Hoping and Praying for Gog and Magog to Attack

I knew it would happen. The latest incident in Israel has brought out the prophetic speculators again. “A council of rabbis in Israel says their nation’s conflict with Turkey over a flotilla of ‘aid’ ships headed for the blockaded Gaza Strip controlled by the terrorist Hamas organization just may be the beginning of the ‘Gog and Magog process where the world is against us, but which ends with the third and final redemption’” (see here ). Picking up on the story, Christian prophecy speculator Joel Rosenberg takes a similar position but with some caution:

There is no need to speculate beyond the historical boundaries of Ezekiel’s day to force the names of these ancient nations to find a place on a modern-day map and conform to today’s geo-political landscape. Iain Duguid’s comments are helpful in accounting for the historical realities of Ezekiel’s prophecy:

If the battle described in Ezekiel 38–39 does not refer to modern-day nations that will attack Israel, then when and where in biblical history did this conflict take place? Instead of looking to the distant future or finding fulfillment in a historical setting outside the Bible where we are dependent on unreliable secular sources, James B. Jordan believes that “it is in [the book of] Esther that we see a conspiracy to plunder the Jews, which backfires with the result that the Jews plundered their enemies. This event is then ceremonially sealed with the institution of the annual Feast of Purim.”[3] Jordan continues by establishing the context for Ezekiel 38 and 39:

There are many more parallels between Ezekiel 38–39 and Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah. I had one emailer argue with me over the above summary interpretation. He fed me all the standard end-time arguments that are popular with interpretations of Ezekiel 38–39. When I told him to purchase my book Why the End of the World is Not in Your Future and offer a detailed response, he wrote the following: “I’m not buying prophecy books just now, but I will accept a complimentary copy for review.” This is a person who is not serious about Bible study. He’s afraid of what he will find. He wanted to know if I belonged to the “Allegorism school of interpretation” that dismisses a literal interpretation. As I show in my book, I am very literal. I don’t turn horses into “horsepower, bows and arrows into “launching pads” and “missiles,” or chariots into tanks. When the text says “to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods” (Ezek. 38:13), it means silver, gold, cattle, and goods (Ezra 1:4) and not natural gas, potash, or oil.

He and many others like him have adopted a system of interpretation that locks him into a theology of irrelevance. Here is his final comment to me: “Things are winding up very rapidly these days.” Yes they are. We are witnessing the end of humanism. Either get on board to make it happen through the preaching of the gospel, applying the Bible to every area of life, and building an alternative society when the inevitable collapse comes or get out of the way. There won’t be a “rapture” to rescue you. Deal with it.

1. Iain M. Duguid, Ezekiel: The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 448.
2. E. W. Hengstenberg, The Prophecies of the Prophet Ezekiel Elucidated, trans. A. C. Murphy and J. G. Murphy (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1869), 331.
3. James B. Jordan, Esther in the Midst of Covenant History (Niceville, FL: Biblical Horizons, 1995), 5.
4. Jordan, Esther in the Midst of Covenant History, 7.
5. Jordan, Esther in the Midst of Covenant History, 7.
6. Grant R. Jeffrey, The Next World War: What Prophecy Reveals About Extreme Islam and the West (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 2006), 143, 147–148.

Gary is a graduate of Western Michigan University (1973) and earned his M.Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary in 1979. In 2007, he earned his Ph.D. in Christian Intellectual History from Whitefield Theological Seminary. Author of countless essays, news articles, and more than 27 book titles, he also hosts The Gary DeMar Show, and History Unwrapped—both broadcasted and podcasted. Gary has lived in the Atlanta area since 1979 with his wife, Carol. They have two married sons and are enjoying being grandparents to their grandson. Gary and Carol are members of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA).

From:

http://www.soundchristian.com/magog/

GOG AND MAGOG
THEIR NAMES IN HISTORY
THEIR PLACES IN PROPHECY

Scythian Horse Soldier

"The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras."
Genesis 10:2

And the word of the LORD came to me saying,
"Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog,
the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him
and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you,
O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal."
Ezekiel 38:1-3

"And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'Thus says the
Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal;
and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of
the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel."
Ezekiel 39:1-2

Russian Soldiers

The study of Gog and Magog has long been a challenge to Bible scholars and historians alike. Magog is described in Genesis 10:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:5 as a grandson of Noah. The prophet Ezekiel claims Magog's descendants are from the far north, and will some day attack Israel. Throughout history we find Gog and Magog identified with many place names, as well as numerous tribes and people groups; some firmly leaving their mark on history, including many present-day cultures. The people who descended from Magog, son of Japheth, son of Noah, are not obscure as some have suggested.

Perhaps the most known of Magog's descendants (sometimes referred to as Magogians) are the Scythians. Well, sort of. The Scythians (or Skythians) are associated with Magog, but not by genealogy. Scythians are descended from Ashkenaz (or Ashkuz), son of Gomer, son of Japheth as listed in Genesis chapter 10. Ashkenaz is sometimes mistakenly thought of as a son of Magog, though he was Magog's nephew. The term Scyth or Skyth is derived from Ashkenaz, appearing in Assyrian records as "Ishkuzai," reported as a people pouring in from the north some time around the beginning of the 7th century BC.

One of the earliest references to Magog is thought to come from Assyrian inscriptions in the 9th century BC referencing the "Mat Gugi," meaning "country of the Gugu." There can be no doubt that at their earliest stages, tribes of Magogians and Scythians assimilated into one people. Together they made up a part of the early Scythian hordes. In fact, wherever or whenever we find references to Gog and Magog in name or place, we usually find the Scythians. A commonality with the descendants of both Magog and Ashkenaz was their domestication and widespread use of horses, and their reputation as master archers. The Scythians were known specifically as horse-riding nomads. Ancient peoples known as Alans and Sarmatians (not to be confused with the Samaritans) lived in the area around the Caspian Sea from about 900 BC, and their tribes were called Scythian. A people known as the Hippe-Molgoi or Hippo-Molgoi (hippo is Greek for horse, and Molgoi presumably a transliteration of Magog), are mentioned in Homer's Iliad around the beginning of the 9th century BC as "Scythian drinkers of mare milk." Not only known for drinking the milk of horses, they are mentioned as equestrian nomads of the northern Russian steppes. Strabo, 1st century Greek historian, also makes mention of Homer's Hippemolgi.

There are numerous examples from geography, archeology and historical records. Scythian culture extended more than 2,000 miles east from the Ukraine to Mongolia. This was demonstrated by the discovery of tombs in the Chilikta Valley of East Kazakhstan, evidence that Scythian culture had spread to the Mongolian border as early as the 6th century BC. Historians suggest the Great Wall of China began construction around the 5th century BC to keep out hordes of invading Magog-Skythian warriors. Thousands of Scythian burials, ranging from the 6th to 2nd centuries BC, have been uncovered in areas to the north and east of the Black Sea.

Albius Tibullus, Latin poet in the 1st century BC, mentions that a people living on the River Tanais (present-day River Don) were called "Magini," "Magogitis" or "Magotis," which in Greek became "Maiotis," whom scholars say were from the colonies of Magog, sometimes referred to as Magogites. The Greeks called the area where the Magini lived along the Tanais "the Maeotian marshes" where the river emptied into the Maeotian Lake (present day Sea of Azov). The marshes served as a checkpoint to the westward migration of nomad peoples from the steppe of Central Asia. The region was named after the Maeotae people (as the Greeks and Latins would call them) who lived around the Maeotian Lake or Sea. Jerome (translator of the Latin Vulgate), an Illyrian Christian apologist of the late 4th and early 5th centuries, affirms "the Jews of this age understood by Magog the vast and innumerable nations of Scythia, about Mount Caucasus, and the Palus Maeotis (Latin for Maeotis Sea), stretching along the Caspian Sea to India."

Going back in history, prior to the writing of the book of Ezekiel, we find Hesiod, father of Greek didactic poetry and literature, identifying Magog with the Scythians and with southern Russia in the 7th century BC. Hesiod likely derived this identity from Colchians or Colchi people (a Thracian tribe) where, in their ancient Chaldaic language, described the region of southern Russia as "Gog-chasan" or "Gog-hasan" (Arabic "Gog-i-hisn") meaning "fortress of Gog" or "Gog's fort." There are scholars who suggest that Gog and Magog, as a region, is where the name "Caucasus" originated. Scholars speculate the name "Caucasus" was derived from "Gog-chasan" which the Greeks translated as Gogasus or Caucasus. The Caucasus is generally considered the mountainous land between the Black and Caspian seas.

