Gog and Magog in Revelation and Ezekiel

[Andrewn]

Gog is a mountain tribe north of Assyria, and Magog is an area in eastern Turkey. In the book of Revelation, we read:

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea.9 They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The war of Gog and Magog is described in detail in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.

My question is: What is being described in these passages? How is it interpreted in different traditions?

 

[Douggg]

How is it interpreted in different traditions?

In Judaism, they connect Gog/Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39 with Zechariah 14, the gathering of all nations against Jerusalem. And the messianic age follows.

I tell them to see if the Mt. of Olives has been split in half as it says in Zechariah 14. If not, then it is a false messianic age that immediately follows Gog/Magog - and their perceived messiah is the Antichrist.

Which is what is going to happen.

Russia will try to withdraw its troops from Ukraine - bring them back to Russia. But in Ezekiel 38, it says God will put hooks in Gog's jaws and turn him back. i.e. from their returning back to Russia. And drag them into the Gog/Magog attack on Israel.


4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

That's how close we are to Gog/Magog.

Also, how close we are to the dead in Christ shall rise and the living in Christ shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, as this corruptible puts on incorruptibility, and mortal becomes immortal.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

My question is this. Is the war described in Ezekiel 38 and the one described in Rev. 20 the same? I have always thought they were different.

 

[TribulationSigns]

Russia will try to withdraw its troops from Ukraine - bring them back to Russia. But in Ezekiel 38, it says God will put hooks in Gog's jaws and turn him back. i.e. from their returning back to Russia. And drag them into the Gog/Magog attack on Israel.

According to Bible prophecy, your supposition is 100 percent incorrect. Gog and Magog are NOT symbols of Russia, Ukraine, Iran, or African nations. This is the stuff of Hal Lindsey and other fanciful unbiblical prognosticators! No one who has done their homework in the bible would make such claims. Gog and Magog is a symbol of all the unsaved gentiles or nations of the world who assault the camps of saints -- the New Testament Congregation of Israel, the CHURCH! Not national Israel. It is the exact same nations of the world that God tells us Satan was bound in the first place, so they would not be deceived!! In other words, Satan was bound so God could build the church through His witnesses, the Christians, as He has been since Pentecost! Then at the time of the end, after all Elect has been secured (Revelation 7:1-4), Satan is loosed and those same nations that were prevented from being deceived, are then deceived. They aren't geopolitical nations, they weren't prevented from destroying the political congregation of Israel, but the Church that was at Satan's binding, the Israel of God. Thus, being loosed, Satan proceeds to do what he was bound from doing for the millennial reign of the Kingdom on earth. It has nothing to do with political nations whether Israel or Russia, and it has nothing to do with physical weapons of warfare, famine or world leaders.

Revelation 20:7-9

• "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
• 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.
• And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

When you discover how Satan was bound so he couldn't deceive the Nations/Gentiles, so the unsaved can be saved by Christ through HIs Church. Then you will discover how when he is loosed he does deceive the Nations/Gentiles (unsaved) and brought them against the church to assault her with false signs and wonders as warned in Matthew 24 and 2nd Thess 2. And the camp of the saints is NOT the political nation of Israel in the Middle East but the Church, the only saints on the New Testament side of the cross. All of Dougg's ideas about Russia, Ukraine, Muslims or the Europe Union are nothing but sensationalist rhetoric of those who have very little understanding of scripture, its interpretation (which belongs to God) or prophesy. So instead of comparing Scirpture with Scirpture, he goes to world news for interpretation.
Selah!

4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

Do you know what horsemen are? Do you know what being clothed with all sorts of armor means? Do you understand what bucklers, shields, and swords signify in Scripture? Or do you rather dare to believe that Russians will ride on millions of horses in the Middle East or even claim that horses are really tanks because Ezekiel never saw the tanks before?

That is the question! Tell us if you can answer these biblically.

That's how close we are to Gog/Magog.

Actually, the battle of Gog and Magog is already here if we have SPIRITUAL EYES TO SEE. IT is not what you think will happen in the Middle East, but what is happening in God's congregations all over the world.

