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SUBJECT: Gog and Magog
QUESTION: Who are Gog and Magog?
ANSWER:
We read of Gog and Magog in only one place in the Bible...
Revelation 20:7-8
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the
four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the
sea.
Gog and Magog are countries or peoples who come together to
battle Christ AFTER the millennial reign of Christ and
during the approximately 100 year period of the Second
Resurrection.
During the millennial reign of Christ, the face of the earth
is changed and the countries are redefined, though I expect
peoples to remain the same. Notice the commentary:
Revelation 20:8
[Gog and
Magog] The name "Gog" occurs as the name of a prince
in Ezek 38:2-3,16,18; 39:1,11. "He is an invader of the land
of Israel, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal," Ezekiel
38:2. "Magog" is also mentioned in Ezekiel 38:2, "the land
of Magog"; and in Ezekiel 39:6, "I will send a fire on
Magog." As the terms are used in the Old Testament, the
representation would seem to be that "Gog" was the king of a
people called "Magog." The signification of the names is
unknown, and consequently nothing can be determined about
the meaning of this passage from that source. Nor is there
much known about the "people" who are referred to by
Ezekiel. His representation would seem to be, that a great
and powerful people, dwelling in the extreme recesses of the
north (Ezekiel 38:15; 39:2), would invade the Holy Land
after the return from the exile, Ezekiel 38:8-12. It is
commonly supposed that they were Scythians, residing between
the Caspian and Euxine Seas, or in the region of Mount
Caucasus. Thus Josephus (Ant 1:6,3)
has dropped the Hebrew word Magog, and rendered it by
Skuthai (NT:4658)-"Scythians";
and so does Jerome. Suidas renders it [Persai]-Persians;
but this does not materially vary the view, since the word
"Scythians," among the ancient writers, is a collective
word, to denote all the northeastern, unknown, barbarous
tribes.
Among the Hebrews, the name "Magog" also would seem to
denote all the unknown barbarous tribes about the Caucasian
mountains. The fact that the names Gog and Magog are, in
Ezekiel, associated with Meshech and Tubal, seems to
determine the locality of these people, for those two
countries lie between the Euxine and Caspian Seas, or at the
southeast extremity of the Euxine Sea (Rosenmuller,
Bib. Geog. vol. 1, p. 240). The people of that
region were, it seems, a terror to Middle Asia, in the same
manner as the Scythians were to the Greeks and Romans.
Intercourse with such distant and savage nations was
scarcely possible in ancient times; and hence, from their
numbers and strength, they were regarded with great terror,
just as the Scythians were regarded by the ancient Greeks
and Romans, and as the Tartars were in the middle ages. In
this manner they became an appropriate symbol of rude and
savage people; of enemies fierce and warlike; of foes to be
dreaded; and as such they were referred to by both Ezekiel
and John. It has been made a question whether Ezekiel and
John do not refer to the same period, but it is not
necessary to consider that question here.
All that is needful to be understood is, that John means to
say that at the time referred to there would be formidable
enemies of the church who might be compared with the dreaded
dwellers in the land of Magog; or, that after this long
period of millennial tranquility and peace, there would be a
state of things which might be properly compared with the
invasion of the Holy Land by the dreaded barbarians of Magog
or Scythia. It is not necessary to suppose that any
particular "country" is referred to, or that there would be
any one portion of the earth which the gospel would not
reach, and which would be still barbarous, pagan, and
savage; all that is necessary to be supposed is, that though
religion would generally prevail, human nature would remain
essentially corrupt and unchanged; and that, therefore, from
causes which are not stated, there might yet be a fearful
apostasy, and a somewhat general prevalence of iniquity.
This would be nothing more than has occurred after the most
favored times in the church, and nothing more than human
nature would exhibit at any time, if all restraints were
withdrawn, and people were suffered to act out their native
feelings. "Why" this will be permitted; what causes will
bring it about; what subordinate agencies will be employed,
is not said, and conjecture would be vain.
~from Barnes' Notes
Note: More
important than what nations are represented is the fact that
there will be a great rebellion toward the end of the Second
Resurrection period by those (apparently
many) who refuse the Salvation Process. They
will ultimately die and be denied the Kingdom of God.
The two important things to remember about prophecy are
these:
1) Prophecy and the understanding thereof is NOT required
for our Salvation.
2) Prophecy was designed to make sense AS IT HAPPENS.
There is no directive in the Word of God to dissect all
prophecy and come to a pure and limitless understanding of
each and every prophecy. More important than knowing who
Gog and Magog are, is understanding that during the Second
Resurrection period, many will rebel against the Salvation
Process and seek to kill spirit beings; an absurd notion in
and of itself.
EXCERPTS FROM
OUR PROPHECY BOOKLETS
From “Coming
Soon An Invasion from Space”:
Revelation 18:4 shows a picture of the "blood of saints" and
all of those who are slain upon the earth being discovered
in the dank, filthy records of the great false church.
Revelation 19:8 merely describes that "fine linen" is the
symbol of righteousness of the saints, and Revelation 20:9
depicts the holy city, New Jerusalem, at the end of
the Millennium, being surrounded by "Gog and Magog," and
refers to the holy city as "the camp of the saints."
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