Greek historian Herodotus, whom historians call "the father of history," mentions in the 5th century BC a people living around the Caucasus mountains called "Gargarians." He later refers to agricultural Scythians in the region at "Georgi." Greek myth depicted the Gargarians as "Gorgons," which eventually became Gorgene or Gorgaene, likely the origin of the name Georgia. He also wrote about an enormous city, Gelonus, in the northern part of Scythia, surrounded by a lofty wall, where inhabitants had deep blue eyes and bright red hair.
Herodotus wrote extensively about the descendants of Magog by their Greek name, the Scythians, about 150 years after Ezekiel. He wrote of three tribes of Scythians, one being "Royal Scythians" who ruled over all other Scythians of Scythia, and two other tribes having different lifestyles: one a tribe of farmers and settled agriculturalists, and another a tribe of migrant stockbreeders who immigrated with their horses, cows and sheep. Herodotus describes them as living in the territory north of the Black Sea, and that they terrorized the southern steppes of Russia beginning in the 10th century BC. He supposed the word Scythian meant "father." Perhaps he was correct, as the name Scythian is a derivative of Ashkenaz, who was the father of the Scythians. Numerous archaeological discoveries have confirmed Herodotus' reports in general, and his Scythian accounts in particular.

He also wrote that "the wandering Scythians once dwelt in Asia, and there warred with the Massagetae (Magogites), but with ill success; they therefore quitted their homes, crossed the Araxes (Volga) river, and entered the land of Cimmeria." Historical records indicate that in the 7th century BC tribes of Scythians swept across the Caucasus mountains displacing the Cimmerians (Gomerites). Flavius Josephus, Jewish and Roman historian, continued with that reference in the 1st century AD, when he records that Magogites (Magogians) were called "Scythians" by the Greeks. Philo, famous Greek and Jewish philosopher in the 1st century AD, also identified Magog with southern Russia.

The Gargarians show up again in Greek history. Strabo, early 1st century Greek historian, geographer and philosopher, famous for his 17-volume work Geographica which presented a descriptive history of people and places from different regions of the world known to his era, mentions "Gogarene" as a region in Iberia (present-day Armenia and Georgia). Scholars agree Gogarene is one of the best preserved names from Magog, which belonged to the Caucasian Iberian kingdom up to the 2nd century BC. Aelius Herodianus, Greek and Roman scholar of antiquity, called the region "Goerene" in the 2nd century AD. In the 5th century AD, a viceroy in the region of old Armenia called himself Achoucha Gougarqtzi (Arshusha of Gogarene). In the 6th century AD, geographer Stephanus of Byzantium called the region Gogarene, and in the 7th century the region was known as Gougarq. Today it still exists as Gugark, a historical district in Armenia. As noted earlier, commentators suggest Georgia also derived its name from Gogarene, and today the Turks call Georgia, Gurgistan. In recent history, certain Georgians referred to themselves as "Gogi."

Russian traveler Jacob Reineggs, who visited the Caucasus five times in the 18th century, left many records of people groups and geographical locations he encountered. He discovered in the central Caucasus a people called Thiulet who lived amidst mountains called Ghef or Gogh. The very highest of these mountains, lying to the north of their country, they knew by the name of "Ghogh," "Moghef" or "Mugogh" still in use today. The high plains were called the "Maghal-Mindori," and a village on the plains was called "Zaghra-Mugha or Zahra-Mughal." These names are Gog and Magog derivatives, which remained in tact after hundreds of years of tribal migrations and territory wars.

The name "Scythian" has been used to refer to various peoples seen as similar to the Scythians, or who lived anywhere in a vast area covering present-day Ukraine, Russia and Central Asia, known until medieval times as Scythia. The name was also used among early scholars studying the Proto Indo-Europeans. The tribes of Magogians and Scythians would become many of the great confederations of steppe warriors, often mingling with others not of the same race, developing ethnic mixtures of Eurasian clans. These peoples would later form tribes and ethnic groups we would come to know as familiar names in history: Huns, Turks, Tartars, Mongols and others. Evidence shows that clans of Scythians were forced to move to more favorable conditions, mostly east and south due to a changing climate in the steppe. Wherever they went, they often attacked, intermingled with, or simply forced out indigenous peoples.

Huns. Ancient tribes of of Scythians and Magogians, mixed with other indigenous peoples of the Asian steppe, would become the Huns. Hunnic tribes are obscure in origin, though compelling evidence indicates they were descendants of Magog, a "Scytho-Siberian" people known by their Altaic lineage and language. These tribes are thought to have arrived in the region around 600 BC. First described in the 3rd century BC by Chinese sources as a controlling empire of the Hsiung-nu, Hiong-nu or Xiongnu (Hunnu-"Asian Hun Empire") to the north (Mongolia), they were considered barbarians to be feared, as their horseback lifestyle proved very efficient for rapid invasion and raiding villages and townships. As noted earlier, scholars postulate the Great Wall of China, begun in the 5th century BC, may have been built to keep these Hunnic hordes at bay. The Arabic name for the wall was "The Wall of Al Magog," meant to keep out the invading armies of Magog. After intermingling with native Asian people groups, they would eventually form a nomadic coalition of warrior tribes who spoke a Hunnish language.
The Huns went on the move, attacking western Scythians about 170 BC, slowly dominating Scythian lands. They also warred with the Han Dynasty beginning in the middle of the 2nd century BC, taking territory deep into China, reported as formidable enemies, a "wild people of the mountains" by the Chinese. Eventually the Xiongnu would split into the north and south, and the south formed a weak alliance with the Chinese Han (who later would be known simply as the Chinese). The north Xiongnu (Hunnu) would become the Huns we know in history, giving us Attila. They traveled west, attempting to maintain themselves on the Caspian steppes (the areas north of the Caspian Sea). By 200 AD, the Romans first became aware of the Huns as written by Pliny, a Roman author, philosopher and geographer, who described them arriving in the region.

Dionysius Periegetes (the guide), a Greek geographer who lived in the 4th century AD, wrote a geographical description of the known world. He notes among the northern tribes of Europe there were Huns (Unni), Caspii, Massagets (living opposite from the Huns), Sacii, Alani and Scyths. At this time only a remnant of the north Xiongnu (Huns) remained in the Altaic mountain steppes. Attila, King of the Huns, reigned in the 5th century (from 434-453 AD), and embarked upon a series of wars extending Hunnish rule from the Rhine (Germany) across the north of the Black Sea as far as the Caspian Sea (Russia).
Though Attila's origins are in question, there is empirical evidence that he belonged to a group of Hunnic and Asian nomadic tribes in what is now Mongolia and northeastern China. The Huns that attacked Europe were known as an Asiatic tribe.
The Greek writer Priscus gives us vital information about King Attila, having visited the Huns and spoken with Attila. Priscus was sent by the Roman government with messages to Attila in 448 AD. Priscus first tells of his long journey from Constantinople to Scythia, the territory then occupied by the Huns north of the lower Danube. He described Attila as "short of stature, with a broad chest and a large head; his eyes were small, his beard thin and sprinkled with gray; and he had a flat nose and a swarthy complexion, showing the evidences of his origin." Indeed, he probably exhibited the characteristic Eastern Asian facial features, which Europeans were not used to seeing, and so he was described in harsh terms. No doubt Attila was descended from a mixture of western Scythian, Altaic (Siberian) and nomadic Asian tribes of China.

After the Huns displaced the Scythians throughout Eurasia, these various Scythian clans went east, joining forces with Hunnic and Tungusian tribes, establishing a powerful alliance in Mongolia. This alliance was lead by a Tungusian people called the Ruruans. Tungusian or Tungu (Tugilan) derives its name from the Chinese "Toung-ho" or "Tung Hu" which referred to a people from the west or far borders. The Tungu were descendants of the Donghu, a bow wielding, horse archer civilization, mentioned in Chinese histories as existing as early as the 4th century BC. Later we find some Tungu tribes intermingling with local Asian tribes, forming historical groups like the Jurchens, who would become the Manchus. Scholars would later call this a mixing of the Tungus-Altaic and Sinid ethnicities. The Tungusic people were an ancient northern Siberian people, which we can be confident were descendants of Magog. The Huns considered them a filthy, unclean nomadic people.

Future tribes of the Tungu included the Wuhuan, Xianbei, Toba, Ruruan and Gaoche who were known by the 2nd century AD to be attacking Chinese farms south of the Great Wall. The Toba were a chief tribe over the Ruruan, while the Goache were reported to have expanded west by the 3rd century AD. The Ruruans eventually fled to the Altai mountains, where they established a power base by absorbing Hun and Gaoche clans. The Goache became the Geougen, and today scholars regularly interchange Geougen and Ruruan as the same peoples. We find them mentioned as Gaogyuys, Juan-Juan, Ju-Juan, Jou-jan, Jouan-jouan Jeu-jen, Jwen-jwen, Ruanruan, Rouruan or Ro-ran by Chinese writers and other historians. They were a Tungusian (Siberian) peoples, and interestingly, suddenly appear at the end of the 4th century AD as a powerful alliance with their assimilated clans.