Also, how close we are to the dead in Christ shall rise and the living in Christ shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, as this corruptible puts on incorruptibility, and mortal becomes immortal.

The rapture will occur on the LAST DAY, at the LAST TRUMP, after all, things, including Gog and Magog, are fulfilled. Not 7 years prior, else there will be more trumpets afterward. Case closed.

 

[Andrewn]

In Judaism, they connect Gog/Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39 with Zechariah 14, the gathering of all nations against Jerusalem. And the messianic age follows.

I can see how Zec 14 may be connected w/ Eze 38 & 39 and Rev 20. The language in Ezekiel and Zechariah is also similar to Rev 19:11-21.

Russia will try to withdraw its troops from Ukraine - bring them back to Russia. But in Ezekiel 38, it says God will put hooks in Gog's jaws and turn him back. i.e. from their returning back to Russia. And drag them into the Gog/Magog attack on Israel. 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: That's how close we are to Gog/Magog.

This takes place at the end of the Millennium as indicated in Rev 20.

Also, how close we are to the dead in Christ shall rise and the living in Christ shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, as this corruptible puts on incorruptibility, and mortal becomes immortal.

This takes place after the Gog & Magog war.

My question is this. Is the war described in Ezekiel 38 and the one described in Rev. 20 the same? I have always thought they were different.

I have no reason to think they are different. But I'm not sure whether this is a future war, a previous war, or metaphorical language.

 

[Douggg]

This takes place at the end of the Millennium as indicated in Rev 20.

In Ezekiel 39, there will be 7months of burying the dead of Gog's army. Followed by 7 months of burning what is left of Gog's weaponry instead of wood.

Why Ezekiel 39 cannot be at the end of the millennium is that right after Satan's last rebellion in Revelation 20 - this present earth and heaven above it are destroyed. No clean up of the land and no burnings of Gog's weaponry for 7 years.

Revelation 20:
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

 

[DavidPT]

This takes place at the end of the Millennium as indicated in Rev 20.

It can be argued, and rightfully so, that if one is applying Ezekiel 38-39 to this present age, and then applying Revelation 20:7-9 to an age after this present age, how is that even logical in light of the following?'

Ezekiel 39:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.

This verse has Gog and his multitude all dead and buried, therefore, how can there still be a Gog and his multitude in a future age if in this age Gog and his multitude are dead and buried? To be fair, those interpreters who insist Ezekiel 38-39 is involving an ancient battle that has already been fulfilled ages ago, run into the same problem. If Gog and his multitude have been dead and buried for ages now, why then are they showing up in Revelation 20 still alive and well?

One thing that might help solve some of this is what the following records.

Ezekiel 39:2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

What is meant by this---and leave but the sixth part of thee? Could that mean that God spares a remnant to fight with another day? Maybe, maybe not. I'm not entirely certain what to make of that.

 

[DavidPT]

According to Bible prophecy, your supposition is 100 percent incorrect. Gog and Magog are NOT symbols of Russia, Ukraine, Iran, or African nations. This is the stuff of Hal Lindsey and other fanciful unbiblical prognosticators! No one who has done their homework in the bible would make such claims. Gog and Magog is a symbol of all the unsaved gentiles or nations of the world who assault the camps of saints -- the church. Not national Israel. It is the exact same nations of the world that God tells us Satan was bound in the first place, so they would not be deceived!! In other words, so God could build the church as He has been since Pentecost! Then at the time of the end, Satan is loosed and those same nations that were prevented from being deceived, are then deceived. They aren't geopolitical nations, they weren't prevented from destroying the political congregation of Israel, but the Church that was at Satan's binding, the Israel of God. Thus, being loosed, Satan proceeds to do what he was bound from doing for the millennial reign of the Kingdom on earth. It has nothing to do with political nations whether Israel or Russia, and it has nothing to do with physical weapons of warfare, famine or world leaders.

