Posted on 09/13/2009 11:48:38 AM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
(This is an update of a study I first posted in Nov. 2003)
Those who labor to understand the nuances of the battle described in Ezekiel 38-39 quickly identify two major puzzles. One is the timing of the battle and the other is the identity of Gog, from Magog. Suffice it to say here that almost no scholar, certainly none I’m aware of, believes the battle of Ezekiel 38-39 has already taken place. Some believe it will occur just before the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week, while others believe Ezekiel is actually describing the Battle of Armageddon, which would put it at the end of the Great Tribulation. But all place it sometime in our future.
In my opinion, there are several reasons why Ezekiel 38 can’t be part of the Armageddon scenario. First, only some nations are involved in Ezekiel 38. For example, Saudi Arabia and Western Europe are said to be on the sidelines observing and others you would expect to see, like Egypt and Jordan, are not mentioned at all, although both appear later on. But Zechariah 12:3 says that in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon all the nations of the Earth will come against Jerusalem.
Second, how is Israel going to burn the left over weapons for 7 years as Ezekiel 39:9 indicates unless there are 7 years left in which to burn them? Rev. 21:24. says the nations will walk by the light of the New Jerusalem in the Millennium, so they won’t need fuel for energy then. And then you have Ezekiel 38:11 telling us that Israel will be a peaceful and unsuspecting people when the Moslem coalition strikes. Could that be possible near the end of the Great Tribulation when all the nations are gathering to attack? I don’t think so.
But most importantly, Daniel’s 70th week can’t start until Israel is back in covenant with God and the battle of Ezekiel 38 is what causes the covenant to be re-instated. (Ezek. 39:22) Armageddon comes at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, not the beginning.
As for Gog and Magog, the first thing to note is that while Magog is listed in Genesis 10, Gog is not. The list of 70 names in Genesis 10 is often called the Table of Nations because each of the men named there was the original ancestor of an ethnic group that grew to become a nation of people. For instance, Magog was the 2nd son of Japeth, one of Noah’s three sons, and bore the children who in time became known to the ancient world as the Scythians. They lived in central Asia and are believed to be the forefathers of today’s Russians. Many historical references support this view. For example, Josephus Flavius wrote “Magog founded the Magogians, thus named after him, but who were by the Greeks called Scythians.” And in some ancient Arabic documents, the Great Wall of China is called the Ramparts of Gog and Magog. It was built to keep the Scythians out of China.
So while the Russian people of today are likely descended from Magog, there is no such biological connection for Gog to either Magog or any other ethnic group. There is an unrelated mention of a man named Gog, a grandson of Reuben, in 1 Chronicles 5:4 but there doesn’t seem to be any connection between him and the land of Magog either. Clearly, while Magog refers to the millions of his descendants in today’s Russia, Gog remains a single individual.
Some say he’s a king or leader, and in a real sense I think that’s true but I don’t believe he’s of the human variety. The time spanned by his three appearances in scripture make that impossible.
The first one is in the first verse of Amos 7, but you have to be reading Amos from the Septuigent translation to see it. There, Gog is identified as a king, but of a swarm of locusts. To further shroud him in mystery Proverbs 30:27 states that locusts have no king, and observers of locust swarms agree that no obvious leader directs them, as a queen would direct a hive of bees for example. The swarm of locusts led by Gog in Amos 7:1-2 was symbolic of a judgment that was to come upon the Northern Kingdom, but the Lord relented because of Amos’ intercession.
(This hint also lends insight to another appearance of locusts, by the way. I’m referring to the one in Revelation 9, where a swarm of locusts comes out of the Abyss to afflict those on Earth who lack the seal of God on their foreheads. These locusts have a king named Abaddon in the Hebrew or Appolyon in the Greek. Here again, the Proverbs passage would indicate that these locusts are of supernatural origin like the ones in Amos 7, not ordinary locusts.)
The next time Gog’s mentioned is in Ezekiel 38:1, where he is called by name as the leader of a coalition of what are now primarily Moslem nations attacking Israel. His final mention comes from the Book of Revelation where he again leads the people from Magog against the Lord’s army at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:8).
Even if you’re among those who place the battle of Ezekiel 38 at the end of the Great Tribulation, the span of time between Gog’s last two biblical appearances is at least 1000 years, and while I believe that some born in that era will have long life spans, there isn’t any indication that natural humans born before the Millennium begins will live to see its end. This is especially true of God’s enemies, since all surviving unbelievers are removed from Earth at the beginning of our Lord’s reign.