The titles of their rulers were called Khan, and scholars believe they were proto-Mongols. The Geougen/Ruruan tribes were the first to use the term Khan, from Kehan used by Xianbei clans in the 3rd century AD. The title of Khan (meaning King or Chief) became widespread among the many ethnic tribes in the region. The empire of the Geougen/Ruruan lasted from the end of the 4th century AD to the middle of the 6th century, embracing a wide section north of China from present-day Manchuria to Turkistan. As well, this is generally considered the time of the fall of the Hun Empire, and the rise of the Avars. The Avars were a loose confederation of Hunnic tribes under the Ruruans in the 3rd century. Establishing their own Khans, they became a powerful nation that swept from Asia to Europe by the 6th century. As feared nomadic horsemen, they maintained power in much of Europe and Russia until the end of the 8th century. Essentially, the Avars took over where the Huns left off, leaving the Asian steppes for other tribes to fight over.

The Avars had left the Altai region by the end of the 4th century to escape the rule of the Ruruan. The Ruruan would soon fill that void. Old alliances between the south Xiongnu (now eastern Huns) and the earlier Han Dynasty had long since broken apart. Chinese chroniclers record that during the Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD), the Xiongnu were driven out of China, back to the Altai mountains where they took refuge under the Ruruan/Geougen. The Xiongnu lived at the base of the Altai mountains, and they wore a cloth covering on their heads, said to be of the same shape as the Altai mountains, like a helmut, which the Chinese called Tu-kui or Thu-kui (also Tuchueh, T'u-kuie, Turuk or Tujue). Eventually the Xiongnu (Huns), under the Geougen/Ruruan Khanate, became known by the name Tu-kui, from which the term Turk is derived. Even today, according to Turkish official history, the Hun Empire was the first state that Turks founded. The Tungus, Ruruans and Turks are considered a Siberian Hunnic peoples who spoke similar Altaic languages.

Turks. According to a legend recorded by the Chinese, the Tu-kui were specifically recognized from Chinese transcription, and were a subject tribe ruled by Geougen/Ruruan Khans. During the middle of the 6th century AD, the Tu-kui (Turks) overthrew their Geougen masters with help from the forces of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and soon were in control of all Mongolia, centering their power in the northern part of the country. As the struggle for regional power between the Khans continued, the Wei reconstructed the Great Wall during this period (5th and 6th centuries). The Tu-kui (Turks) became known as the Gokturks (Gok Turks, Kok Turks or K'ou-kiue), meaning "Blue Turks." The color blue was a symbol representing the eastern direction, thus "Blue Turks" in the primary sense of "East Turks" had connotations of "first," "rising," "dawning;" meaning they were the "First Turks." That makes sense in light of the fact that Gokturks are considered the first Turkic tribe known to use "Turk" as a political name, and they were the first Turkic nomads to leave written records in a runic-like script deciphered by scholars in 1896. Known as Old Turkic script, they are called "Turkic runes." The Huns also wrote in runic form, called "Hunnic runes." There are a number of early runic inscriptions found in Europe from the Scythians, indicating a common origin. Herodotus records the earliest form of runecasting was with sticks by Scythian tribesmen.
The Gok Turks gained control of a vast territory by the end of the 6th century AD, with their empire stretching into eastern Europe. The empire became so large it split into east and west, and subsequently went into full decline by the middle part of the 7th century. The east Gok Turks settled in the steppe territory of southern Siberia and the Orkhon river basin (Mongolia), and became known as Orkhon Turks. The name Gok Turk disappeared from history by the early 10th century AD.
The tribes of Orkhon (Orhon) Turks flourished as the Tang Dynasty in China (618-907 AD) rose to power, gaining control of Mongolia and much of the surrounding region. This is when significant intermingling of Sino-Chinese and Turkic-Huns occurred, becoming the base stock of the Mongols.
These early Turkic tribes were quite diverse, and some historians claim that reddish hair was predominant among them. However, numerous tribal groups in the region became sinicized to the point that the vast region of deserts, mountains and grazing land was soon inhabited by people resembling each other in racial, cultural, and linguistic characteristics. The similarities among those who inhabited the region has caused considerable ethnic and historical confusion. Thus, the Turks would take on radically different blends of ethnicities, depending on the location of their various tribes. These early Turkic tribes were quite diverse, and some scholars claim they developed different languages and cultures. Many of these tribes would come to be known as Turko-Mongols, including the historic Orkhon Turkic clans of Khazars, Uyghurs, Khitans and Kirghiz.
The Khazars migrated from the Asian steppe between the 7th and 11th centuries, settling in the northern region of the Caucuses Mountains between the Black and Caspian Seas (modern-day Russia). This left the Turkic Uyghurs (Uighurs) and Khitans to prosper throughout eastern Asia, dominating the region by early 10th century. In the 6th century AD, living to the north were another notable Turkic people, the Tartars, first called Ta-ta the by the Chinese. They are mentioned by Orkhon Turks on inscriptions from the 8th century. The Tartars, Khitans, Krighiz and Uyghurs were known for attacking each other, and during the 9th century the Tartars went into subjugation by the Khitans (Kitans), and the Uyghurs were overthrown by the Kirghiz.
By the 10th century, the Chinese were reporting that Khans from these various Turkic tribes were regularly battling for regional supremacy. Migrating Khazars appeared again in the late 10th century as a large Turkish tribe called the Kinik. Kinik was the son of Oghuz (both were tribal Khans and Khazar Turks). The Kinik Turks would give rise to the Ghuzz Turks. Ghuzz fathered Tukak who was the father of Seljuk. Under the leadeship of Seljuk, the Kinik/Ghuzz Turks became a powerful empire. They would be known as Seljuk Turks in history, and by the 11th century settled in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) where their descendants remain today. By the 12th century, the Tartars had migrated southward, becoming a major force in the Asian steppe, where their Khans expanded throughout a vast geographical region of Europe and Asia after the 13th century. They also exercised power over the Mongol tribes, descendants of the Geougen/Ruruan, from the 6th through 13th centuries.

Though the Geougen/Ruruan Khans were overthrown in the middle of the 6th century, their tribal groups remained in tact. They were a large nation of many tribes, with two prominent "royal" tribes, the Mu-gu-li and the Mengwu-Shiwei (Mengwushiwei), names that were possibly derivatives of their ancestor Magog. Living in the surrounding region under the Tartars, the Mengwu-Shiwei (also Meng-wu, Meng-ku and Shi-wei) were first mentioned in the writings of the Tang Dynasty in China between 618 and 907 AD. In the 10th century the Mengwu-Shiwei appear as Mongol-Shiwei in the Chinese book "Jiu Tang Shu" (The Ancient History of the Tang Dynasty). This has led scholars to speculate the term Mongol (or Mongul) originated between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. In the late 13th century, Venetian trader and explorer Marco Polo, when traveling to Mongolia, understood the word "Mungul" to be a broken-down form of the word "Magog", since he came across an association of names "Ung" and "Mungul", which he considered the counterparts of Gog and Magog. According to him, the Gog lived in Ung, and the Tartars lived in Mungul. While some scholars contest any link, it is conceivable that the word "Mongol" was originally attached to these early Siberian Indo-European peoples descended from Magog.

Mongols. The tribal names Mengwu and Shiwei are used interchangeably by historians, with Shiwei being the primary. The Megnwu are mentioned only as Mongols by the 12th century. The term "Mongol" became the common name for the many tribes of Shiwei, as recorded during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The Chinese called Shiwei tribes by different names, including the "Huangdou Shiwei" meaning "yellow (blonde) head Shiwei," and "Maodou" or "Maoshou" meaning "hairy head (bearded)" people.
The physical attributes of the Shiwei tribes were that of their Geougen/Ruruan ancestors, from Siberian stock. This is futher evidenced from the name of a prominent Shiwei tribe, the Borjigin (also Borjigid or Bourchikoun). The Borjigin were known to have gray eyes and reddish hair. This clan also had a Khan named Yesugei, the father of Temujin or Genghis Khan (1162-1227 AD). Chinese descriptions of Genghis Khan indicated he was tall and heavy bearded. After his death, few portraits show him as described in history, while many artistic interpretations show him with distinctive Asiatic features, contrary to evidence by major authorities.