Revelation 20:7-9

• "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
• 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.
• And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

When you discover how Satan was bound so he couldn't deceive the Nations/Gentiles, so the unsaved can be saved by Christ through HIs Church. Then you will discover how when he is loosed he does deceive the Nations/Gentiles (unsaved) and brought them against the church to assault her with false signs and wonders as warned in Matthew 24 and 2nd Thess 2. And the camp of the saints is NOT the political nation of Israel in the Middle East but the Church, the only saints on the New Testament side of the cross. All of Dougg's ideas about Russia, Ukraine, Muslims or the Europe Union are nothing but sensationalist rhetoric of those who have very little understanding of scripture, its interpretation (which belongs to God) or prophesy. So instead of comparing Scirpture with Scirpture, he goes to world news for interpretation.
Selah!




Do you know what horsemen are? Do you know what being clothed with all sorts of armor means? Do you understand what bucklers, shields, and swords signify in Scripture? Or do you rather dare to believe that Russians will ride on millions of horses in the Middle East or even claim that horses are really tanks because Ezekiel never saw the tanks before?

That is the question! Tell us if you can answer these biblically.


Actually, the battle of Gog and Magog is already here if we have SPIRITUAL EYES TO SEE. IT is not what you think will happen in the Middle East, but what is happening in God's congregations all over the world.



The rapture will occur on the LAST DAY, at the LAST TRUMP, after all, things, including Gog and Magog, are fulfilled. Not 7 years prior, else there will be more trumpets afterward. Case closed.

How are you factoring in, the fact that the house of Israel meant in those 2 chapters in Ezekiel, God is hiding His face from them until He executes His judgment on Gog and his multitude? Or are you just ignoring those parts altogether?

 

[Douggg]

@Andrewn

Things are being setup right now for Gog/Magog and the Antichrist made known right after it.

imo, Zelenksy could be that guy. Because he is a Jew, a well known political figure, with military prominence in his stand against Russia. And with Ukraine on the fast tract of EU full membership - which Zelensky could become the little horn person over a ten other EU leader group opposed to Russian expansion and domination.

btw, I have been watching some You Tube videos about Stalin and the things he did during his days - which were totally without regard for the value of human life. Which, if persons in Europe looking back over communist Russia history, it would be easy to understand the Europeans' concern. They recently placed some sanctions on Russia.

In addition, Israel is getting more involved in its support of Zelenksy and Ukraine. Keep in mind it is too early to tell if Zelensky is that guy or not - it could be someone completely different.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I have no reason to think they are different. But I'm not sure whether this is a future war, a previous war, or metaphorical language.

I don't see it as metaphoric language. There are things described in Ezekiel 38 & 39 like a battle and bodies strewn about upon the mountains and the buzzards having a feast on all of the dead bodies. Nothing like this is described in Rev. 20.There is no battle, but a gathering of all peoples and they are gathered to make war on the saints.
Rev. 20:8 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.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
There is no battle. God sends fire and devours them all.

 

[DavidPT]

I don't see it as metaphoric language. There are things described in Ezekiel 38 & 39 like a battle and bodies strewn about upon the mountains and the buzzards having a feast on all of the dead bodies. Nothing like this is described in Rev. 20.There is no battle, but a gathering of all peoples and they are gathered to make war on the saints.
Rev. 20:8 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.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
There is no battle. God sends fire and devours them all.

One thing we have to keep in mind, what is recorded in Revelation 20:7-9 is highly compressed. Which means we need to look for the details involving this, elsewhere. You mentioned there is no battle, so why is Revelation 20:8 recording this then---to gather them together to battle? Doesn't that contradict that you indicated there is no battle involved? Which means, IMO, you are looking at this from a compressed perspective rather that a more detailed expanded perspective, thus trying to determine everything based on what 2 or 3 verses alone record.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

One thing we have to keep in mind, what is recorded in Revelation 20:7-9 is highly compressed. Which means we need to look for the details involving this, elsewhere. You mentioned there is no battle, so why is Revelation 20:8 recording this then---to gather them together to battle? Doesn't that contradict that you indicated there is no battle involved?

Being gathered to battle is not a battle. They are just gathered with intent to battle. There is no battle, no dead bodies, and after this, satan is not bound into the pit,, but he is thrown into the lake of fire at this point.