So I’ve come to the conclusion that Gog is a supernatural figure. The Bible clearly states that behind the human seats of government stand supernatural figures manipulating the thoughts and actions of the world’s leaders. These figures are in Satan’s employ, helping in his effort to wrest ownership of Planet Earth from its Creator. Gog is at least the supernatural figure behind the throne of Russia, and perhaps is even Satan’s counterpart to the Archangel Michael, who commands the Lord’s armies.
In Daniel 10:13 Michael is identified as one of the Lord’s chief princes who in 536 BC came to Daniel’s aid in a supernatural struggle with the Prince of Persia, a nation barely emerging on the world scene having conquered Babylon just three years earlier. At its conclusion Michael told Daniel that he’d soon be battling the Prince of Greece, a nation that didn’t even exist at the time. In Daniel 12:1 we’re told he’ll protect Israel at the end of the age. And in Rev 12:7 he’s seen leading the angelic host in a great battle in heaven when Satan is defeated there and cast down to Earth at the outset of the Great Tribulation. Michael is clearly a supernatural warrior leaping across the pages of history in defense of the Lord’s interests. It makes sense that Satan would have a military commander leading his forces as well, since everything he does seems to mirror the actions of his Creator. With his multiple mentions in Scripture and the long span of time between appearances, Gog could easily be this commander.
Only time will tell if this view is correct. But one of the great advantages of living in our day is that we won’t have long to wait till we find out. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 09-12-09
bttt
We need not fear insects.
I'm impressed!
Thanks for the interest in the soon-to-be fulfilled prophecy of the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39. The fact that Russia and Iran, two of the major players in the war, are getting chummier and chummier as the days go by is one sign that Christians are looking at as a huge indicator that this war which God told us will happen is not far away.
Happy reading on the Religion forum!
What happens on the world's stage is anyone's guess -- only God knows how it will play out.
PING!
And He has kindly and graciously given us details of the events which will occur before He returns so that we can be prepared for meeting Him. Indeed, He commands us to know the signs of His coming. We will all stand before Him one day, each and every one of us, either as our Judge or as as our Saviour. How we face Him is exclusively our choice. In His love for us, he has given us what we need to know to realize when His return is near and to prepare for it.
It was quite a massacre of course won by the Lord.
It was a massacre, but how it was "won by the Lord" escapes me.
I just happened to see the title of the thread (Finding Gog) as it was posted on the main forum. Since I collect comics, it caught my eye. I actually haven’t the faintest idea who Gog and Magog are in a Biblical context.
Interesting. When I toured communist Romania in 1974, we stayed at a resort on the Black Sea -- I think it was called Neptune. At the hotel, we were walking across the parking lot and a gigantic swarm on ladybugs overtook us. It was really amazing.
For me, Magog is Communist/atheist nations and God is Marxist/Maoist ideology (Religion is the opiate of the masses).
MORE than plausible.
Thanks. Great post.
One of the Scriptures related to such . . .
identifies Gog or Magog as being of the country
NORTHERNMOST FROM Jerusalem.
Moscow is virtually directly North of Jerusalem. Certainly Russia is the Northernmost country from Israel.
That’s a pretty starkly clear prophecy. No irrational RUBBER BIBLE, REPLACEMENTARIAN et al weaseling out of that description.
Yep, we keep getting closer. It’s the best of times and the worst of times, isn’t it?
I sincerely pray you will know the truth about God one day. We’re going to need Him more and more as events unfold. Blessings, Mary
I personally can't believe that for all these years of reading and being familiar with Ezekiel 38 and 39, I never caught the fact that the "chief prince" title that God gives to Gog is proof positive that Gog is a fallen angel, a demon.
I finally got a clue when, on another thread, a poster stated the obvious: that Gog is a fallen angel.
Talk about feeling stupid!
The post you were replying to was made tongue-in-cheek to the falsities that can be fallen in to when attempting to make nonsense predictions about 'wars' and bloodshed among earthly nations. This will come in it's own time. For now, each of us can invite the Lord into our hearts for love and enlightenment.
You aren’t stupid. There are a lot of things that have been misunderstood over the years. I just take a wait and see attitude on a lot of things, but I know America is going to be in a lot of trouble and we need to prepare NOW. God will see His people through it. HE is our peace. Not Obama, not the government, not even the tea parties (LOL), but HE is our peace.
go to magog and turn left at the Whataburger
Thank you for your explanation. God certainly doesn’t want our lip service in worship. Only He knows our heart, however. I’m not sure that any of us understand what real worship is, but I’m certainly willing to learn.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.