Persian historian Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur (1606-1663 AD), considered the most prominent historian of Turkic oral traditions, observed that the family of Yesugei, the father of Genghis Khan (also Chingis Khan, Chinggis Khaan, Jenghis Khan, Jenghiz Khan), were known for their children of fair complexions and blue or gray eyes. Genghis Khan's wife, Bourtai or Borte Ujin, bore a name meaning "gray-eyed." His son and successor Ogedei (1186-1241 AD) had gray eyes and red hair; his grandson Mangu (1208-1259 AD) had reddish eyebrows and a red-brown beard; his grandson Batu (1205-1255 AD), the first Khan of the Golden Horde, was freckled. Genghis Khan's famous grandson, Kublai Khan (1215-1294 AD) had dark hair, which likely came from his mother Sorghaghtani Beki, a princess from the allied Turkic tribe of Keraits. Rashid al-Din Tabib (1247-1318 AD), Persian physician and historian of Jewish heritage, recorded in his chronicles that Genghis was shocked to find his grandson Kublai had not inherited his red hair. Another of Genghis Khan's descendants, conqueror Tamerlane (1336-1405 AD), also inherited the family's characteristics. An Arab who was taken captive by Tamerlane, Ahmed ibn Arabshah (1392-1450 AD), wrote that Tamerlane was "tall and strong, with broad shoulders, a large head and high forehead, he had a heavy beard, was white-skinned and had a ruddy complexion." This description was confirmed in 1941 when the tomb of Tamerlane was opened, clearly showing he was a man of strong build and imposing stature, with hair of a reddish-brown moustache still adhering to his skull. Tamerlane was known as a Turkmen-Mongol conqueror who established an empire extending from India to the Mediterranean Sea. Tamerlane's name came from a European corruption of Timur-i Lang ("Timur the Lame") which was given to him because his left side was partially paralyzed.

The story of Temujin (Genghis Khan) is remarkable. From the oldest surviving Mongolian literary work, "The Secret History of the Mongols," we have a written record of the royal Mongol family and the origin of their nation, and of Genghis Khan. Written about 20 years after his death in the Uyghur script, the surviving manuscripts all derive from a Chinese transliteration of the 14th century, currently regarded as the single significant Mongolian account of Genghis Khan. We are told that when he was a child, his father Yesugei (Yesukai) Khan, was murdered (poisoned) by rival Tartars. Temujin (or Timuchin) lived his teen years with extended family, and by the age of 20 he would become leader of a sub clan. Before he was 40, Temujin established strong alliances with surrounding clans, then succeeded in defeating all rival Mongol and Tatar tribes, from the Altai Mountains to Manchuria. In 1206 his leadership of all Mongols was formally recognized in a Kuriltai (council) which chose him as their Khan. He then took the title of Genghis Khan, meaning "supreme king" or "universal king," to signify the scope of his power.

Genghis also popularized the Khanate. Historians note that becoming a Khan required a number if prerequisites. First, the Khan had to be the senior member of the clan. Second, sovereignty rested not in an individual or an individual's line, but in a clan, a whole clan. The clan therefore had a right to control the territory over which it reigned, and male members of the clan who had reached their maturity were entitled to a share of the territory. Political maneuvering often took priority, as Temujin was still a junior member of his clan when he was given the title of Khan. He used similar tactics to build his empire. Prior to Genghis Khan's rule, the Mongols were many disunited clans, and they continued to be after the fall of their ancestors, the Geougen/Ruruan, in the 6th century. Only the Turkic tribes had risen to power, such as the Tartars, which they fought with regularly. To accomplish stability, Genghis created a system that would stress the unity of the empire, and would wipe out tendencies towards local tribal authorities. This enabled him to incorporate many tribes from a vast region, and eventually create the largest contiguous land empire ever.

After Genghis Khan's death, he was give the title "Khagan" or "Great Khan" (translated as Khan of Khans, equivalent to King of Kings), which is given to a Khan who rules an empire, also known as a Khaganate. His empire would be split into four sectors by 1260. One was composed of present-day China, Mongolia, Korea and Tibet (considered the Mongols in China and Mongolia); the second was Central Asia; and the third was West Asia (including present-day Iraq). These first three sectors would lose their influence by 1368, but the fourth sector, known as the "Golden Horde" in Russia, would be a major influence until 1502. After the fall of the Mongol Empire, the subsequent people groups established in Asia and Eurasia continue to this day. In fact, some scholars consider the Mongol Empire to be the beginning of current world history.

For example, many people groups living in Mongolia, Tibet and northern China today are the result of the empire's split. The migration west of Khan's descendants are evidence of that. The Asian peoples living in present-day Mongolia arrived later, and are not the Hunnic Mongolians of Genghis Khan's lineage. Evidence for this can be found in the Ural-Altaic languages spoken in the region, and spoken by Ghengis Khan himself. These ancient Siberian languages would later become the root for Turkic, Mongolian and Tungusic languages.
As early as the 5th century AD, Turks and Asians had formed new ethnicities, depending on the location of their various tribes. By the 14th century, Genghis Khan's empire helped spread these new ethnic peoples west, and many of today's southern Russian republics (including Central Asia) are where these peoples settled, sometimes referred to as Eastern Turks. There are a number of Turkic languages, including Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tatar, Uyghur, Turkish, Azeri, Turkmen, and many others spoken in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, and parts of China. The Kazakhs (Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia) have an internal group called the Tore who consider themselves to be direct descendants of Ghengis Khan and his family.

10th century
Turk from
present-day
Kazakhstan

Historians have suggested that Ghengis fathered dozens of children, thus his Y-chromosome lineage today features prominently in the population genetics of numerous people groups in Asia and Eurasia. This is well attested in the historical record as late as the early 20th century, where the aristocracy of Mongolia, which was 6 percent of the population, consisted of his patrilineal descendants.

There are many evidences that link Turks, Huns and Mongols from their earliest formations as tribes of Magogians and Scythians: (1) their Ural-Altaic languages; (2) their use of Runic inscriptions; (3) their coming from the north; and (4) their extensive use of horses and archery. Ezekiel describes them in similar terms: Ezekiel 38:4, "I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army-your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords." Ezekiel 39:2-3, "I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand."

Similarities remain in the languages of Mongolian, Tungusic and Turkic to this day, having many words in common. These Ural-Altaic languages have been historically considered "Scythian languages" or "Tatar languages" which make up some 40 languages spoken by about 100 million people. Examples inlcude Turkish, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Bashkir, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Samoyed, Oirat, Kalmyk, and Mogol, plus similar languages spoken by peoples living between the Black and Caspian seas. Other language families, including Finno-Ugric (Finnish, Hungarian) and Balto-Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Czech) have affinities to the Ural-Altaic language family.

We know the early Huns and Mongols were a nomadic Siberian horse-riding peoples who would eventually travel west to conquer, subsequently leaving Asian tribes to populate the region known today as Mongolia. We also know that the Huns became today's Turks, and the Scythians are today's Russians. As noted earlier, these people groups would eventually populate present-day Eurasia, including Russia, Siberia, the numerous republics north of Israel as precisely described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Gog's and Magog's descendants are today the peoples of those regions. Recent genetic research shows that many of the great confederations of early Asian steppe war tribes were not entirely of the same race, but rather tended to be ethnic mixtures of the Turkic, Tungus, Mongolian, and in many cases Scythian and Iranian (note that today more than 90% of these people groups are Muslim). The following genealogical chart shows these ethnic relationships:

|------------------------Noah------------------------| -----------------------------| -----------|
|                                                    |                               |            |
Japheth                                               Ham          Genesis 10          |            |
|-----------|                                        |                               |            |
Gomer       Magog----------|--------------|           Canaan --------------------------|            |
|           |            |              |            |                                            |
Ashkenaz    Gog-hasan    Donghu         Hiongnu       Seni (Sinites) ------------------|            |
|           |            |              |            |                               |            |
Scythians<----------------------------->Huns<-------->Sianu (Sino-Asians)              |            |
|           |            |              |            |                               | Ezekiel   |
Saka<------>Gogarene     Tungus         Tu-kui         |           Historical          | 38 & 39   |
|           |            |              |            |           Tribes,             |            |
|           |          Ruruan         Turks<-------->|           Peoples,            |            |
|           |            |              |            |           Nations             |            |
|           |          Mengwu-Shiwei    |            |                               |            |
|           |            |              |            |                               |            |
|           |          Mongols<--------------------->| -----------------------------|            |
|           |            |              |                                                         |
|           |            |              |                                                         |
|---- Peoples of present-day Russia, Siberia, Eurasia, Asia Minor --------------------------------|

Google Downloadable Digitized Books:

Colchians: "The History of Herodotus: A New English Version," George Rawlinson, Henry Rawlinson, et al, published 1860
Gog-hasan / Gogarene / Maiotis: "The Millennium of the Apocalypse" George Bush, published 1842
Scythians: "The Geography of Herodotus, Developed, Explained and Illustrated from Modern Researches and Discoveries," published 1854
Scythians: "Larcher's Notes on Herodotus: Historical and Critical Comments on the History of Herodotus, with a Chronological Table, Volume II," published 1844
Hiongnu / Huns: "Universal History," Johann Mueller, published 1837
Ta-Ta / Tartars: "The Journey of William of Rubruck to the Eastern Parts of the World, 1253-55," published 1900

Other Books/Publications:

"Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy," Paul Ratchnevsky, Thomas Nivison Haining, published 1991
"The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century," translated by Igor De Rachewiltz, published 2006
"The Magog Invasion," Chuck Missler, published 1996
"Foes from the Northern Frontier: Invading Hordes from the Russian Steppes," Edwin Yamaguchi, published 1982
"A General, Historical, and Topographical Description of Mount Caucasus, Volumes I & II," Jacob Reineggs, et al, translated & published 2001

Websites:

http://www.republicanchina.org/Mongols.html
http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/keller/Mongols/empsub1.html

Recommended Maps:

http://www.worldhistorymaps.info/

Gog and Magog in History
by Tim Osterholm

Your comments are welcome!
Click here to send me an email.

