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
I have no idea.
but
to expect a visible, bodily coming of Jesus, a resurrection of the dead, a final judgment, and a cataclysmic destruction of the present creation in the future
Isn't this basic Christianity?
So, to expect that the prophecies that God gave us for the return of Christ, including a visible, bodily coming of Jesus, a resurrection of the dead, a final judgment, and a cataclysmic destruction of the present creation in the future, not in 70AD, is, yes, "basic Christianity".
Thanks for the reminder.
He is not the God of confusion
Exactly.
Thank you and God Bless you GiovannaNicoletta
God bless you too marbren.
Satan is very subtle- he will provide just the tiniest bit of truth for the deception to get a foothold and then go in for the kill with lies about the most important aspects of the issue. Thus, yes, technically Israel is back in their Biblical land and yes, technically they call themselves a nation, BUT BUT BUT they don't have all the land God gave them to begin with.
You see? Just enough truth to get the deceptive nose under the tent then the real target is hit- the denial that the 1948 creation of the nation of Israel was a literal fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
This is what infuriates me. That those who may not recognize the subtle deception may come to the conclusion that the Scripture is not quite true, and that God cannot be trusted to always be truthful.
##########################################
INDEED.
That's why I'm contemplating one of my rarely used classic prayers . . .
LORD, PLEASE CHANGE SUCH PRETERISTS, REPLACEMENTARIANS, A-MILS, POST-MILS, et al TO SEE THE TRUTH MIRACULOUSLY BY YOUR SPIRIT. . . OR . . . MOVE THEM OUT OF THE WAY OR . . . OTHERWISE NEUTRALIZE THEIR DESTRUCTIVENES, BY WHATEVER MEANS IT TAKES, LORD . . . IN JESUS' NAME.
How many on the END TIMES PING LIST would be willing to join me in a prayer of agreement equal to or similar to or exactly as the above prayer? Please, please, let me know hereon or by FREEPMAIL.
Thanks.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
It’s always been fascinating . . . they scream for UNRUBBERIZED BIBLICAL DOCUMENTATION that their position is wrong.
Then, when they get basket loads of it . . . they dodge the points and whine and wail about prissy moany stuff of no consequence.
Sounds like a strategy from hell, to me.
. . . and from chronic fall-out from serious REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISRODERED childhoods.
It is extremely difficult to believe that most of these folks have any kind of pleasant Christ-like set of family stable, healthily intimate, mutually communicative close, unconflicted relationships at all.
INDEED.
I think even a computer designed to read English and deduce patterns and principles and truths . . .
would fry it’s circuits in confusion with a lot of their posts and a solid UNRUBBERIZED Bible for comparison.
I’m in.
THANKS TONS.
SO LET IT BE SAID. SO LET IT BE PRAYED, SO LET IT BE DONE ACCORDING TO THE LORD’S WILL AND WISDOM.
Boy, that was the easy way out. No longer have worry about the prophecies, we're already in the 1000 yrs. of Christ's reign on Earth. Let's me off the hook.
Seems laughable.
Boy, that was the easy way out. No longer have worry about the prophecies, we’re already in the 1000 yrs. of Christ’s reign on Earth. Let’s me off the hook.
Seems laughable.
LAUGHABLE?
perhaps in a sense . . . like THE JOKER might laugh while trying to torture someone into hell . . .
It’s ludicrous . . . horrific . . . irrational . . . rubber history . . .
to me . . . lil ol me . . . it’s terminally beyond laughable.
Maniacal would fit.
‘Demonically maniacal’ would fit better.
I see your point. Never heard of these people before.
The original SLACKERS?
I see your point. Never heard of these people before.
The original SLACKERS?
LOL.
The whole idea that WE . . . even with Holy Spirit
are going to make the world saintly is
. . . utterly terminally dumb.
CHRIST, HIS SPIRIT, ALONE IS UP TO THAT TASK.
No need for us muking the process up!
Besides . . . supposedly busy at it since 70A.D. . . . and all we’ve succeeded in doing is making it FAR, FAR, FAR WORSE
to the point that satanic globalism is durn near OVERTLY IN TOTALY CONTROL GLOBALLY???
THAT’S SUCCESS????
What idiots.
I am in agreement with you in this prayer. I add for the LORD to use whatever means necessary to reach those who will choose Him. May no weapon formed against the children of the Most High prosper in the name of Messiah Yahshua! May what the enemy has meant for evil be returned to its source and that the Father of Lights receive all glory.
May we all be prepared for the sound of the Great Shofar!
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