how they identify the Messiah and when the events will be fulfilled, both agree that the nations of the world will align against Israel, that echoes of Egypt’s plagues will resurface in judgment, and that these signs point to an imminent and dramatic shift in world history.
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The convergence is striking. Both Jews and Christians understand that history is moving toward divine intervention, redemption and the establishment of God’s kingdom. For Christians, the hope is in the rapture and the return of Jesus. For Jews like Kessin, it is the arrival of Mashiach. Despite the differences, both perspectives affirm that what unfolds in Israel is not coincidence but prophecy being brought to life before our eyes.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