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FROM:

http://www.tribwatch.com/gog.htm

Previous Chapter

GOG: THE ANCIENT GORGONS

Written 2002; upcoming chapters, if not in 2006, were written steadily afterward

It has proved too shallow to argue, as many do, that since Rosh, Meshech and Tubal have become Russian peoples today, end-time Gog is of the Russian people and therefore will be a Russian ruler. Those upholding an Arab Gog wish to have some better arguments from those of us (including myself) who hold to a Russian Gog. The fact is, it's not easy to prove by any means that the Meshech became Moscow while Tubal became Tobolsk.
After thousands of hours of research I netted myself hundreds more for writing down my findings, and while to my amazement I discovered things that prophecy students should find extremely interesting, I also found, totally unexpectedly, that the Meshech did become the rulers of early Moscow. But the Meshech also became much of Europe. And according to the writer(s) of the fake Book of Jasher (probably written by Kabbalists), the Etruscans who founded Rome were of Tubal. Perhaps the Kabbalists knew something that most others did not; if they were correct, then the Latins/Romans would similarly be from Tubal. But note that with/in Tubal there were an "Iberi" peoples, and these are likely the non-Israelite Hebrews that I am tracing, who also became the Martinist Rosicrucians said to originate in northern Spain and southern France (off the Ebro river).
Historical writers, including Josephus, provide evidence to equate ancient Tubal with the city of T'bilisi, meaning "land of Tubal" (see topographic Map) This capital city of Georgia is located in the Georgian depression (or donut-hole) between the lesser and greater Caucasus mountain ranges...two ranges that form a circle, thus "Circasia." They were known to the ancients as the "Tibarem," who had a role in the Kartli kingdom (pre-Christian centuries) that formed the foundations of the modern Georgians. Note how "Kartli" evokes the Kurti/Kurds said to have derived from, or been the same as, the Guti Aryans. In Ezekiel's day, the Meshech lived smack to the west of Tubal.
But the Tubali were not always in this location; previously they had been in extreme western Asia Minor, in Phrygian territory, some suggesting Bithynia in particular. Remember this term. "Bithynia," for it was an important hub of the dragon line. And keep in mind as I mention the "dragon line" that I am referring not to any branch whatsoever, but to particular branches which have ruled the world and meanwhile believed that they have a divine right to rule.
A few centuries after Ezekiel, when the Armenians came to conquer Tubal, there was noted within the Kartli kingdom a province known to the Greeks as "Gogarene," which may have been what the Armenians called, "Gugar." This was located in the lesser/southern Caucasus mountain range, on its northern slopes and therefore between the two Caucasus ranges...where also T'bilisi was situated. More specifically, it lay south of T'bilisi, between the Kartli kingdom and the Armenians.
Because we can thus locate a portion of Gog's empire in Tubal, some writers are already insinuating that out of modern Georgia will come the Biblical Gog. In fact, some modern Georgians refer to themselves as "Gogi."
To my amazement, I discovered the term "Gargarians" (by Herodotus) in association with Amazons exactly where the Meshech lived in Ezekiel's day. It would thus seem like a no-brainer that Greek myth depicted the Gargarians as "Gorgons," both terms referring to the proto-Georgians. Knowing that the ancient Gogi of Ezekiel's day lived next to the Meshech, I can't ignore the obvious, that the Gargarians were Ezekiel's Gogi.
The term "Caucasus" itself may derive from "Gog." I think the term should be read as "Cauc-As," the As/Aes peoples being those proto-Trojan inventors of metal who conquered what would later be named Asia.
Not only did the Gogi empire mentioned by Ezekiel include more than Meshech and Tubal, but there were multiple Gogi empires, sometimes forming alliances in efforts to rule the world; Revelation 20 reveals this situation still intact more than 1,000 years from now. Therefore, we had best not jump to hasty conclusions regarding the end-time importance of Georgia as fulfilling the role of anti-Christ/Gog.
In Ezekiel's day, the Mosch or Mesch people were situated just to the west of Gogarene in association with the Moschian mountains, in extreme north-eastern Turkey south of modern Batumi and north of Erzurum.
[Update May 2006 -- Batumi, in south-west Georgia, is interesting to me in that it might have been named after the Buzi/Budii Medes that I am tracing to Butes of Greece, and finally to the modern Stewarts who claim to be of the dragon bloodline. And indeed Batumi was a Greek locality called "Batis," almost identical to the Greek god, Butes. I hypothesize that Buz, son of Nahor, is the root of the Butes peoples, and that they were the original Kabbalists, and so note that there was another Batis locality in north Greece, smack next to the city of Kavala. -- End Update]
A major center inhabited by the Moschi was further to the west, in Mazaca (in central Asia). It was in that term, "Mazaca," that I was able to see clearly Meshech's identity as the Amazons, for in northern Africa the Amazons were called "Mazices." Having arrived to that equation, I could see that in "Amazon" itself there is the root of "Meshech." And while "mushus" meant "dragon, while the Amazons were routinely depicted as serpents/dragons, the Meshech-Amazon equation is supported all the more.
"Meshech" and its variations, especially "Musku," evoke the chief city of the Muscovite Rus, "Moskva" in Russian. Because it is known that Moscow was founded by the Varangian Rus when they inter-married with the Slav Russians of Kiev, one could therefore identify one or both of those Russian groups as Meshech. There has been in use the designation of "Moscovite Rus" to distinguish between the "Kievian Rus" of the Ukraine, the latter group insisting that it possesses the status of indigenous Russian. And Britannica says that Kiev was the motherland of Russia, wherefore it is necessary in my task to learn where the Kiev Rus originated.
On the other hand, the Varangian Rus were, by certain indicators, descendants of the Hros peoples of Caucasia, they in turn being, logically anyway, the Biblical "Rosh," and this would suggest that the Moscovites were part Roshi as well as part Meshech. My studies have led me to conclude that the Varangians were an extension of the Redones of France, and that the Slav Rus of Kiev were likewise a development from Redones (the Redones would become the Ruthene/Rusyn/Rusi of France).
What is starting to sink in, though it might be wrong, is that the Gogi peoples should be identified as multiple peoples, the Rosh, Meshech, and Tubali included. The Gogi appear not to be a single bloodline or clan, but rather a conglomeration of Japhetic peoples. This becomes easier to accept as it becomes apparent that the core Aryans of Iran, out of which came the Gorgons, were an alliance of Japhetic peoples.
Prophecy students who wish to see a Muslim Gog rather than a Russian one might tend to join the growing crowd claiming that the Rosh were not a people at all, but rather a term used by Ezekiel to merely signify "chief," as after all "Rosh" does mean "chief" (as in "Rosh Hashana," the first/chief day of the year). This bunch tells us that we should read Ezekiel like so: "Gog, the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal," instead of "Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal." But if there did exist a people-group resembling "Rosh" under the powers of a ruler who simultaneously ruled Meshech and Tubal, then we would have reason to disagree. I have already mentioned the Rus and the Hros, but it just so happens that it was in Ezekiel's day that there were kings of Urartu/Ararat (essentially Armenia) ruling from Lake Van who styled themselves "Rusa."
It may at first glance seem as though there is no difference between "Gog" and "Magog," since "Magog" appears to mean, and is said by many to mean, "land of Gog." The two words thus seem to equate as do "Canadian" and "Canada." But then perhaps not, for "Magog" is not a term that originated from "Gog," nor can it mean "land of Gog," because long before the Gogi existed there was a man with the proper name, Magog, who was son of Japheth, son of Noah (Genesis 10:2). Surely, the land of Magog was named after this son of Japheth, but, surely, this son, Magog, was not named after a Gogi peoples who lived prior to the Flood. The further conclusion is that this son, Magog, did not necessarily put forth the Gogi bloodline, but that the Gogi came from another son(s) of Japheth who then came to live in the land of Magog.
