Before Moses died, God took him to the summit of Mount Nebo and showed him the entirety of the Promised Land — every region, every valley, every corner of the territory his people would inherit. But the Mekhilta teaches that Moses saw far more than geography. He saw the future.
Among the visions: Gog and all of his hosts, the apocalyptic army that would one day ascend against Israel. The Mekhilta derives this from (Deuteronomy 34:3), which mentions "the valley of Jericho." Why Jericho specifically? Because Gog and all his forces are destined to ascend and to fall in the valley of Jericho.
This is a stunning claim. The panoramic view from Nebo was not simply a farewell gift to a dying leader — it was a prophetic screening of Israel's entire history. Moses saw <strong>Joshua's</strong> conquests, the judges, the kings, and ultimately the great eschatological battle of Gog and Magog described by the prophet Ezekiel. Every landmark God pointed out carried a double meaning: this is the land, and this is what will happen there.
The Mekhilta is teaching that the Land of Israel is not just territory. It is a stage on which the drama of sacred history will unfold. The valley of Jericho — where Joshua would win his first victory — is the same valley where the final enemy will meet defeat. Moses, standing on the mountain, saw both the beginning and the end. The view from Nebo collapsed past and future into a single panorama, and the man who could not enter the land was given instead the privilege of seeing everything that would ever happen within it.