 

[Andrewn]

Do you know what horsemen are? Do you know what being clothed with all sorts of armor means? Do you understand what bucklers, shields, and swords signify in Scripture?

I like your idealist interpretation. There is no way "the camp of the saints and the beloved city" could mean anything except the Church. But I need to find out the meaning of the symbols you listed.

 

[Andrewn]

Ezekiel 39:2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

Where do you get this verse? All translations have variations of the following:

Eze 39:2 I’m going to turn you around, drag you along to your destruction, and bring you up from the farthest parts of the north, and carry you to the mountains of Israel.

 

[Andrewn]

Things are being setup right now for Gog/Magog and the Antichrist made known right after it. imo, Zelenksy could be that guy. Because he is a Jew, a well known political figure, with military prominence in his stand against Russia. And with Ukraine on the fast tract of EU full membership -

When I heard this idea voiced months ago, I rejected it. But now it is pretty plausible.

 

[Andrewn]

There are things described in Ezekiel 38 & 39 like a battle and bodies strewn about upon the mountains and the buzzards having a feast on all of the dead bodies. Nothing like this is described in Rev. 20.There is no battle, but a gathering of all peoples and they are gathered to make war on the saints.

The book of Revelation is not arranged in chronological order. The battle is described in Rev 19:17-21 in terms that are very similar to Ezekiel.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

The book of Revelation is not arranged in chronological order. The battle is described in Rev 19:17-21 in terms that are very similar to Ezekiel.

OK,but look at what it says.Satan is captured and thrown into the pit for a thousand years after the battle in Chapter 19.

 

[DavidPT]

Where do you get this verse? All translations have variations of the following:

Eze 39:2 I’m going to turn you around, drag you along to your destruction, and bring you up from the farthest parts of the north, and carry you to the mountains of Israel.

If you go to the following link below then scroll down until you get to the Kings James Version, you will then notice that that is how that version translates it. And since I mainly use the KJV, that explains why I submitted this translation in particular.

Ezekiel 39:2 - Compare Bible Verse Translations

Compare Bible translations of Ezekiel 39:2 using all available Bible versions and commentary. "I will turn you around and drag you along"

www.biblestudytools.com

If we then look in KJVStrong's, we see the following pertaining to this verse.

And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part(shawshaw) of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

8338
shawshaw
shaw-shaw'
a primitive root; apparently, to annihilate:--leave by the sixth part (by confusion with 'shashah' (8341) .

 

[Andrewn]

OK,but look at what it says.Satan is captured and thrown into the pit for a thousand years after the battle in Chapter 19.

I don't think the story in Rev 19 continues in Rev 20. There are 7 parallel sections in the book as described here:

A Basic Outline of Revelation

At Cornerstone Fellowship Church we love God, love one another, and love our neighbor. We are gospel-centered, reformed, continuationist, baptistic, and elder-led.

cornerstoneapex.org

The Seven Parallel Sections of the Book of Revelation - Christian Teaching

A Concise Explanation of the Seven Parallel Sections Which Lie Within the Book of Revelation.Failure to perceive these sections means that one will not

www.wilmingtonfavs.com

This division is not unique to the articles above but is used by a lot of interpreters.

 

[Trivalee]

Gog is a mountain tribe north of Assyria, and Magog is an area in eastern Turkey. In the book of Revelation, we read:

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea.9 They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The war of Gog and Magog is described in detail in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.

My question is: What is being described in these passages? How is it interpreted in different traditions?

I am more interested in Gog and Magog in Revelations 20:7. Just as Babylon was used in a figurative sense in Revelation, Gog and Magog in Rev 20:7 denotes those in rebellion against God. There's no basis to claim that extinct ancient OT cities/states will suddenly reappear.

You will notice that those the scripture described as Gog and Magog are the few unsaved mortals that survive the cataclysmic events of those days to enter the Millennium in flesh. Genuine believers would have received immortality, hence unable to marry or reproduce (Matt 22:30). So, some of these people born in the millennium and didn't experience life as we know it in this age, will still not accept Jesus Christ even though he is on earth and ruling from Jerusalem at that time.

Satan will gather them after his release to surround the holy city but will be consumed by fire.