THE SCYTHIAN GORGONS
It is known that the Scythians were just to the south of Caucasia in 585 BC, in the year that Ezekiel had written the latter half of his chapter 33 (from verse 21 onwards). The blood-related Cimmerians may have been in the neighborhood to the very brink of this period, although for a generation or two previous they were no longer in the war records. At one point in my research, it was good news that these two peoples seemed like the only viable options in representing the ancient Gog of Ezekiel, but then there developed a third option, the Lydians.
Let's back up to the neighborhood of 720 BC, more than a century prior to Ezekiel's writings, when Urartu was invaded by Cimmerians reportedly coming from the proto-Kievian far north, through Caucasia into Urartu. Herodotus claimed that they were being chased out of the far north by Royal Scythians who were in the process of permanently replacing them on the north shores of the Black sea.
According to cuneiform inscriptions of the Assyrians, the Cimmerians chased out by the Royal Scythians had set up an eastern military base in "Mannae" (Armenia), which is almost certainly the equivalent of the Biblical "Minni" (Jer. 51:27). The central base and capital city of Urartu was to the south at Lake Van (near Mt. Ararat in modern east Turkey); it was named "Biaina" initially, after the Bia tribe of Urartians (a "b" commonly modifies to/from a "v", as also in "Tuval" to/from "Tubal"). See Urartu map or Asia Minor map.
This entry of the Cimmerians into eastern Asia Minor must either have brought them into conflict, or into a partnership, with the Meshech. Britannica says that the Mushki were a major Phrygian peoples who, beginning in the 12th century BC, had moved eastward to the east side of the Halys river (central Asia Minor). The Phrygians, keep in mind, are commonly associated by blood with Trojans/Thracians. Plus, as Britannica continues, in the midst of the Mushki were the "Tabal" which had at one point ruled over 24 kingdoms.
One website says a mouthful, and I'm assuming that the author knows what he's talking about, where we read: "Linguistically, the Phrygians were related to the Armenians." This is exactly the connection I am making when dissecting Greek myth, that the Armenians were proto-Trojans and therefore an early seat of the dragon line.
Beginning in about 1160, the Meshech had moved so far east that they were in Assyria's face, invading and settling even down the upper Euphrates. They were, however, along with their Gasgas allies, pushed back into Cappadocia (upper Halys river region) by the Assyrians. Britannica reports that, by 730 BC, the Assyrians took control of the Phrygian kingdom east of the Halys, but were unable to conquer the west side, ruled at the time by Midas, king of Phrygia.
The Cimmerians, when they arrived into the Pontus (lower/sea-side Cappadocia) just as the Meshech there had been weakened, settled down on the east of the Halys, in the city of Sinope (this was Amazon country). I'll assume that they were welcomed by the Meshech/Amazons, if not invited into an alliance, because I have come across no reports of war between the two peoples. I'm insinuating that the Cimmerians were distant relatives of the Meshech, and that the two were Gorgons equally in need of each other and thereby forming an alliance at this point. Although it is commonly held that Cimmerians descended from Gomer (son of Japheth), there may have been other sons of Japheth among their numbers, and Meshech, the man, is also recorded in Genesis 10 as a son of Japheth.
After the Cimmerians gave Urartu a major blow from the north in 714, perhaps with the aid of their new allies, the Assyrians proceeded immediately to give Urartu a major blow from the south, killing the Urartian king, Rusa I, in the process. The Cimmerians were repelled again in 705, by the Assyrians, wherefore, according to Britannica, they turned back to the mouth of the Halys river (i.e. Sinope). In 695, the Cimmerians succeeded in quite the huge task of toppling Phrygia, something that they could not have done alone. One could therefore conceive that the Cimmerians had been successful with the help of Meshech.
GUGU OF THE SACRED BLOODLINE
Afterward (690ish), as a very consequence of Phrygia's fall to the Cimmerians, the country of Lydia proper arose (adjacent to Phrygia), a nation not known previously to the Assyrians. So over-powering were the Lydians within a generation that they repelled the Cimmerian attack and forced even the Meshech and the Tubali to move further east...toward Georgia. But I have not found any information that places the Lydians themselves in Georgia/Caucasia, even though that would seem logical for the reason that they appear almost-certainly to have been Gogi.
The historian Pliny, who theorized that Lydia was the Biblical Gog, shared that the Lydian kingdom was known as "Gygea" (after Gyges), a term that could easily have stemmed from "Gogarene/Gogar" back in Armenia...since after all the Phrygians were related to Armenians.
There is this from the Iliad: "Mesthles and Antiphos commanded the Meionians, sons of Talaimenes, born to him of the Gygaean lake." The Meionians were allies of the Trojans (in 1200 BC), and descendants of the god, Attis (or "Atys"); it doesn't seem a coincidence that "Meionian" evokes Manes, father of Attis. The Meionians must have been the proto-Lydians, for the Lydians were likewise descended from Attis. Greek myth makes Lydia, under the eponym of "Lydus," the "son" of Attis. Thus, if the Lydians were Gogi, there you have in a nutshell the origin of the Gogi, in Manes, and in the sun god of Phrygia, Attis.
Now Britannica has this to say: ..."according to Herodotus' famous and unrefuted assertion (i, 94)...an alleged dynasty descended from Atys...sailed to colonize Etruria (see ETRUSCANS)." Etruria was the home of the Etruscans (in Italy), this suggests what other reports tell us, that Rome was founded in part by Lydians. Because the Lydians were probably from Leto, mythical mother of Apollo, they came from the north shores of the Black sea, explaining also why the Assyrians didn't know them.
The first ruler of the Lydians, of the Mermnan dynasty, was the historical Gyges...Britannica spells it "Gugu." A Mysian by ancestry, Gyges killed the king of the previous dynasty, Sadyattes, who was associated with the Hermes phallic cult, therefore suggesting that the Gogi as a whole may have considered Hermes sacred. Note the "Attis" in "Sadyattes."
This chief god of the Phrygians, also spelled, "Atti," was in my opinion a reflection back in time to Utu, the dragon-portrayed sun god of Babylon, and brother of Inana ("Queen of Heaven"), also known as the wife of Tammuz, Ishtar, the universal Great Mother of paganism, wherefore Tammuz and Ishtar together were in my opinion the core definition of the Biblical picture of Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots, sitting upon the Dragon. Herodotus wrote that "the Lydians observe nearly the same laws as the Greeks, except that they prostitute their female offspring."
The next dynasty after Sadattes, the one started by Gyges, was likewise of the dragon bloodline, as can be seen merely in the fact that Gyges' grandson was enthroned as "Sadyattes," while his son was king Alyattes. The latter would lay the foundation of a Lydian empire to the point that he would become the wealthiest man in the region if not the world.
Gyges had an enormous amount of gold, as did king Midas of Phrygia proper whom the myth writers portrayed as the everything-he-touched-turned-to-gold king. It is fully expected of Gyges to have been rich if his ancestors were the Trojan inventors of metal smelting and therefore proficient in the metal-mining trade. I've read online that the gold and silver of Phrygia was obtained in rivers, and while that may true to some extent, we ought wisely to realize that Gyges and other regal owners of precious-metal stashes were not inclined to disclose their sources, but were rather disposed to echo a lie in order to conceal the sources.
By the latter decade of Gyges life, becoming worried about the power of the Cimmerians, he reluctantly formed an alliance with the Assyrians:
"The Assyrian records of Asshurbanipal mention Gugu of Luddu sending bound captive Gimirai warriors to Asshurbanipal as a present and requesting Assyrian help in forming a coalition against these peoples. Asshurpanipal speaks of Gyges taking on the Assyrian "Yoke", meaning he will be a tributary vassal of Assyria, in order to obtain help"
(www.bibleorigins.net/PrimaryHistory562BCE.html)

The point here is that the Scythians on the opposite/east side of Asia Minor had also formed an alliance with the Assyrians, wherefore I reasoned that the two -- Lydians and Scythians -- may together have been the Biblical Gog of Ezekiel's day. Certainly, the two worked together in efforts to crush the competing Cimmerians, so that they could have Asia all to themselves. It therefore jiggled my truth bone when I pondered the possibility that the root of Gyges' kingdom, Mysia, was of the self-same stock as the Royal Scythian army stationed on the other end of the Black sea. This is attested to where we find that the Mysians likewise stemmed from Hercules, he depicting Gorgons simply because his ancestor, Perseus, gave birth to "Gorgophones."
Herodotus revealed the boundaries of the Royal Scythians as Azov on the west and Thrace on the east, at the Danube river. The Mysians were descended from the Moesi, a peoples living on the Danube according to Strabo, whom the Greeks called "Musoi." Britannica reveals that the Mysians (surrounding Troy) were also called "Musoi" by the Greeks. While one may entertain a Meshech connection, the “Mash” of Genesis 10:23 seems a better choice, for his brother, Hul, has been said to be the founder of Armenians. Moreover, the father of both Mash and Hul was Aram, perhaps the very linguistic root of "Armenia."
It's very interesting when we find that the monstrous Hecatonchire were related to the Cyclopes (Greek "Kuklopes") and the Gigantes, and no prophecy buff should fail to see the "Gog" in those terms, yet never have I heard anyone tell that these giants of mythology were meant as codewords for Gogi clans (and not very beloved ones at that). Is it that the secret-society myth writers have so successfully passed off their encoded history as fantasy that even prophecy students ignore the clues?
The Hecatonchire (Latin "Centimanni") were depicted with 100 hands, and it can't be a coincidence that Argus (eponym of Argos) was a shepherd with one hundred eyes while one of the Cyclopes was named "Arges." Thus, tie the Greek city of Argos, with its founder, Inachus, and its goddess, Io, into the dragon bloodline.
Just as the Gogi were depicted as one-eyed Cyclopes, so the Apollo-related Hyperboreans lived next to the one-eyed Arimaspa (said Herodotus), suggesting that the Arimaspa were, not truly one-eyed, but an occult Gogi branch (the one eye depicting the sun god, same as the all-seeing eye to this day). Note the "Ari" in that term. Not far from the Arimaspi were the "Argippeans," a term evoking "Argos" and/or "Arya(n)."
Greek myth uses the "one eye" symbol in various other instances to denote the Gorgons, the three-bodied Gorgon Medusa being yet another example. Can it be a coincidence that the mother of the Gorgons was "Ceto" while one of the Hecatonchire was named "Cottu"? Another Hecatonchire was named Briareus, said to mean "strong," but "Homer also referred to Briareus as Aegaeon ("goatish")..."
(http://gyes.exsudo.com/).
The symbol of the Aegean sea, Aegeus was made a son of Pandion (of the Cecrops line), wherefore the "Pan" in that name should perhaps be understood as the god, Pan, the half-goat creature called a "Satyr." According to one website outlining the tribes of Thrace, there was a tribe called "Satrais."
www.thracian.info/thrace_peoples.htm

And so I say that, next to the Arimaspi, at the Ural mountains of north Russia, there lived goat-footed peoples (according to Herodotus' report), an obvious reference to the Pan bloodline depicted as Satyrs. Next to the goat-peoples there lived the gold-hoarding Griphons, peoples depicted as creatures having the head and wings of an eagle, but with bodies of lions, thus identifiable as the Utu peoples who worshiped the Mushussu dragon.
Gyges, ruler of Lydia, was himself made (by the myth writers) into one (of only three) Hecatonchire! Because "hecaton" means "one hundred," we should be looking out for the root term, "chire," when seeking to trace these peoples. And I do think that this leads us to Cheiron/Chiron, an important Centaur. Is it a coincidence that "Centaur" looks like a play-on-words using "century/hundred"?
Centaurs were half-horse creatures descended from Ares and no doubt depicting certain Thracians. They were related to the half-goat Satyrs, the latter having formed a part of the Trojan peoples. "Pan" in my confident opinion depicts either the Paeonians (who lived on the Strymon river in Thrace) or the Phoenicians (or both if the Paeoni were Phoenicians). Dionysus was involved heavily at Thebes (Greece) with the Kabeiri cult of transvestites that was founded by the metal god, Hephaistos. Thebes was ruled first by the mythical Cadmus, a depiction of Phoenicians (because his father was Phoenix). Cadmus was the grandfather of Dionysus.
There was a magical staff wrapped in grape vines called a "thyrsos" that was associated with Pan and acted as the symbol of Dionysus. The thyrsos was carried by the so-called "Maenad" women of their sex cult (i.e. worshipers of Dionysus). Dionysus was the god of the vine, and of the wine bash and orgy, and was related to the Lelegian king of Arcadia, Oineas, that latter term meaning "wine." One can see the similarity between "Dionysus" and "Oineas." A modern Dionysus cult would gather around heavy-metal music. Pan (who reminds me of Mick Jagger and his Goat's Head Soup) was born to an Arcadian family depicted as the phallic god, Hermes. The Thyrsus, sometimes shown with a pine cone at the end to denote Attis, was probably a depiction of the penis (i.e. a sacred bloodline), for a hermes temple was a depiction of the penis.
It's probably relevant that the Medusa was made (by myth writers) to be born from Ceto and Phorcys, the first term evoking "Guti," and the second term evoking "Farsi," the alternative name of the Persians/Parthians. The following evokes the Gorgon Medusa, and thus reveals that Dionysus was a Gorgon:
"The MAENADS also put a snake over their locks, for Zeus crowned his son [Dionysus] with snakes when he let him come out of his thigh."
(http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/MAENADS.html)

The Maenads and Satyrs are likely of the Medusa branch of Gorgons, for both the Maenads and Satyrs are portrayed as enemies of the Perseus bloodline (i.e. the Gorgophone branch). Moreover, the Centaurs (related to the Maenads and Satyrs) were said to be offspring of Pegasus, the white winged horse that sprang forth from Medusa when she was killed by Perseus. The above placement of snakes on the head of Dionysus is an excellent example of how myth writers worked, for the Gorgon Medusa had been depicted with snakes for hair. Wherever similarities exist between two or more mythical pictures, kinship/alliances may be implied.
The Maenads and the Satyrs were the epitome of Dionysus' army by which he conquered all the way to India, and it seems easier to identify them as Amazons and Gorgons when we find that, albeit of many Maenads (Dionysus people groups), one was called "Gigarto," and another "Gorgo." Dionysus worshiped the spotted panther, and even dressed in a panther suit when at war, evoking not only the Mushussu dragon of Babylon, but the Aztecs of Mexico ("Mexico" looks like "Meshech). As Zeus, Dionysus, Hermes, Pan and Cadmus all represent related people groups entering and founding Europe, that continent becomes a Gogi one by the force of the above, and yet other, arguments.
The historical (i.e. non-mythical) picture should agree with the mythical picture. If Lydia acted as the Gog of Ezekiel's day, it would seem a necessary task to trace that nation, or, perhaps better yet, to trace the Mermnan dynasty started by Gyges. It's a headache, but someone has to do this dirty work. I've already shown that the Gogi line leads to Rome, the empire said by the Bible to fight Christ on his Return, but what other regions of Europe were infested by Gog?

NEXT CHAPTER

The Hercules Circle of Gogi
This chapter will might make you dizzy in a mythical maze,
but it may also reveal to you the many secrets
on the origins of the Gogi branches.

Table of Contents

FROM:

http://www.theprophecies.com/Warning%206%20Russia%20Iran%20Invasion.html

Bible Prophecy:

Iran, Russia, and Islamic Allies

Will Attack and Invade Israel

Ezekiel 38 - 39 . . .

The Bible warns Iran (Persia), with the help of Russia (Magog/Scythia) and other Islamic allies, will go to war ... and will attack and invade Israel. The Bible warns this coming war between Iran (Persia) and Israel will either just precede or will be part of the final Battle of Armageddon. The only time in history Iran (Persia) has gone to war against Israel was to help Israel throw off the yoke of the Byzantine Empire around 614 AD. Sabbath school and Sunday school graduates should be sitting on the edge of their seats with white knuckles because (for the first time in history) we can now watch the news and see this terrible prophecy slowly start to unfold . . .

Ezekiel 38:1-10 . . .

"Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

‘Son of man, set your face against Gog [a powerful leader],

of the land of Magog [translated 'Scythia' in Greek ... the area of modern day Russia],

the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, [Meshech and Tubal are in and around Turkey]

and prophesy against him, and say,

Thus says the Lord GOD:

‘Behold, I am against you, O Gog [a Russian leader],

the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.

I will turn you around,

put hooks into your jaws [perhaps from greed, a mutual defense treaty, or a UN resolution]

and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed,

a great company with bucklers and shields,

all of them handling swords (weapons). [The Russian military will march again]

Persia [Iran], (Iran is listed first, meaning it will be the 'lead' ally)

Ethiopia ['Cush'- Sudan], and Libya [Northern African nation(s)] are with them,

all of them with shield and helmet.

Gomer and all its troops; [Germany or an eastern European nation(s)]

the house of Togarmah [Armenia] from the far north and all its troops -

many people are with you. [It appears Turkey (a NATO ally) will join this coalition]

Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you;

and be a guard for them. [Either overtly or covertly Russia will act as a 'guard' and supplier of weapons]

After many days you will be visited. [Meaning, this would happen in the far future]

In the latter years you [Russia-Iran]

will come into the land of those brought back from the sword [Israel]

and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel,

which had long been desolate [this war will take place after Israel became a nation in 1948]

they [Israel] were brought out of the nations,

and now all of them dwell safely.

You will ascend, coming like a storm, (they may attack from the south, or from the air, or both)

covering the land [of Israel] like a cloud,

you and all your troops and many peoples with you."

(Ezekiel 38:1-10)

We are not exactly sure when this attack/invasion will take place ... but, from current news headlines, it looks as though it is now getting very close. As noted above, if you study your history books you will find the only time in history Iran (Persia) has invaded Israel was in 614 AD, and this invasion was to help Israel break the yoke of the Byzantine Empire. The current threats of war Iran is making against Israel represent the first time in history the world has seen the imminent fulfillment of this prophecy. Add the fact Russia is fully backing Iran, Turkey is quickly turning away from the US and against Israel (Mein Kampf is currently a best seller in Turkey), and all of these nations either are, or soon will be, armed with nuclear weapons, you will find the world may soon be facing this terrible prophetic war . . .

In Ezekiel 39 the Bible goes on to warn the invading armies will be utterly destroyed ... by God! Also in Ezekiel 39 there are hints this coming war may go nuclear because Israel will wait months to enter the battlefield after the battle, they will "set apart men regularly employed" [professionals] to bury the dead, and later if a bone is spotted it is to be "marked" for the professionals to bury [exactly the same procedures that are now found in our military nuclear/biological/chemical "battlefield cleanup" manuals today] ... the aftermath of this invasion will be very, very gruesome.

Some scholars feel it must be part of, or the beginning of 'The Battle of Armageddon' (because of some of the terminology used) and others believe it must happen sometime before Armageddon and will set the stage for the rise of Europe/Rome and the 'Antichrist' as they fill the world power vacuum that will be left after this coming war ... and for some yet unknown reason the United States will be 'neutralized' sometime before this attack and will be unwilling or unable to help Israel.

More importantly, most good prophetic Bible scholars agree that the strange prophetic event called "The Rapture" must take place sometime before this coming battle ...

The Identity of 'Magog - Scythia' . . .

From the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus Flavius . . .

A major source on ancient Jewish-Roman history is Josephus Flavius, a Jewish-Roman historian who wrote of the Roman wars and witnessed the Roman siege on Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Josephus identified Magog in his ancient writings as he wrote ... "Magog founded the Magogians, thus named after him, but who were by the Greeks called 'Scythians.'" (Josephus, Antiquities, 1.123)

From the Wikipedia Encyclopedia - Scythia (Magog in Hebrew) comprised an area in Eurasia inhabited in ancient times by Iranian nomadic peoples, speaking Iranian languages and known as the Scythians or Scyths. The location and extent of Scythia varied over time, from the Altay Mountains region where Mongolia, China, Russia, and Kazakhstan come together, across southern Ukraine to the lower Danube river area, Bulgaria and Georgia. The Chinese knew the Saka (Asian Scythians) as Sai. The Scythians first appear in Assyrian annals as Ishkuzai, reported as pouring in from the north some time around 700 BC and settling in Ascania and modern Azerbaijan as far as to the southeast of Lake Urmia. Archaeological remains of the Scythians include elaborate tombs containing gold, silk, horses and human sacrifices. Mummification techniques and permafrost have aided in the relative preservation of some remains.

From 'Encyclopedia.com - Scythia (Magog in Hebrew), ancient region of Eurasia, extending from the Danube river on the west to the borders of China on the east. The Scythians flourished from the 8th to the 4th cent. BC They spoke an Indo-Iranian language but had no system of writing. They were nomadic conquerors and skilled horsemen. They seem to be related to the Saka, another nomadic tribe that roamed the steppes of central Asia at about the same time. The so-called Royal Scyths established a kingdom in the E Crimea before the 9th cent. BC They seem to have maintained themselves as a ruling class while others (probably native inhabitants) worked the grain fields. The Scythians are traditionally associated with the area between the Danube and the Don, but modern excavations in the Altai Mts., particularly at the site of Pazyryk, suggest that their origins were in Western Siberia (Russia) before they moved east into Southern Russia in the early 1st millennium BC. Scythian power was maintained in the 8th cent. BC in obscure warfare with the Cimmerians. The Scythians, considered barbarians by the Greeks, traded (7th cent. BC) grain and their service as mercenaries for Greek wine and luxury items. They invaded (7th cent. BC) upper Mesopotamia and Syria. They threatened Judah but never actually occupied Palestine. They also made incursions into the Balkan Peninsula, and a century later the mysterious campaign of Darius I against them (c.512 BC) may have checked their expansion, although it was no conquest. They destroyed (c.325 BC) an expedition sent against them by Alexander the Great. After 300 BC they were driven out of the Balkans by the invading Celts. In South Russia they were displaced (2nd or 1st century BC) by the related Sarmatians.

From Chuck Missler's 'Koinonia House' Research and Article - Magog-Scythia . . .

(http://www.khouse.org/articles/2002/427/)

We know the descendants of Magog by their Greek designation as the Scythians (depicted in their legends as descending from Scythes , the youngest of the three sons of Heracles, from sleeping with a half viper and half woman). The name Scythian designates a number of nomadic tribes from the Russian steppes, one group of which invaded the Near East in the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. After being repulsed from Media, many of the later Scyths settled in the fertile area of the Ukraine north of the Black Sea. Other related tribes occupied the area to the east of the Caspian Sea.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus (5th century B.C) describes them living in Scythia (i.e., the territory north of the Black Sea). He describes Scythia as a square, 20 days journey (360 miles) on a side. It encompassed the lower reaches of the Dniester, Bug, Dnieper, and Don Rivers where they flow into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The Scythian language belonged to the Iranian family of the Indo-European languages. The Ossetian dialect of central Caucasus appears to be a survivor. The original area in which Iranian was spoken extended from the mid-Volga and the Don regions to the northern Urals and beyond. From here, Iranian-speaking tribes colonized Media, Parthia, Persia, Central Asia, and as far as the Chinese border.

In the 7th century B.C. the Scythians swept across the area, displacing the Cimmerians from the steppes of the Ukraine east of Dnieper River, who fled from them across the Caucasus. It is provocative that even the name "Caucasus" appears to have been derived from Gog-hasan, or "Gog's Fort."

The hippomolgoi ("mare-milkers") mentioned in Homer's Iliad were equestrian nomads of the northern steppes and several authorities also identified these with the Scythians. [One of the delicacies I (Chuck Missler) was presented with when I was being hosted by the Deputy Chairman of the Soviet Union was fermented horse milk! These traditions may have a deep history, indeed.] (http://www.khouse.org/articles/2002/427/)

Have a hard time believing in God? Just watch the news. God says all the Bible prophecies we are now seeing being fulfilled are given both as a final warning sign to the world and as verifiable evidence and proof the Bible is true . . .

The Most Important Bible Prophecy . . .

Please remember, the Kingdom of Heaven is available to every man, woman, boy, and girl in this world, no matter who they are, where they live, or what they have done. It is freely offered to any and all who will receive it. Simply learn of Jesus (Yeshua), the promised Messiah, invite Him into your life as Lord, believe He died on the Cross for all of your sins and rose from the grave (proving there is a Kingdom of Heaven ... and a Hell). Learn of Him and believe in Him . . . for He was the only one who has ever loved you enough to substitute Himself for you on the Cross. He shed His blood, suffered, and died on the Cross to save you from your sins and from the utter darkness and torment of Hell, if you will accept it, believe it, and trust in it. That is why Jesus is called Savior. He now lovingly and graciously offers you life in Heaven . . . and it is a "take it or leave it" proposition. We have to consciously receive it and accept it in faith. If you sincerely admit you have sinned (which means you will need a Savior to get into Heaven) and ask Jesus to come into your life and honestly try to stop doing (and saying) those things God says are wrong, you will go to Heaven ... and with open arms and tears of joy He will receive all who will come to Him in faith and in love ... It's God's Promise!!!

The only unpardonable sin is to reject God's love and His free offer of life in the Kingdom of Heaven by rejecting Jesus (Yeshua), the Messiah, who stepped forth from Heaven (as promised) ... not to condemn the sinner, but to save the sinner (from the torment of Hell) and who willingly and lovingly shed His blood on the Cross so we can be washed clean of all our sins. The Bible warns there will be no peace in our lives until we make peace with God through His Son, Jesus (Yeshua), the promised Messiah. The Bible also says there will be no peace in Israel or on Earth until Jesus (Yeshua), the Messiah returns . .

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